Nintendo: Apple isn't a viable gaming platform

I read most of the comments here and I just shake my head. A majority of you seem to think the target audience for the DS is YOU. You couldn't be more wrong. The target audience is people who have time to sit and play a game for an hour. The quick pick-up-and-put-down games exist because there's a market for them, but there are a lot more games for the DS that require some time investment (see: Pokémon). And I hate to break it to you, but My Pretty Pony sells.

Let me ask you this: Would you buy an eight-year-old an iPhone just so they'll sit quietly in the car? Heck no, you'd get them a DS for less than half the cost! And it will keep them occupied just as effectively as an iPhone, without having to worry about them calling someone in Egypt or getting hit on by 50-year-old creeps on the internet. Sometimes less features are a good thing.

As for games costing $30? That's only when they're new. You can buy them second-hand for $10 if you know where to shop, sometimes less. And you can trade games with your friends. I'd like to see you do -that- with an iPhone. Not only is it impossible to buy 'used' games, anything sold on the App Store will likely remain at its current price point for eternity no matter how old it is.

I can hear you caterwauling "But games for the iPhone only cost $5!" Are these games actually capable of keeping your attention for hours? Not usually. These are gimmick games, quick puzzle games, the sort that aren't designed to be able to soak up lots of time (again, see: pokémon). But guess what? You're the target audience for games on the App Store! You don't have the time to burn evolving your Squirtle into Blastoise, you'd rather play Lights Out. Good for you. Stop trying to tell me my DS Lite is a dead system though, because it is far from the truth. It's always in my coat pocket, ready to dish up some solid gaming.

I am surprised I don't see very many people bringing up the key point here, the iphone/touch/ipad devices cost well over 200 dollars each. Heaven help you if you are getting an iphone off contract for games...or worse yet the Ipad.

I will say that Nintendo needs to step up their game if they want to remain the big dogs. They need to nix the torrents and fast, and the only way to kill that really is to go to an app store like system, which they are already trying to implement.

But an iphone/touch for gaming? Really... My Ipod touch has primarily games on it and I can't even remember when I pulled it wanting to play a game.

Touch screens are not good for gaming. Just look at the DS line up and find how many good games actually use the touch screen as the primary mode of input. Granted the tech behind the DS touch screen and the iphone's is way different, but the point is still valid.

Nintendo has'nt been at the head of the hand held gaming sector since 1989 for no reason. They know exactly how to put their hand helds in the hands of gamers, kids, everyone. The iphone, while a great device, is not for everyone. You don't need a contract to get a DS, it doesn't need complex upgrades, and you don't need to deal with the dreadful Itunes.

This may be beside the point but Fil-Aimes comes off as an ass to me, very smug and cocky. Right or wrong you still look like an ass (to me anyway).

Nintendo knows better than anyone that big fancy graphics and gaming system power does not by itself make for better games. The Wii is the least powerful system out there. The PS4 and Xbox 360 are both far more powerful than Wii - Wii doesn't even support Hi-Def graphics yet it's the best-selling system by far. Surely Nintendo isn't saying the more expensive a game is the better it is, that's just asinine.

I do think dedicated gaming systems don't have much to fear from the iPad and iPhone, but portable gaming systems like the Nintendo DS and PSP certainly will be competing with them. Of course, iPads and iPhones cost a lot more than Wiis and Xboxes and Playstations. That's because Apple is not selling its products at loss-leader prices to make up the profits on app store game sales. I don't think they could get away with it. People just don't see an iphone/ipad videogame as being equivalent to a "real" $49.99 videogame. If they sold the iPhone and iPad as loss leaders for $199 and charged $39.99 to $49.99 for every app store game, Apple would lose a ton of money. They'd sell a lot more units (at a considerable loss per unit) and would hardly sell any games.

The fact of the matter is only a few certain types of games work on iPhones/iPads, and those are NOT the popular 1PS types of games. Puzzle games, physics-based games, and trivia games, as well as some crappy golf games are the only games that work well. Platform games like Mario Galaxy, fighting games like Street Fighter 4, 1PS games like... well 99% of the games out there do NOT translate to the iPhone/iPad, they need a real controller. Yeah the SF4 port to iPhone is a lot better than one would expect but it's still crappy and somewhat overpriced at $10. It's not the real thing, let's put it that way.

Nintendo's statement contradicts itself. Their the ones that have made money from the Wii despite its inferior hardware. Besides, when it comes to portable gaming, most people are looking for something to pass the time when they are out and about. The games don't have to be that sophisticated, just good enough to pass the time when traveling, waiting in line, etc. Unless you're a hardcore gamer, the iPhone probably works just fine as it's one less device people have to carry around since most people take their cell phone everywhere they go. The iPad can also be used for other forms of entertainment, while the DS is primarily a gaming device only, at least it's not suited for other forms of entertainment.

True if viable means dated graphics and $50/game regardless of whether a game sucks or not. I'm sure Ford thinks Toyota is not a viable driving platform either, seems just a little bit biased...

Yes, Pokemon. The new Heart Gold/Soul Silver game sold 1.5 million units in two days [in Japan], not sure of NA sales numbers. How many kids own iPod touches or iPhones, and possibly iPads?
And yes .. .. My Pokemon, would you like to see them ?

Until Nintendo puts out Pokemon, Metroid, LoZ, Mario games on the iPad, iPhone, iPod, I'll be carrying around my NDS.
The Big N isn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

I think Nintendo is totally screwed. Doesn't mean they are going broke this week, but I'm not sure they are going to be around in 5 years. Doesn't matter if some of their games are better or not when you can buy 20 pretty good games for the price of one of theirs. Not just Apple who will plunge the sword, Android will probably end up stabbing them as well.

Why even try to compare the two plattforms? They are nothing alike and probably share a really small group of users. The iPhone/touch is great for short games when waiting for the bus or something, but it is not a serious gaming plattform that you pick up and spend an hour playing.

That said, I think Nintendo would really love to take a piece of that small, quick games market, but Apple and the current app store (especially the cheap-as-possible culture and the lack of physical controls) will not see any serious games coming to the iPhone OS.

T.