Nintendo: Apple is 'enemy of the future'

I can understand why Nintendo is worried about Apple. Since systems like the Saturn, Playstation, and Dreamcast made gaming "grow up" Nintendo has been struggling. They saw how hard the GameCube was hit and decided to go after the non-gamer demographic, at the cost of abandoning the gamer demographic. They will never win another console war unless they split into two systems, one fun (like the Wii) and one serious (to compete with the Xbox 360 and PS3), which probably won't happen.

They are still safe when it comes to handhelds, because handhelds never "grew up." The PSP has been able to start a revolution in handhelds, but they probably won't succeed like their consoles have until the PSP3 or so. the DS is still king because it is simpler, cheaper, and offers more games. The iPhone, however, has the DS's innovative features (like touch screen) paired with the PSP's power, and that is a real threat to Nintendo. the same system can play fun platformers and puzzle games, but also serious graphically intensive racing games and first person shooters. Add in the iPad, which literally creates an entirely new category of large screen high resolution portable gaming, and Nintendo needs to act fast in order to keep their position.

When I turn on my DS, the operating system is way too simple, only allowing certain settings to be changed, while the PSP feels like a modern system, with its video and audio players, online store, and online connectivity. When the 3DS does come out, it needs a modern operating system, media players, a version of the Virtual Console, more power, and screens that aren't pitiful (despite the N64 level power of the DS it still has the screen resolution of a Super Nintendo). The worst thing they could do, though, is abandon physical media like the PSP Go did. That's one of the most important things the iPhone lacks from a gaming perspective (along with physical buttons). Of course, Nintendo might decide to go the way of the Wii and abandon the gaming market for the non-gamer market (which is the main thing keeping the DS so popular), and let the iPhone and PSP battle it out.

Data point from the field:

I have two sons, ages 10 and 4. We have numerous DSes in the household that were at one point much beloved, won't-leave-home-without-it items.

No longer.

Both boys spend as much time as allowed on my or my wife's iPhones. Angry Birds and Edge are the current favorites, but they rapid-switch among a dozen or so apps, and search the iTunes store for new free apps to try. Sometimes they'll switch to Sponge Bob episodes for longer durations, but it is the rapid-fire switching that is the key to the iPhone's appeal; no hunting around for lost cartridges, no wait-time between games.

I can tell exactly where the old DS is: It's in the drawer where we keep all the Wii games. The boys must see it every time they pull out a Wii disc, but they never pick it up. No matter; the DS has completely lost its place in their imaginations. It is no longer the new hotness, and never will be again.

My wife loves her DS, she plays it nearly everyday and plays only a couple of games on it. I love my Iphone and play games on it every day, and play a bunch of games for a short time each, typically. They serve different purposes and I don't necessarily think that someone like my wife will abandon her DS just because she gets an Iphone (which she will when the new one comes out this summer.) Similarly, I haven't found myself too interested in the DS. Different types of games and gameplay.

What? iPhoneDS? STOP STEPPING ON EVERYONE'S TOES APPLE!

I am a total DS fanboy. Not only am I on my third unit, I have owned a ridiculous amount of games for the system. That said, it is now gathering dust, thanks to my iPhone 3G and iPad.

There are some bizarre notions about the quality and quantity of games on iPhone OS. There are titles that are superior to their DS counterparts in every way - not only are they 1/3-1/4 of the price, they are also visually richer, and either have the exact same content or more.

Final Fantasy, The Settlers, Civilization Revolution, GTA: Chinatown Wars, Plants Vs Zombies, Scrabble, Rolando, Geometry Wars, Peggle, Godfinger, Sway, Pocket Legends, Angry Birds, Bejeweled 2, Field Runners, Cooking Mama, The Sims 3, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Need For Speed: Shift, Mirror's Edge, Street Fighter IV, Pac-Man, Sonic The Hedgehog, Let's Golf, Real Racing... I could list great games for iPhone OS till I'm blue in the face.

If you think the iPhone and iPad are lacking on the gaming front, you need a re-education.

I am glad Nintendo are finally taking Apple seriously as a competitor. I don't have a vast, endless supply of money, and if I can get a better looking version of a game for a fraction of the price on a device I carry everywhere anyway, I'm going to do it.

You also need to put "its" enemy in the title of your post. Stick with what they said, you think you are paraphrasing but you are changing almost the entire meaning.

Plants vs Zombies!

What if Nintendo tried to proactively nip it in the bud by creating content for the app store?

Ha! Just Kidding. They sell too much hardware. I would like to see nintendo simply increase the numbers of games on their own platforms; where their competitors always get them is number of quality games. The rub is, I rarely even buy a nintendo game unless it is developed in house like Pikmin or Mario or Link franchises.

This again show the difference in thinking between Apple and other companies.

Although apple is concerned about sales and profit, then don't enter a market to dominate it or win it. They enter a market because they believe it is under served by the available devices.

Consider that the iPhone wasn't even designed to be a portable game console. It is first and foremost a mobile phone. Or a few years ago when one of the PC magazines said that the fastest Windows Vista notebook they tested was a Macbook Pro, a machine that was clearly not designed to be optimized for running Windows Vista.

I think it gets back to the old saying, "Build a better mouse trap, and the world will beat a path to your door."

Nintendo should look ahead to Google while they're at it- if enough TVs start to run Android and pack a reasonable amount of power, it's not hard to imagine the market for dedicated gaming consoles shrinking dramatically in the next few years. Everything with a screen will have an app store built-in, and there's an industry of highly motivated start-ups (having a gaming start up is the new "starting a band") that will compete to make interesting content.

Good luck, Nintendo - I think the gaming industry will look a lot like every other content creation industry in a few years.