Nintendo hopes developers will port smartphone games to its struggling Wii U console

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
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.

Wii U


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.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 43
    olliewalliewhiskersolliewalliewhiskers Posts: 434member
    Strike that, reverse it.
  • Reply 2 of 43
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Not such a long time ago, in a top-secret design studio not far, far away at all from Cupertino, Jony Ive powered up a Wii U, tried it out, and said to himself "Yeah, I thought so. Terrible."
  • Reply 3 of 43
    jjeminjjemin Posts: 1member


    "Say Hello to Super Mario"


     


     - www.apple.com, June 2014

  • Reply 4 of 43
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    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.

  • Reply 5 of 43
    ericthehalfbeeericthehalfbee Posts: 4,486member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by OllieWallieWhiskers View Post



    Strike that, reverse it.


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jjemin View Post


    "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.

  • Reply 6 of 43
    grbladegrblade Posts: 93member


    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.

  • Reply 7 of 43
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Its over for Nintendo. They went for the casual gamer with the Wii and it worked. But now with the explosion of smartphones casual gamers can buy games for $5. The hardcore gamers will continue to support PS/Xbox.

    exactly right.
  • Reply 8 of 43
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    ericthehalfbee wrote: »

    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.

    exactly right.
  • Reply 9 of 43
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

    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?

  • Reply 10 of 43
    facetedfaceted Posts: 15member
    Nintendo should create a range of well designed iPhone, iPad and iPod cases that include a game pad, then release it's entire game catalogue on iOS. They'd make a mint.
  • Reply 11 of 43
    lord amhranlord amhran Posts: 902member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Its over for Nintendo. They went for the casual gamer with the Wii and it worked. But now with the explosion of smartphones casual gamers can buy games for $5. The hardcore gamers will continue to support PS/Xbox.
    It's HARDLY over for Nintendo.
  • Reply 12 of 43
    facetedfaceted Posts: 15member
    lord amhran wrote: »
    It's HARDLY over for 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?
  • Reply 13 of 43
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by faceted View Post

    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. 

  • Reply 14 of 43
    lord amhranlord amhran Posts: 902member
    faceted wrote: »
    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?
    Oh absolutely it would. I'd love to play Zelda, Mario etc on my iPhone but Nintendo maintain such tight control over their ip I don't think it'll happen.
  • Reply 15 of 43
    facetedfaceted Posts: 15member
    I think the games should be their own apps, but I would really like to see a Nintendo case that gives the iPhone physical game controls. I'd be willing to pay for it too and I bet most people would.
  • Reply 16 of 43
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,523member
    I'd pay good money for the original Mario games on my iphone.
  • Reply 17 of 43
    mikebmikeb Posts: 4member
    Nintendo has great franchises that people old enough to read and comment on forums know well.

    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.
  • Reply 18 of 43
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by MikeB View Post

    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.

  • Reply 19 of 43
    kgb33kgb33 Posts: 3member
    The problem with Nintendo is that they never aim high enough with their hardware, so third party developers don't want to bet on the slowest horse as their lead platform. If the next gen Xbox or Playstation is the lead platform on, say Call of Duty X, they don't really want to got bogged down trying to create a low-res, scaled-down version of the game for the Wii-U. Nintendo got lucky with the Wii.

    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.
  • Reply 20 of 43
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,322moderator
    sog35 wrote: »
    Kinda makes me sad that all the original console manufacters will soon be dead: Atari, Sega, Nintendo.

    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.
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