Nintendo profits evaporate as gamers turn to iOS - Page 2

Its not gamers turning to iOS, its people realising Nintendo hasn't been making anything worthwhile in nearly a decade.

If Nintendo wants to bounce back to the glory days of the Super Nintendo, they need up to date technology to compete in the market (which is not a gimmick *cough*3DS*cough*) and some damn AAA titles. Hey, the reason the Super Nintendo was so good was for just that - Superior hardware to the rest of the market and almost everything for the SNES was a AAA title.

It's worth remembering that even the current iPad resolution is higher than the Vita, and if the iPad 3 has 4x the resolution it would need a GPU hugely MORE powerful than the Vita to compete.

Plus it's running a much more bloated OS which will be using cycles to check for emails and other paraphernalia.

I will not take gaming on an iOS device seriously until Apple makes a device with controls for gaming. A touch screen for a lot of games doesn't cut it.

The ironic thing about your post is, yes, a touch screen is a bit of a fail when it comes to gaming, its not going to stop Nintendo fan boys throwing roses to the feet of the Wii U - a giant touch screen.

I completely agree. In fact I made a tentative attempt to get something like that off the ground a few years ago. I hit a big wall with the licensing costs for the dock connector - which were in the region of $20,000. A bluetooth version would be great, but unfortunately there's no standard for analog gamepads in the bluetooth spec (only keyboards, headsets and mass storage)

Here's the site I set up anyway, so you can see the concept art: http://www.iphoneopengaming.com/iOGA_hardware.html

Its time for it to happen before they go bankrupt.

Nintendo's model has failed in the modern market.

The hardware is crap, most of the games are crap, and its all way more expensive than the iOS ecosystem.

Obviously the perfect world would be Nintendo building some kind of analog controller that the iPhone snaps into, and selling their classic titles with beautiful graphics on the App Store. That would get me excited for the Nintendo brand again. Nothing else will.

When you put them all together like that, it's kind of surprising. The tech industry is indeed going through a huge shift this year.

I really wish Nintendo would partner with Apple and make a controller for iPhone where there are standard buttons. They Nintendo can release all kinds of games and get so much money out of it.

The reality is they bet the farm on Wii which was a pretty cool idea but not something that could go the distance. There are only a handful of games on the wii that make good use of the remote, the rest just use the remote features because they are there.

They could have really exploded things open with the wii but they haven't done hardly anything with it since the wii launched. If I remember wiis were selling like crazy when it came out, then nintendo sat on it, and sales declined. People realized that the system while cool, has practically no replay value. Developers also have to make games exclusive for the wii and it's system, which doesn't translate well to other platforms.

Sadly the wii's strength is also it's greatest weakness.

yup, the Touch was left behind this cycle, and that will hurt its Holiday sales. Apple should also offer a larger 5"+ Touch model next year. that would hit Sony's Vita hard, and both together would probably kill the 3DS outright. and it would satisfy the genuine demand for a mid-sized iOS tablet.

I think the Wii U doesn't go far enough. The controllers are touchscreen tablet-like devices, but not standalone portable consoles. Why? That, I believe, is where they should be going. The tablet becomes their replacement for the DS line, and then becomes the controller for the Wii U. Make the controller a PERSONAL device, so that each gamer takes ownership of their own.

Apple is in a perfect position to exploit iOS in this way. Already there are games that use the iPhone or iPod as controllers, and the iPad as the display. What Apple lacks, though, is real, physical game controls -- buttons, joysticks, and the like. That's the advantage that Nintendo could exploit. I just can't get into a lot of iOS action games because of that limitation.

Nintendo is not just stubborn and delusional, they are trapped by their overweening pride. they had a great run of successes for several years with the Wii and DS/DSi, and they thought it would last forever. they thought Mario etc. was all they would ever need.

but iOS ate away at the DS starting with the intro of the iPod Touch in 2008, with the iPad adding a crushing blow last year. and Sony and MS caught up to and passed by the Wii in 2010 with the Move and Kinect.

the HD Wii U is coming out 2 whole years too late. there is absolutely no excuse for that. and instead of integrating it tightly with the 3DS to build a real ecosystem, Nintendo is adding a very dumb tablet-like remote control for it that no one is going to want - it's really just a six axis remote with a lame touchscreen.

there is no hope for Nintendo under this blind leadership. it will collapse in two years. maybe Samsung will buy up what's left.

iOS gaming is now entering a new phase with AirPlay/Screen Mirroring bringing it wirelessly to your HDTV (via a $100 Apple TV). the key is that the UI display on the iPad/iPhone (and iPod touch one day) can be totally different than the game display on the TV. plus multiplayer games using multiple iOS devices are supported. this opens up many kinds of new game possibilities, and upgrades for current ones. we will have to see what game developers do with it over the next year. but there is a lot of imagination out there ...

i don't know if this will turn out to be a big deal, or not. but it already jumps far ahead of the Wii U before it even gets started.

and of course you can use Air Play/Screen Mirroring for a lot more than just games.

You'll never see Mario, The Legend of Zelda or any other first party game on another console or device. Nintendo is just like Apple in that they want to control the software and hardware. You have to remember, Nintendo wasn't number one for two generations (Nintendo 64 and GameCube) until the Wii came out. The real problem here is they never had ANY competition in the mobile market until iOS (iPod, iPhone and iPad). Like someone already stated, Nintendo never sold hardware at a loss until the 3DS. I'm not entirely sure but even in their worst days they never reported a quarterly loss which is a real cause for concern. I used to buy every Nintendo console except the Wii. They really need to stop the gimmicks and get back to what made the Nintendo, Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 so great. I love The Legend of Zelda and Mario but refuse to use the stupid Wiimote. I think you'll see Nintendo go bankrupt before they make games for the competition just like you'll never see Apple make OS X or iOS for HP or Dell.

In short, I think Nintendo will figure it out. No Nintendo games on other devices. Quarterly loss and hardware at a loss a real concern. Nintendo, stop with the gimmick controls and release something for real gamers and I'll buy.

/end rant

Completely agree!

Nintento is losing money because it wants to. It could port its games to IOS and make money. The other thing is the wii is 5 years old. Where is the innovation? Technology has come a long way since the wii first came out.

SHOULD. And the Mac, too. If anyone's like Nintendo, it's Apple.


The Xbox 360 is older. I don't see people whining. The WiiU's out next year. Where's the Xbox 360 successor? Nowhere.

Conveniently omitted by the author of this article - the fact that Nintendo's 3DS has sold more units than the Nintendo DS sold in the same period after it launched.

the 3DS had a fast start - all the Mario fanboys no doubt - but then it flopped hard after that. and it hasn't come back. Holiday sales are its last hope.

the DS started slow but built up over time. at the time it was something new and different, so it took a while to catch on. and then it took off, followed by the very successful DSi.

but the 3DS has no such excuse. if it doesn't bounce back with the Holidays, it's dead.

I still look forward to the new Wii Zelda more than any iOS game.
Nintendo for iOS? I'd say yeah! But make it serious, make games specifically designed for touch screen. No virtual buttons porting old classics..

I guess Nintendo is about as doomed as Apple is...

Lets get real a minute here, 3DS sales are sucking because it was overpriced when launched and still lacks any quality games other than a Zelda Ocarina of time remake. Games like the upcoming Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart, Monster Hunter, Sonic Generations will provide a much needed content boost until Spring when games like Kingdom Hearts 3D and MGS are supposed to make their appearance.

On the console front, was anyone expecting less? The only must have title this year for the Wii is Zelda: Skyward Sword (noticing a trend here with first party Nintendo games?). Thats it. Lets compare that to whats on deck for both PS3/360 - Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Batman Arkham Asylum, MGS HD Collection, Sonic Generations, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim are the standout games. Thats not including console exclusives like Uncharted 3, Forza 4, GoW3.

On both fronts, Nintendo is lacking many quality 3rd party hits this holiday season and sales are going to suffer simple as that. With the Vita on the way the threat is even bigger because for 80 bucks more, you can get a lot more bang.

To sell gaming devices, you need games, and Nintendo is truly lacking this year especially on the Wii front.

If you actually knew anything about 3DS, you'd know there isn't yet a Mario game released for the system. Why would "Mario fanboys" buy the system if there isn't a Mario game for it?

The two new Mario games - Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land - are released in the next few weeks.

I'd say it's probably more to do with Nintendo saturating their market and not innovating enough to maintain interest. There are around the same amount of Nintendo DSs as iPhones out there but every generation of iPhone has offered compelling upgrades, especially for people using handsets that are multiple generations back.

The 3DS offers very little that's compelling over the DS because ultimately they need to offer unique games that take advantage of new features. Instead, they act like Disney, rehashing well known franchises over and over but failing to recreate that spark of innovation that made those franchises great.

It happened to Sega long ago and now they push their software on iOS. It would be great if Nintendo went this route but great for Apple and Apple customers not Nintendo and Nintendo customers as Nintendo would no longer control the end-to-end model. Want a learning program that uses a stylus? Sorry, no dice.

The whole gaming industry is getting like the movie industry though. People just seem to be running out of good stories to tell. Just take Rage for example. The team at id come out thinking they've done something amazing and people just say it's like Borderlands, which has already been done and it took id 6 years or so to build it.

Publishers/development studios need to invest heavily in story-tellers and really talented concept artists. Rehashing shallow games isn't the way forward, it'll turn gaming into reality TV. Watered down, disposable entertainment where costs go down and profits go down and nobody is inspired by it.

I expect Sony's NGP to do better but not having video output to a TV is such a wasted opportunity and poor battery life, high price and expensive, rehashed PS3 games don't help matters.

or xbox etc


they don't even have to go that far. take the classic Super Mario trilogy and convert it and push it as Classic Mario Bros. THey could sell them for even $9.99 each and many folks would bite. Keep the newer and fancier titles for their own machines

That's because the touch screen compliments the buttons. It doesn't replace them.

It's currently in development and will probably hit stores in 2013.

Sensationalist title. Anywho, Nintendo's been resting on their laurels WAAY too much. I don't want an OOT remake (I do, but...), I wan't games that WEREN'T POSSIBLE previously in a handheld.

This is EXACTLY why Nintendo would never do that. They're too much like Apple. That would be like saying that Apple should port OS X to PCs and open up iOS whenever they faced an uphill battle.

Nintendo's been through a lot, and though it's possible they won't ever be on top again, it's way too early for people on here to go "NINTENDO IS DOOMED!" as some people are ready to exclaim. Seriously, I'd expect that kind of "Mission Accomplished" talk from a Fandroid forum.

Nintendo needs to get creative. Maybe they need appeal to a more adult crowd.

Ninento was and is good because of Mario and friends, courtesy the GENIUSES at Nintendo.

Super Mario. Zelda. Mario Kart. Smash Brothers. Their games are quick to learn, fun for beginners and hardcore gamers alike, they're rated G and safe and fun for little kids all the way through old people. Wii is awesome too with its controller.

I can't believe what is happening to games. Angry Birds and Farmville are the the death of games. Between the addictive WoW-type games and the 'insert credit card here to water your "plants"' Zynga crap... Nintendo to me is like the middle ground. Awesome games, that are accessible, yet not braindead like Mafia Wars or Angry Crap. I want Nintendo to stay around!

Here is my scenario for how to keep Nintendo in business. Its library is already golden. Let us BUY old Nintendo games and play them on emulators on Android or iPhone. I already have Mario Bros. on my Droid. Works like a CHARM it is awesome. My next Android phone which will have HDMI out...I"ll get a few Bluetooth controllers and be able to go over to someone's house and play Nintendo or PlayStation games with them by just hooking my phone up to their TV and grabbing our controllers.

I don't get why the consoler makers (Sony, Nintendo) are against emulators. Consoles lose money right? That's what I have seen people here say. So, let us buy the ROMs. They don't even need to make emulators, they are already awesome. Also sell us the controllers. Who better to make the controllers and accessories than Nintendo?

Although I doubt Apple would ever allow that on iPhone officially...Or maybe they will change their ways? But I am sure lots of Android handset makers would go for this. It would make money for everyone, and make casual gamers like me happy to fork over some money. I'd rather have a quality gaming experience I pay for than a half-ass one that is free. When quality is important, people pay for it. I pay for songs I really like because I don't want a crap MP3 and the same is true for games. I don't want to have to mess around with stuff when I want to get my gaming on.

What does everyone think? Any reason this wouldn't work?