130°

Nintendo needs to embrace iOS as a games platform

Mike Wehner of TUAW writes, "With its marquee home console, the Wii U, thoroughly underperforming in sales and the 3DS falling considerably short of its predecessor's performance over the 28 months since its release, it's time for Iwata-san to reconsider his stance on iOS."

3-4-53904d ago (Edited 3904d ago )

That is the thing.....No it doesn't.

People who have been into gaming for a few years now all of the sudden saying everything has to be catered to them because they play games now.

this article is trash.

Brucis3905d ago

No, it doesn't 'need' to. Considering the DS sold over 150 million units and was one of the most successful consoles ever it'd be hard-pressed to not fall short of that, much less match it. Does Sony need to reconsider things because the PS3 sold less than the PS2? No.

tehpees33905d ago

Its not about units sold. its about profits made. Nintendo make an awful lot of their money on their hardware.

Brucis3905d ago

I know, I was just saying it's stupid to state that Nintendo need to rethink things because they sold 8mil less than the DS in the same time frame (2 years 3 months). It means practically nothing to sell less than the second highest selling console.

iamnsuperman3905d ago (Edited 3905d ago )

No but people are spending more money on mobile games than ever before

Source: http://www.newzoo.com/wp-co...

The comparison you made isn't totally correct because the rise of the 360 (competition) would make the PS3 sell than the PS2. But people are still buying consoles (hell 77 million each is impressive for competition). They also reconsidered things (look at the launch of the PS4 compared to the PS3 launch). They only need to one up their competition as it is console versus console

The competition with smart phones and tablets is vastly more damaging for Nintendo. Look at the early days of the 3DS (they cut the price by 30% for sales to take off). Look at their most recent move with the 2DS. Both show Nintendo understands the mobile market is eating away at their "secure" income. Mobile devices do a lot more than game (which is where the appeal comes from) and they can game for less. A lot has changed since the original DS launched

grahf3905d ago

Yes you're right, a lot has changed. What hasn't changed is that children are freaking clumsy. There is no way in hell i'm handing a fragile $600 device to a 7 year old so they can play Pokemon, and there is no way they're getting their own!

Here kid, have a 3DS/2DS/1DS with Nerf Armor for less than $200 and have at it!

TheEvilWithin3905d ago

Ok? So what should Sony consider doing then cause the Vita is not selling well? You think its time for Sony to consider EMBRACING IOS with there games? You know cause the Vita is in trouble. There using a stupid feature such as Remote play with the PS4 in a last ditch effort to save them selves on the Vita BUT what people seem to be forgetting is it goes off internet connection to work. So you think going on a road trip your going to be able to play PS4 games on your vita? Or how about thinking of going out to your local mall and sitting and waiting for your girl to finish trying on cloths you think your going to hop on a secure internet connection? Its just a feature to let you sit on the john in your own house to play games.

Point is the Vita is in worse shape then the 3DS and there are NO articles suggesting they move to IOS.

You also mention how both PS3 AND 360 has sold 77 million systems each but what about the Nintendo Wii outselling BOTH consoles with OVER 100 Million consoles sold and its STILL selling decent.

Nintendo is fine they have something like 17 Billion in the bank. Mind you Nintendo is just a gaming company. Sony sells just about EVERYTHING and there losing money ALL the time. Microsoft has there Windows business to keep there company going.

These articles of Nintendo needing to start embracing IOS need to stop because its NEVER going to happen. Like Grahf said, No one is going to hand over there Ipad or Iphone or Ipod to just let there kid play Nintendo games on it. People like you need to stop defending these articles because the same thing can be said about the competition.

iamnsuperman3905d ago (Edited 3905d ago )

@TheEvilWithin

"There using a stupid feature such as Remote play with the PS4 in a last ditch effort to save them selves on the Vita BUT what people seem to be forgetting is it goes off internet connection to work"

I don't think it is stupid but it is a last ditch effort for the Vita. Good free Wifi's are popping up all over the place. So I don't think the Wifi only thing is a good reason to discredit the service.

Sony are moving towards making the brand more mobile based. There are phones and tablets that are Playstation certified. I think this is the first baby step in that direction. Nintendo is showing no forward thinking in that regard

"Nintendo is fine they have something like 17 Billion in the bank. Mind you Nintendo is just a gaming company. Sony sells just about EVERYTHING and there losing money ALL the time. Microsoft has there Windows business to keep there company going. "

This is just plan wrong. The Wii was a success but since then other consoles (64, cube, Wii U) are/didn't do well. The DS sold well on its own but the 3DS only started selling after a big 30% price cut (if that doesn't show you the market has changed I am not sure what will. These consoles can't sell at the price point it used to sell fine at. Imagine what will happen another 5 years down the line) Sony isn't loosing money anymore. They had a shake up with Kaz becoming CEO and now they are turning a profit. There tablet was voted best tablet this year and their phone is one of the best on the market and it is showing in the sales.

Nintendo issue is they are showing a lack of forward thinking. Their competitors have evolved as the market changes and at least Sony is showing a more ios/android store embrace than Nintendo. I see the Vita being the last handheld from Sony. Only because they will make more money with a tablet device that uses Gaikai (which they bought recently) and there phones and tablets allow controllers to be contented. People are saying Nintendo should embrace ios because it is dominating the market. Totally ignoring the issue is why these articles are being written. Sony is showing signs of changing. Nintendo isn't

tehpees33905d ago

No. Nintendo are fine as they are.

Show all comments (26)
80°

How Many More Victims, Like Garry's Mod, Will Nintendo's Hurtful Crusade Create?

Hanzala from eXputer: "As Nintendo takes out 20 years' worth of stuff from Garry's Mod, I watch in shock, thinking why it continues to hurt and discourage its fans."

RiseNShine5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

The irony that some of the most disgusting business practices come from companies like Disney or Nintendo, i can't even begin to understand what terrible damage was Garrys Mod making to Nintendo bottom line, imho they're getting pretty nervous about where they're heading in the future, handhelds are no longer something exclusive to Nintendo, from Steam Deck to many others, now you can play the latest games and pay a fraction of the price on Steam sales, so it's up to their exclusives, which just on their own would make hard to justify purchasing a closed overpriced hardware with outrageous price policies (Super Mario Odyssey is still 60 euro 6 years later!), and as a home console they're always underperforming compared to Sony or Xbox.

gold_drake4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

i cam guarantee you, that their exclusives alone is what drives switch sales. they sell in the 10s of millions of copies.

nintendo created their franchises to be sort of nostalgia driven, exclusive only on nintendo.

people will always buy the pkmn games as they always bring in new younger fans amd is family friendly

mario kart, the same thing, mario games in general.

zelda games are system sellers. animal crossing for the casual gamers.

nintendo doesnt need third vame devs essentially. they made sure with the switch and the limitations that they looked more to pc ps and xbox.

its sad, but nintendo is more than fine with what they're doing. they positioned themselves to appeal to the more casual gamers.

but to your point, im not sure why they're doing this rly.

Inverno4d ago

Look at how they handled Nintendo games being streamed or uploaded on YouTube in the past. They killed Yuzu and Citra even when they had nothing to do with ToTK being leaked, not to mention it was basically unplayable on emulation the week it was leaked. Smash Bros tournament, that was fairly recent. They shut down their online services without any care for purchases made. I bought a switch after skipping their last 2 consoles and handhelds but I don't plan on buying anything Nintendo in the future. They take things to the extremes, they legitimately hate their fans. They're honestly right up there with the likes of Acti, EA, and Ubi, only difference is that they disguise themselves as being family friendly all the while being shady.

80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10125d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref25d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde25d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn25d ago (Edited 25d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197225d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville24d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218324d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos24d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
isarai25d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref25d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan25d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis00724d ago (Edited 24d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197225d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

25d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197225d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

25d ago
25d ago
Zeref25d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde25d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197225d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197225d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows25d ago (Edited 25d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier24d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto24d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218324d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto24d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
Hofstaderman25d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts25d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts24d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic24d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

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