Nintendo hopes developers will port smartphone games to its struggling Wii U console
Faced with a slow start for the Wii U, Nintendo has reportedly begun offering software to make it easy for developers to port their mobile applications from platforms like Apple's iOS to its new home gaming console.
Nintendo's alleged plans to boost sales of the Wii U were reported on Monday by The Japan Times, which revealed the game maker is reportedly offering developers "professional use conversion software." The tools allow developers to easily port their software from smartphone platforms, presumably including Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
The Wii U has drawn comparisons to Apple's iPad because the console's controller includes a touchscreen display. Games can utilize both the tablet controller and a user's HDTV to create new types of gaming experiences.
Apple offers a similar combination when pairing an iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV. Though Apple's set-top box does not have a full-fledged App Store, some games offer console-style gaming by streaming wirelessly to the Apple TV via AirPlay.
Since the debut of the iOS App Store, games have been dominant among the most popular software for the mobile platform, making Apple a major player in the gaming market. The company made a more direct push into the gaming space in 2010, when it launched the Game Center social network.
Nintendo's current strength lies in mobile games, where the company's 3DS console is dominant against its primary competition, Sony's PlayStation Vita. But the Wii U, which launched last fall, has failed thus far to find the same kind of success its predecessor, the Wii, saw in capturing the casual gaming market.
After the Wii U got off to a slow start, Nintendo was forced to cut its forecasts. Demand is said to have dropped off considerably in 2013, with a dearth of new games available since its launch.
Nintendo's alleged plans to boost sales of the Wii U were reported on Monday by The Japan Times, which revealed the game maker is reportedly offering developers "professional use conversion software." The tools allow developers to easily port their software from smartphone platforms, presumably including Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
The Wii U has drawn comparisons to Apple's iPad because the console's controller includes a touchscreen display. Games can utilize both the tablet controller and a user's HDTV to create new types of gaming experiences.
Apple offers a similar combination when pairing an iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV. Though Apple's set-top box does not have a full-fledged App Store, some games offer console-style gaming by streaming wirelessly to the Apple TV via AirPlay.
Since the debut of the iOS App Store, games have been dominant among the most popular software for the mobile platform, making Apple a major player in the gaming market. The company made a more direct push into the gaming space in 2010, when it launched the Game Center social network.
Nintendo's current strength lies in mobile games, where the company's 3DS console is dominant against its primary competition, Sony's PlayStation Vita. But the Wii U, which launched last fall, has failed thus far to find the same kind of success its predecessor, the Wii, saw in capturing the casual gaming market.
After the Wii U got off to a slow start, Nintendo was forced to cut its forecasts. Demand is said to have dropped off considerably in 2013, with a dearth of new games available since its launch.
Comments
"Say Hello to Super Mario"
- www.apple.com, June 2014
I'm not sure why everyone is denouncing the WiiU without comparing its launches to the launches of its predecessors. How long before the PlayStation 3, for example, had games worthy of buying the system? There are always cold launches for consoles. It's part of why the industry as a whole is dying, but it's certainly not Nintendo specific.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OllieWallieWhiskers
Strike that, reverse it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjemin
"Say Hello to Super Mario"
- www.apple.com, June 2014
This. Nintendo should port their games to iOS and watch their money coffers fill. I always wondered just how bad it has to get for Nintendo before they break down and do this.
It used to be cool if you could port a console game to a phone. Now manufacturers want to port phone games to consoles. That speaks volumes on the future of gaming.
exactly right.
exactly right.
Originally Posted by sog35
The industry grew and they were not big enough to keep up with true giants like Microsoft and Sony.
Then why are those two just copying ideas straight from Nintendo?
True, but wouldn't it be so much better for them not to come to iOS out of pure desperation and instead come to iOS because it makes business sense?
Originally Posted by faceted
True, but wouldn't it be so much better for them not to come to iOS out of pure desperation and instead come to iOS because it makes business sense?
Really, they should release their back catalogues on iOS. NES, SNES, and N64.
Not some stupid "storefront" app that has controls as an overlay, but regular, individual apps, each being its own game. They'd make a fortune and they would still be making their own hardware to innovate in the console/handheld realm.
But the average 10 year old knows far more about Angry Birds and other iOS games than Mario.
Their franchises are all tied to their hardware. So if their hardware is dying, it will eventually take down their games too. They're quickly running out of time and risk losing entire generations of gamers who will grow up with other favorite games and characters.
Originally Posted by MikeB
Their franchises are all tied to their hardware. So if their hardware is dying, it will eventually take down their games too. They're quickly running out of time and risk losing entire generations of gamers who will grow up with other favorite games and characters.
Their hardware isn't dying, they're not running out of time, and they won't lose generations of anything.
Using a low res tablet as a game controller was the antithesis of genius. If they took one glance at the market, they would've seen that many many people already own tablets. Had they created an app for the iPad and Android tablets to support the Wii-U, then they would've made a killing. A game-centric portal for your tablet into a home theater experience. Instead, they put out a weak toy-like game system. Nintendo should focus entirely on portable gaming systems like the 3DS and game development. Time for them to step aside in the console market.
Atari and Sega make software for iOS. So does Square Enix who typically stuck to Nintendo and Sony consoles.
The hardware companies just aren't having to convince people to buy poor quality hardware any more so they can focus on games.
The Wii U sucks. Look at the size of the controller and you only get one of the controllers with the display on it. This year's iPad will probably be as powerful as it too. Their game franchises are getting a bit long in the tooth.
Sony and Microsoft are the only ones doing the standalone console right this time with their augmented PC model.
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/04/wii-u-a-global-sales-flop-as-old-wii-outsells-nintendos-new-casual-dream/
"Blaming “weaker than expected sales” of Wii U and its 3DS portable, Nintendo’s net income for the year was a staggering 49.3 per cent lower than forecast."
I'm actually happy to see this happen because it means fewer developers will waste time on kids games. Nintendo was great back in the 90s but they stuck to a demographic that just doesn't care that much about games. The Wii was a one-trick pony.
What they should have done was make a tablet and have an online marketplace with approved downloads and AAA titles. If I was them, I'd scrap the Wii U immediately and get a PowerVR 6 Wii Tablet in production. 8" $199 16-32GB, dockable to a TV.