Nintendo 3DS – A Broken Business Model
Nintendo’s soon-to-be released 3DS device is causing a stir in the gaming industry. But there’s a caveat hidden in all the buzz.
On Monday, well-known gaming industry analyst Michael Pachter released a research note proclaiming the forthcoming Nintendo 3DS would “revolutionize the gaming industry.” His belief was based on the new device’s 3D experience, which he says will not only spur sales of gaming hardware (he predicts Nintendo will quickly sell 10 million units), but also raise prices of software.
As I discuss in a post at GigaOM Pro today, Pachter may be right about the company being able to sell 10 million units fairly quickly, but he’s wrong about the overall prognosis for the 3DS.
The problem isn’t so much that the 3DS won’t be a unique gaming experience, it’s that the device, and with it, the gaming experience, is built around an antiquated business model popularized over 20 years ago by Nintendo and the Gameboy. With the Gameboy, Nintendo created a model centered around the release of a new generation of hardware every five years or so and by the sales of expensive software titles over the life of the device.
But in an apps-driven world where the iPhone and iPod touch rule (and Android is making huge forward strides), this model poses a couple of different problems.
The first is the hardware life cycle and associated pricing of 3DS. Nintendo has already seen the impact of the iPod Touch, and at a likely price of $250, the 3DS may not be worth the money when compared with Apple’s offerings. (While the iPod touch currently tops out at $399 from an entry point of $199, it offers consumers more bang for their buck.) And as for five-year hardware cycles, that’s a lifetime for consumers who have grown accustomed to a new iPhone every year.
However, the bigger problem for Nintendo and the 3DS is the software model. Nintendo has grown rich on a model premised on tight control of select software titles through approved partners. These partners traditionally release expensive titles through brick and mortar and online stores.
That model worked in the past, but not in today’s market. The app-store model has unleashed a wave of innovative new games (36 thousand at last count) from hungry developers looking to free themselves from the long, expensive and highly restricted development cycles associated with traditional console gaming. In comparison, Nintendo’s process is the mobile game software equivalent of the Soviet Union: too much control, artificially inflated prices, too little choice.
Nintendo may have re-invented handheld gaming with the DS, but the visual trickery on the 3DS won’t be enough to create a sustained multi-year sales cycle. The device is doomed, and Apple killed it.
Read the full post here.
Image Source: flickr user Colony of Gamers
Name 5 app-store games that are in the same league with Kid Icarus: Rising.
Still waiting here, buddy. Are you going to rattle off some games that can compare with Kid Icarus?? How about something older like New Super Mario Bros. DS?
You’ve seemed to have gone quiet on this and I don’t blame you. When you’ve wolfed something this bad on something, I’d hide behind my iPad, too.
First of all, you’re being rather unfair, expecting a guy to respond to comments on some article for the rest of his life. Just because he’s stopped commenting, doesn’t mean he’s hiding.
Of course, he’s still WRONG, as any PC gamer will tell you. If he were right about the market for gamers wanting to upgrade to a new model with slight gains every year, the console industry wouldn’t be growing so much as people moved away from PCs, siting regular upgrade costs, and the highest selling games on PCs probably wouldn’t be the ones that can be played on low end machines.
Digital Distribution IS a good, strong, tappable market, however, and Steam’s success shows that it’s working on PCs. But, as so many others have pointed out, Nintendo has a competitive download service, particularly for the handhelds. (I miss Virtual Console releases. DSi all the time…)
I’m not sure about this. The App Store has been around for some time, but there doesn’t seem to be much data supporting the idea that it has harmed either Nintendo’s hardware or software sales yet. They sold 500k+ units in the US alone last month.
Additionally, it’s likely that the 3DS will also have its own download service, for smaller, bite-size games like those available for iOS devices.
If what you’re saying is true, why hasn’t the App Store affected Nintendo’s business model in the 2 years it has existed?
@Nav – Actually year over year sales for portables have seen significant declines (http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/handheld/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=224800013) – I would argue much of that is attributable to other devices like the Touch as well as the maturity of the current cycle.
As for app-store impact on Nintendo’s model: data shows the market for portable software is down significantly YoY while another is going up – so you can attribute at least some of the decline to a new alternative (Apps).
Or that these devices are 5 years old and at the tail end of their lifecycle.
Hm, good point. I do think, though, that at the moment it’s too early to tell whether this is the ‘Apple Effect’ or the maturity of the cycle.
Still, I do agree that the prevalence of bite-size games available on iOS is starting to change habits. Look at Sony’s so-so stab at it with their ‘Minis’ line. They’ve sold a million titles in 9 months. It’s almost nothing compared to App Store sales, but it means both companies and consumers are clearly responding to something.
What remains to be seen is, when new hardware is launched, whether the bite-size market will cannibalize traditional game sales or exist along side it. After all, when a five year old handheld can sell 500k units in July, there’s clearly still demand for broader, more in-depth gaming experiences. Additionally, even the most jaded in the gaming press were floored by the the 3Ds’ 3D effect – something no-one was expecting.
Have you ever thought that every DS being sold right now is setting a new record.
It shows even after breaking the record it’s still selling. The console has now aged the reason for this decline is possible because the 3DS was announced, people have been put off buying the DS because a 3DS was announced.
Look at the PSP Go, it shows that people still prefer physical media to digital. Everyone knows digital distribution is the future, and that’s what it is the FUTURE. It’s not now! and when the 3DS launches we will still say DD is the FUTURE.
Unlike you (hopefully) and I most consumers do not own a fast line and some do not even have access to broadband. The average internet connection speed for homes in the UK and USA is 2-3Mb (Megabit) this means it takes 8 seconds to download a 2-3MB(Megabyte) file. DS games average at around 64MB and the largest is 512MB, now that’s quite a long download time for a game. Now think about this, the Maximum 3DS cartridge is 2GB at launch, the DS launch with a maximum of 128MB. Now a 3DS launch game could be 1GB, on an average internet connection it will take ages to download a game of 1GB. Until countries further develop a fibre network with a minimum speed of 40Mb to everyone at home, no time soon are full games going completely digital.
Nintendo has an app store, it’s called wiiware and DSiware, offering tibits of games to play. On a fully fledge handheld console, no body wants to play small games all the time so there is variety with the model Nintendo and Sony have.
I think you need to research in the video game generations, It does not justify to spend £99 every year on a brand new MP3 and Mp4 player(iPod nano 4th and 5thgen). It does not justify the purchase of a phone that soley depends on 3rd party software and costs over $400 every single year otherwise you can’t play brand new 15 second games.
The handheld gaming model works because it offers the main games for everyone.
How do you figure this, each life cycle for Nintendo products both hardware and software has increased. The Gameboy over twice as long time span sold over 100 million. The DS has surpassed it in hardware sales in half the amount of time to become all the time selling dedicated gaming system. Since the systems have a low failure rate unlike Apple products (I have a MacBook Pro that I have to replace the AC adapter every year and half), they tend not need to be replace. In Japan they have 70% market saturation. Sales have only decreased over the last couple month since the announcement of the 3DS. Actually the biggest thing that could kill the DS was the R4 and piracy. That has done more to hurt Nintendo then Apple small gaming share could.
Where as the iphone and ipod touch are leading the market for apps and downloadable games – They still don’t compare to the experience of a traditional handheld. Its true that they are getting closer and that compelling game ideas are coming forth from developers incorporating the touch screen and tilt features. But for those of us looking for a deeper experience with analog control, apple just doesn’t cut it. The games I play on my phone are for roughly 5 to 10 minutes at a time, where as my DS gets played from 15 minutes to hours at a time. Nintendo and Apple represent different markets in the handheld world, but both are taking steps into each others territory. Apple with their more compelling games and Nintendo with their download store. I feel Nintendo is closer to encroaching on Apples territory than the other way around. Also in regards to a new iphone every year – The advancements made are similar to the DS, DS Lite, DSi and most recently DSiXL coming out every year or two.
Oh come on. The article is so apple-oriented. This Apple model won’t be capable for every business.
Videogames is a big industry that needs a big amount of money coming. And I’m not talking about those cheap games you can mainly find on Apple/Android stores, but great titles that are made with a big teams, thousand of hours and money. Of course there are independent games, but you can see statistics and succesfull games always come from medium to big studios.
I think you are thinking about the N3DS such as a multipurpose device, when everybody knows that Nintendo focus on gaming. But I don’t know, maybe this deserves to be much than that.
By the way, the last sentece is so terrible. Doomed? This is a success from now. Just have to read the reviews from the industry.
@Edgar – If product success was determined from pre-launch reviews rather than sustained multiyear sellthrough, it’d probably make the lives of the CEO much easier :)
You are misunderstanding my words.
I’m not talking about critical reviews, but review from industry related specialist. When people who design, develop and programs talk very good and look excited about a new tech it’s a good sign.
Do these Apple fanboys really believe the spiel they’re writing?
Nintendo going third party confirmed!
I’m sure the user wrote this article on his iPad while sipping a Martini on the beach.
Seriously, guy, stick to what you know. And what you know certainly isn’t the handheld videogame market.
I actually wrote it on my 100 foot yacht while I smoked a pipe and drank jack and cokes. I was throwing Nintendo DS’s over the side as I typed.
hahaha
Actually that would be unlikely since the iPad doesn’t work all that well in the Sun, but hey, maybe he can go inside and play a rousing game of Plants vs Zombies, the iPad killer game app.
About the 3DS iterations, don’t worry, Nintendo already did that well before Apple (see Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance SP, Gameboy Advance Mini, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL)
About the tight control of approved software, it seems the author is quite misinformed since that model has been scrapped since the DS/Wii era, else we wouldn’t be plagued with tons and tons of unwanted shovelware on both machines, which by the way the App Store also suffers from.
The author also seems to be uninformed about the 3DS’ capabilities since it is also a music player and a 3D Movie player (first in market to do this).
Just watch the 3DS become the best selling videogame device by a large margin.
@Martin – have they changed their pricing structure? No. Pachter predicts pricing for software will go UP. Unless Nintendo loosens control, lowers overall pricing, it will see market share erosion for its handhelds.
Pacther predicts many things and he is rarely right, he’s not the source that you should listen to for your analysis.
And Market Share is a relative metric, I remember that article that showed Apple eating the DS market share. It went from 75% to 70% but even with that drop and going by the cold hard numbers, Nintendo profited more than the previous year with a higher market share.
Cell phones are evidently more commonly used than dedicated videogame devices, so it is natural that eventually Nintendo will have a very small % of the market share pie, that in no way means that they will lose their place as the number one moneymaker in the videogame industry.
Your silly, haven’t you noticed Wiiware and seen the patients for 3DSware. They have a download model, and one on the Wii that needs some improvements but actually works really well. They also know developers in the market really well. The developers are very excited about from Konami all the way to EA. It will sell very well with the gaming community and you can expect another 100 million seller. And if you check studies and the sales of the PSP Go people are still stuck on physical media. So they get you coming and going which is actually a better business model.
Other than the no AO rating games allow, they are not very strict. So that doesn’t make sense.
Yes what you don’t take into account here is.
:: The 3DS will have cheap games to download. And it will be open up more to garage developers who want to create a downloadable game.
So cheap apps will also be available on 3DS, alongside with multi-million budget games.
:: Apples own business model pushes away gamers. I as a gamer want to have the option of buying one console, and not needing to upgrade after a year, in-order to play all the newest games.
Every year Apple releases a new improved spec phone. If I want to play my games to full extent and get the most of them, I need to buy the newest hardware.
:: No buttems, playing games on my sis iphone is a pain.
Note im not a nintendo fanboy, I never owned a portable console before. 3DS most likely will be my first.
difference between the iphone/ipod touch is that the ds and 3ds put out high quality good games, which people can rely on. These apps on the iphone can’t nearly top the quality that the 3ds offer and the true real gamers will always gravitate towards the Ds series.
Theres a reason why a place like pax will always be full of people who own a DS when compared to people who own a iphone/ipod. The reason being that people, the real games are on the Ds, the ipod touch is just a appetizer for casual none game players, most of whom only use it for mostly music anyway.
wow, I’m glad I didn’t listen to an actual gaming industry analyst and/or my own preferences. Thanks for telling us whats up even if you are wrong.
I think I read the argument that people prefer to spend $200 – $400 every year for new hardware. Hmmmmm….I don’t think many will agree with that.
(And as for five-year hardware cycles, that’s a lifetime for consumers who have grown accustomed to a new iPhone every year.)
Well, you have to applaud the audacity of the commentary. The traditional video-game media has been carefully, incrementally creating the Apple-is-killing-Nintendo narrative (never showing any real numbers or doing any due-diligence, of course, which is standard behavior for the industry-controlled media), but this guy skips right to the end and just declares a product “dead.”
I guess it’s better in that it saves us all time we would have otherwise wasted reading IGN editorials saying as much. And it gives us some great quotes to one day look back upon as we shake our heads and wonder why they never learn.
I agree. It seems that everybody has it in for the games industry in some way or another, saying that it as a whole is “evil” or a key part is now “antiquated” without any solid grounds to make there accusations and commentaries on.
For me, this story ranks somwhere near the anger inducing Julie Peacegood discussion about videogames. But not quite as it is kind of laughable because we’ve all seen Nintendo come under threat from new devices and triunph. Granted everything that the Gameboys and DS’s have had to compete with were also game handhelds but they all tried to make Nintendo’s way of doing things outdated, and now look at them.
For those who don’t understand about the Julie Peacegood discussion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_9nj-Xngpc
Unless someone can show why they think Nintendo won’t suffer significant market share erosion in portable gaming from new alternatives available on the market, then I’ll stand by my argument. Iwata himself has called Apple the enemy of the future (http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-apple-is-the-enemy-of-the-future–173159.phtml) – so I’d suggest Nintendo themselves are probably asking how the multiyear sellthrough of the 3DS will be impacted by what Apple and Android and others may do.
This article wasn’t about the next 12 months – it was about the life of the device. What if Apple decided over the next 2 years to drop the price of the low-end iPad by $200? Then it’s an iPad vs. 3DS argument, and you tell me which one a kid would want.
“Then it’s an iPad vs. NDS argument, and you tell me which one a kid would want.”
I think you just answered your own question there.
“Then it’s an iPad vs. NDS argument, and you tell me which one a kid would want.”
…a 3DS?
Except your argument is flawed. From the perspective of a gamer, the iPad/iPhone/Android/etc. gaming experience is an alternative to the DS/3DS/PSP gaming experience in the same way that SPAM is an alternative to fillet mignon. There’s just no comparison.
@KDH – iPad is spam to the 3DS filet mignon? Really? Tell my kids and a lot of other kids I’ve seen who’ve put down their DS’s and have death-clutches on their parents’ iPads.
Listen – the 3DS will sell – it just won’t sell nearly what the DS has. Unless Nintendo suddenly changes their pricing models, opens the system up w/tools in place for creative 1 and 2 mans shops to get a game on the console in months from concept to publish, and Apple and others stay completely static (which they won’t), this is just the way its going to play out.
Did you just skip over the phrases “From the perspective of a gamer” and “gaming experience” in my last comment, or do you just honestly think gamer=kid?
Regardless, I will admit my analogy was a bit flawed for the point I was trying to make (though I still hold it to be true in every other way), let me try to make it a bit clearer: Gaming on iPad/iPhone/Android/etc. is like an afternoon snack. Gaming on DS/3DS/PSP is like a five course meal at a five star restaurant. That’s why people ARE willing to pay more for games on those platforms: quality, and more importantly, substance.
Not an iPad, iPads are for cats ;). (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1wWPdF6TZE)
Honestly, 10 years down the line it won’t be the same argument at all, some other device will come along or Nintendo will have change the market totally again to reflect what they see the future as being.
I can’t imagine a kid actually playing an iPad, the touch is pretty response by the gyro wasn’t making some games unplayable.
these articles full of baseless conjecture and illogical opinion make me laugh. what made this 1 especially hilarious is the comments this fool made under it. This quote in particular made me fall over from laughing: “What if Apple decided over the next 2 years to drop the price of the low-end iPad by $200? Then it’s an iPad vs. 3DS argument, and you tell me which one a kid would want.”
1st off what happens EVERY TIME when apple price drop hits?? a new model. why do you REALLY think the ds is selling less? because a new model was introduced. 2nd kids are not the majority of gaming platforms. heck, they aren’t even the biggest minority. and lets face it mario, zelda and the nintendo brand in general STILL has a lot of influence in the market. 3rd the ipads are big. and expensive. and unlike the current 3ds build they have easily-damaged screens. if i had a choice between giving a kid a large, non-foldable and expensive device or giving them a foldable, pocket-sized device made by the company known for superior customer service, i know where i’d put my trust in. i’m sorry, but you really need to stop having an apple bais when you make a “professional” article.
Well I’m glad I didn’t listen to an actual game industry analyst and/or my own preferences. Thanks for letting us know whats up even if you are dead wrong. I wish I could get a job writing fake blogs on Apple’s behalf.
iPod touches sold: 32 million
Nintendo DSs sold: 129 million
Whoa, Apple sure killed them.
Not (ahem) Apples to oranges. iPod/Touch has only been around 3 years, the DS for close to 6.
App-store was introduced in June 2008, making it only 2 years old.
Quarterly, iPhone-Touch is now outselling Nintendo handhelds. I haven’t even looked at Android.
How many people are buying the iPhone/Touch purely for games though? You can’t fairly compare a phone with a game system. That’s like saying a mall gets more visitors than a clothes store. Some people may go to the mall to go shopping for clothes, but there are many people people who go for other reasons too.
Really that is your comparison? Dude, stop drinking the kool-aid mr. wolf.
I own an iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and I intend to purchase a 3DS. Why? Because I, like millions of others, enjoy tangible products. Yes, its true that with the Apple products you can download everything and anything, but you miss out on the tangibility. The problem that arises is you are no longer able to sell the games to your friends or trade it. Yes, it’s true you can lose the tangible product, but you can just as easily lose the iPod touch games as well — it’s called reformatting the PC. And Apple has in their terms of service that they are not responsible for your loss should you delete the software.
Furthermore, Nintendo’s continuous release of quality products ensures that the product will be a success. I agree that some of the games are being rehashed far too much (Zelda, Mario, etc.) but this generation has already proven to have some amazing releases including Metroid, Dragon Quest IX, and the continuing hit Pokemon. Apple lacks the established franchises that comes with Nintendo, and that is why Nintendo will succeed.
Your argument stands no ground in the world of true gamers because we like tangible controls though, not some touch screen.
@Shawn – as you say, you’re a true gamer. True gamers – the hardcore market – they’ll buy every console. The fat part of the market is the casual gamer. That one is much more up for grabs by alternatives. That’s where Nintendo will have much more trouble.
But Nintendo created the boom in casual gaming. Many casual gamers’ first proper experiences will have been with the likes of Wii Sports, Nintendogs and Brain Age. Many of them therefore trust the Nintendo name and as a result will doubtless be interested in the 3DS too when the marketing push really begins and it becomes part of the public consciousness.
Nintendo called it perfectly back in late 2004 when they said the company’s future success would be down to getting non-gamers involved, and people sneered at them then. I don’t think it’s wise, then, to say Nintendo will have “much more trouble” grabbing the casuals this time around becasue they’re already experts at getting them on board.
Mario and Zelda rehashed? That would be Pokemon and Dragon Quest, good sir.
The Mario and Zelda games keep the core formula the same (obviously), but always bring something new to the table to keep the franchises fresh.
I’m sure top gaming journalists would agree with me on that point.
Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it, but, if you would, check review aggregation websites and see which franchises stand as la creme de la creme. If that doesn’t convince you, see the the numerous “Game of the Year” awards that both Mario and Zelda have accumulated.
You say this as if you know what the 3DS’ digital distribution model will be like. Why don’t you describe it since you seem to know it well.
Nintendo has fully admitted that it executed online play and digital distribution poorly. It aims to change things with its next-gen products, starting with the 3DS.
@Raymond – unless Nintendo significantly changes their pricing structure – which I’m pretty sure they won’t – the model is antiquated.
Bookmark this article. In five years it will rank up there with the “The Internet? Bah!” Newsweek piece. http://www.newsweek.com/1995/02/26/the-internet-bah.html
Yeah this article isnt that great. Your comparing the Iphone and Ipod Touch with a dedicated video game handheld system. the ipod really doesnt have any “must have” games on it. Sure the games will be higher priced but in most causes they will be higher quality. besides It seems Nintendo may be branching into more download options as well. I dont think 120 Million Nintendo Ds’s (overall) sold is a broken business model. This is really a poor article that basically says if you dont have a model like apple you are doomed to fail.
Nintendo has been in the handheld market for 20 years and it has shown no sign of slowing down.
Although it’s not much, they already make cheap app store games on the dsi, and they will definitely expand on the 3ds, but an iphone will never play the high quality games that you would get on a dedicated handheld system. Plus the author of this article said it himself; a handheld nintendo system lasts for 6 years so you DON’T have to buy a new model every year. So you can either spend $250 on a 3ds and buy more expensive high quality games and have it last for 6 years or you can spend $200+ a year for 6 years on an iphone that plays little cheap games. hmmmmm what sounds better?
I hope Michael Wolf doesn’t consider himself a journalist. I heard the good journalists actually do, ya know, RESEARCH.
But he didn’t – otherwise he would know how unintelligent this article is.
If I had to guess, he’s read up on all the positive press the 3DS is getting and in an effort to get a bunch of hits on google (for the next couple days) he bashed it and is loving the attention.
Good job, dude!! Your mom would be proud!!
My mom always told me I’d never incite a mob, but now I can look at her proudly tell her she’s wrong.
Wow, Apple killed the 3DS? I’m willing to bet that won’t happen. You should put your money where your mouth is. 3DS is going to dominate not because of 3D visuals but because it will have a great line up of real games, unlike the majority of games for the iphone/ipad.
Reasons why the 3ds is so highly anicipated:
1. Great line up of games.
2. Good 3rd party support.
3. Amazing graphics. (most powerful handheld console to date.)
4. Optional 3D effects without glasses(3d slider).
5. Plays 3D movies.
6. Takes 3D Pictures.
Apple is going downhill with their iphone 4 problems and the useless overpriced ipad. Microsoft may have to save them again.
I’m not buying a $500 ipod (with a glass screen!) for my seven year old.
Thirty-six thousand games? Really? You think that’s even a meaningful number?
…that this guy has no idea what he’s talking about.
This is a 3DS MGS game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D92S9unF88
This is an iPhone MGS app: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olcsM41Dkjw#t=28s
any questions?
Again – this article is forward looking over the 3DS product life cycle.
The 3DS comes out next spring – another whole product cycle away for Apple and Android. Imagine Apple drops the price on the iPad by $100 early next year. Then another $100 the year after that. I think we know there will be high-quality games on the iPad, and at similar price points the 3DS will no doubt suffer in sales.
If you were, you would see a flaw in your argument. You assume there will be high quality games on the iPad (and you seemingly go on to compare their production values to the upcoming MGS 3DS) and at the same time you go on to praise the low prices and accessibility of the apps on the Apple marketplace. Problem is, no one is going to make a game with the production values of a MGS on the iPad, because they wouldn’t see a substantial return on their investment due to the shovelware nature of said marketplace, and the forced low pricing structure. iPad users wouldn’t be used to or willing to pay the higher price required for a game of that caliber. And due to the different processing abilities of iFamily products, you don’t have the entire iPod/iPad/iPhone userbase to make up for this. They would be relying on the highest end of their high end market and that is just not a sustainable situation.
Apple never drops their prices, they just improve their product. Look at their laptops still twice as much as their PC counter parts. Iphone still $600 without a contract and $200 with a contract.
And who say its coming out all the way in March, it very well could be allot sooner.
But that doesn’t make sense, everyone knows Nintendo makes real games. Thats why there prices are high. There nnot even that high. the average DS game is
30$ which isn’t that much…
Game systems have buttons. iTouch doesn’t have buttons. Do the math.
One day this article will be legendary and “Wolfing” will be a new term for how to get something just about as wrong as humanly possible.
Your making yourself look incredibly foolish, talking about the “app driven world were Iphone/Ipod rules”. Its a phone/music player that people download cheap programs too, its not in the same league as a real games system (look at game revenue) and never will be. For two main reason, one is life cycle (which you so bewilderingly claim will be Nintendo’s down fall). The life cycle of a real handheld games system is essential. It allows developers to invest in a long term strategy of building new game engines that will be used in current and future games. They can’t do that if the system’s only going to be around for a year before a new one comes out and the old ones are thrown aside. For that kind of life cycle developers could only ever make low budget games, which will never allow the system that supports those games to be taken seriously. The second reason is the fact that designing a phone and designing a games system require quite opposite things. A phone should be cleanly designed, little but a touch screen and/or a few buttons. While a games system requires d-pads, sticks, plenty of buttons ect If you include those things the phone is ruined, if you don’t it can’t ever be a serious games system, why does this very simple fact escape certain people? Please stop living in your dream world and wake up, if only in order to try to stop yourself being s laughing stock in a few years time.
Best comment award is now named The Donnie. You have won.
Love wolfing :)
“It allows developers to invest in a long term strategy of building new game engines that will be used in current and future games. They can’t do that if the system’s only going to be around for a year before a new one comes out and the old ones are thrown aside.”
The iOS software is based on frameworks that have been around for about 20 years. An upgrade in hardware doesn’t mean you have to throw out code and start from scratch. You just tweak for the new features.
An interesting rebuttal:
http://www.my3dsnews.com/2010/07/28/nintendo-vs-apple-in-defense-of-nintendo/
Sometimes it helps to read an actual rebuttal. Just a thought!
Perhaps a rebuttal is in order? Great, found one and not a moment to soon!
http://www.my3dsnews.com/2010/07/28/nintendo-vs-apple-in-defense-of-nintendo/
I don’t agree with this article. I can’t see a gamer going out and getting and iPod touch just for the latest games. Music, sure, but not games. Big series like Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon will never come to the iPod. This Christmas, many of my family members had options of getting the iPod for its apps, but instead they got the DS. Many of them are young children. Most parents that I have met do not want their elementary school children having the iPod. It easier to break than the DS and it lacks the games children want to play. For some parents, the internet and YouTube just add to the reasons they don’t want their children to get an iPod until they are older. While I see Nintendo having to change its product because of the iPod, I don’t see their products dying. Nintendo has been playing the game far too long to let that happen.
You’re totally wrong!!!!
I know that iPhone is a success… but its games are not even compared to console games!!
The games you can play on a Nintendo handheld system can’t be played on any other system, that’s what makes this new device so successful.
To give you an example, I don’t care about the 3D effect, I was ready to buy the next DS only for the software… for the games.!
Apple is not a threat to Nintendo. The reference that was made to macnewsworld.com says nothing about the impact of Apple on Nintendo. It instead refers to an alleged quote from Iwata about Apple being the “enemy of the future”. Iwata never actually said this quote as it was made up by a blogger. Iwata has repeatedly and blatantly stated that Apple is not a competitor.
The DS has seen very little effect from Apple products and instead set a record sales season last holiday. It consistently tops the game system sales charts and only recently has seen a YOY drop due to the DSi being released last April and also the 3DS being revealed.
I love Apple and the iPhone as much as anyone else, but there is no way that Apple is cutting in on Nintendo’s marketshare and I have yet to see any credible evidence backing this up. The iPhone still exists in the “smartphone” market and not the “game system” market. People still buy the iPhone primarily for the internet, e-mail, and phone capabilities. The games market for iPhone and iPad is marginalized when you consider the amount of free games and 1-2 dollar games that are downloaded. If you charged 1 dollar for a Nintendo game, I’m sure it would sell a hell of a lot too, but a business doesn’t run on sales it runs on revenue.
Independent 3rd parties love the iPhone because of the ease of development and the lack of restrictions. While it is a great way for them to break into game development and get something released, it is awful for customers who shop in an App Store that is flooded with mediocre content. Barely a single app has stood out enough to become a unique success. Nintendo, being a prominent software developer, is able to make gaming phenomenons such as Brain Age, Nintendogs, and of course the Mario games that can sell 10s of millions at 20 times the price of the typical iPhone app.
So in terms of the 3DS, I think it’s preposterous to think this device is doomed because of iPhone and iPad devices. If you haven’t noticed, Nintendo updates the DS every year as well which is why we have seen the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL. They will most likely do the same for 3DS.
Besides this, the 3DS is a disruptive product to the entire 3D market. Nobody is going to pay the 2000 dollars plus for a 3d television when the 3DS can do the same thing for an eighth of the price. Besides that, this will be one of the first 3D cameras available on the market. And, of course, it will be the only system that can play 3d games.
In fact, I think Nintendo will do quite well with the 3DS and will many more software phenomenons to go with it. The Apple fanboys may continue buying the iPhone 5, 6, and 7… but everyone else will be getting a 3DS.
This article is heavily skewed toward Apple. Nintendo has said already that they know that Apple is their number 1 portable device competitor. Developers for Nintendo 3DS at E3 have already stated that they expect a new business model to emerge for it, as well.
What nobody understands is that this isn’t really about the app store. It’s about the whole package. BECAUSE of the app store and Apple’s business model, the device itself provides an almost PC like experience in your pocket. Gaming is a part of that, but gaming isn’t really what sells iPhones/iPods. Everyone who has played a game on those systems knows that the lack of devoted gaming controls and inputs cripples the gaming experience. iGames are just icing on the cake.
Nintendo needs to understand that we have too much sh*t in our pockets already. We need ONE thing. ONE device, two at the most. I can live with the 3DS not being a phone, but I can’t live without it providing the “smartphone experience”. If they can get this right, the 3DS will destroy the iOS devices.
We don’t want a Smartphone and we don’t want a pure portable gaming device we want a GAMING PC IN OUR POCKET AND FAST.
ONE WORD…. BULLSHIT
@Danny – please try to be more succinct and less long-winded next time :)
Bullshit. Your saying I should throw out $200 every bloody year for a new system, and that my games should be two dollar ports of PC flash games? Show me an iPhone game that beats out Metal Gear, Kid Icarus, Mario, Ocarina of Time, etc etc etc. This was written by an outspoken Apple fanboy and needent even be considered. Apple isn’t even in Ninty’s market.
This guy is a complete moron that provides no support for these statements. Nintendo is having no problem selling the current DS. This one will be no different, and, if you ask me, will probably outsell the previous generation.
lol
I’m sure that the markets targeted by Apple and Nintendo are EXACTLY the same.
Don’t give up the day job!
your dumb i pod sucks cause atat sucks i would never buy a phone that works sometimes. thats why im on verizon. and i dont even play games on my phone kills the battery. thats why i have a dsi you f%$#@ng dumb ass
I just lost IQ points reading that article
seriously this Micheal wolf is a retard
My iphone does have a number of games that i’ll play when in line somewhere or a quick light rail trip.
But at home or a road trip it’s a DS or PSP. Maybe if the iPhone would get a decent version of Tetris….
This is really bullshit, it apple is a threat then why weren’t they before, with how many the DS sold. So they won’t be one now, it isn’t a gaming device.
Damn all the apple and sony fanboys should stop flaming the 3DS…
This really gives me the urge to just shout STFU~!
@Camula – If it’d make you less angry, then shout it. I’m perfectly ok with that.
this is so much fail i don’t even know where to start. Fail post of the year.
Wow… congrats on your deep analysis
/sarcasm
hes really really stupid i mean hes seriously dumb
This is a very intelligent article, I totally agree with you (just in case you need some emotional support from your readers).
To the author….
You’re an idiot!
lol apple fanboys
Michael Wolf – A Broken Journalist
Internet’s Michael Wolf is Doomed
The Ipod and Itouch devices are for multimedia purposes. Such as, listening to music, or watching a video. Sure you can surf the web, sort of. (Lack of Flash and such)
The 3DS or hell even the PSP for that matter are GAMING SYSTEMS. Who in their right mind would believe that the Ipod/Itouch would be a viable FULL FLEDGED gaming device?
Hooray, it has a cookie cutter version of Street Fighter. The 3DS will have a FULL, CONSOLE port of Super Street Fighter 4, which will contain ALL of the characters. Not to mention you’ll actually have physical buttons PLUS a touch screen.
Nintendo’s current DS has lived and still lives. The first DS was released in 2004. 2004! It is now 2010. Six years and it is still selling with decent software to prove and back it up.
I do dislike the DSiWare store for it’s slow, almost unusable interface. Because of that, I haven’t purchased ANY DSiWare games. Nintendo knows this is a problem and I’m sure they’re on it like white on rice.
Games, if you could call them games, on the Itouch/Iphone/Ipod do not compare to the games one would play on a proper handheld gaming device. If there is anything that has killed anything it would be the improper categorization of the Itouch/Iphone/Ipod. Whoever shoved them into the same mindset gaming of the PSP or Nintendo DS clearly has not played games on either of these devices.
I do find it quite funny how Nintendo did say that Apple was clearly it’s competitor, without even a mention of Sony.
Not one of those 36 Thousand games are anywhere near an NES game honestly….
A surprising article, less surprising response in the comments section where I failed to see any post actually supporting the writers perspective. Mostly, perhaps, because there isn’t actually any data-driven evidence supporting the argument that Apple is the future of games.
It’s quite clear to most, that NIntendo will continue to dominate with devices which are specific for gaming AND that embrace the market for apps/online downloads (DSiWare/Wiiware for example).
This article appears to be part of Apple’s hype business model/PR or the writer has been swept up in the rather idealistic notion that Apple fans have regarding their products of choice being the future of gaming. They clearly are not and it will be interesting to see if they copy the 3D approach that will seemingly guarantee Nintendo success with 3DS..
This is an idiotic article — you have no clue what you’re talking about.
I agree with Steve here. Please stop. You’re making Apple fanboys look bad.
ultimate fail ! really , you should delete this , if any possible future employers read this you can say bye to your job …
really lame , another butthurt apple fanboy whos still pissed of that ninty stole the white glossy apple design …
lol
Of course not. Successful shows are not always those that tell the truth, but those that make controversy. Say Fox News.
Think of iOS devices as the wii in the handheld gaming market. Boom I just blew your mind.
Man, I wish I could find a job that lets me write misinformed articles and get paid for it.
Whatever you do, don’t quit your day job.
Intern writes bullshit article.
Internet reads.
Ultimate backfire ensues. :-3
BTW, this on neogaf, sir.
I have all my articles written by interns. That and robots. I’ve fired both.
Only someone who’d use an iphone would be able to write this.
“The app-store model has unleashed a wave of innovative new games (36 thousand at last count)”
All of the innovative fart apps in there as well? Please change your profile to state that you know absolutly nothing about the video game business and save yourself, and what readers you have left, some embarrassment.
Wow, what a poorly written argument. Most of the stuff here is insanely hypocritical.
He claims that you have to upgrade your DS ever 5 years. Ok…but you have to upgrade your iPhone/iPod about once every 2 years or there are releases that you can’t use. Apple has built-in obsolescence into their products, and it’s a SHORT lifespan.
He claims innovation in the Apple marketplace. Ha! Everybody knows that 99.9% of the games on the App Store are shovelware crap titles. You won’t find anything that rivals the top RPG, action, adventure, and sports games on the DS. Control schemes and complexity are a big reason why.
It’s not an apps-driven world when it comes to gaming. It is for fandorks that think they need to measure how level their desk is with a digital bubble ever few hours, but that’s about it.
He claims that Nintendo keeps tight control over their developers. Well, NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY is more tight fisted with their platforms than Apple. I know some iPad developers that are about ready to lynch Steve Jobs because the process is so infuriating.
Most of my friends have iPhone 4s, several have iPads, and not a single one of them would ever try to claim that it provides a better gaming experience than the DS or PSP. Heck, it doesn’t even compare favorably to an old Game Boy. I realize that this article is mostly just link bait, but it’s awful none the less.
I do think that the iPod stuff will succeed, but I don’t see how this will cut into Nintendo’s sales much, if at all. They’ve had handheld dominance for over twenty years at this point, and I don’t think most people even consider the Apple thing primarily a video game system.
It’s kind of like an apples to oranges argument here if you ask me, and I don’t know how you can bank against a company that’s had even greater success with these newer handhelds. The Game Boy Advance lasted basically four years and wound up selling over 80 million worldwide. The DS is finally wearing down as it comes up on six years old, and it’s somewhere around the 130 million sold mark.
And let’s be honest, Nintendo’s 3DS lineup already looks like the best in the business. Even if it were to sell at a higher cost than the DS did at launch, I still see it succeeding because of brand recognition. Once Mario or Pokemon hits a handheld, the sales go through the roof. The other titles that follow only further ensure its success.
I’m not saying the iPod thing’s in any danger, but I also don’t see it significantly, if at all, cutting into Nintendo’s handheld sales. I think this will be one of those funny articles to look back on a few years down the road though, so hopefully it stays up here.
LMAO at this article! The responses are even better – this guy is getting DESTROYED for writing what was obviously a blog version of trolling.
Good job, dork! You are now a discredited laughing stock who can no longer be taken seriously – go ahead, brush it off, but you know for a fact that you did something stupid.
That’s the MAGIC of Web 2.0 You can say what and why you don’t agree. Not like newspaper, which think they have the ultimate truth.
Dear LOL! (is that you’re real name?) – I do tend to brush off Nintendo-forum driven mob-traffic criticism, especially from those that don’t give their real name.
Doesn’t matter, you still know you posted up an absurd article that not just “Nintendo Fanboys” are laughing at. You did this to yourself, brother, don’t blame Nintendo forums.
Ok, we get that your an Apple fan and hate Nintendo. That doesn’t mean your article is based on facts.
The author’s responses in the comments show how disconnected he is with any sort of opinion that isn’t his own. Which is good if you want to start speculating on a market. Ridiculous.
Michael, buddy, how much thought did you put into this: “the visual trickery on the 3DS won’t be enough to create a sustained multi-year sales cycle. The device is doomed, and Apple killed it.”?????????
I can’t believe you haven’t pulled this post yet!! WTF were you thinking when said “Apple killed it”????
Seriously….WOW. You’ve replied to several comments so far; please respond to this question:
What…in the hell…..were you thinking when you declared a yet to be released system dead???
So does this article take into account the fact that this “wave of 36 thousand innovative new games” are mostly made up of shoddy, uninteresting crap? The app-store’s terrible standards have just given us a flood of poorly made games, blatant ripoffs of other games, and completely uninspired stuff based on board games or… beer pong. There’s like ten beer pong games! Even the few fun games are just 10-minute diversions at best. You don’t see anything like Dragon Quest IX or any kind of deep, compelling games on the iPhone. It’s ridiculous when Apple boasts about the thousands of games they have with the app-store and how cheaper they are, when it’s obvious that that mindset has only created a huge library of boring crap. Quantity most definitely does not equal quality.
Thank goodness for the internet; a sheet of paper didn’t have to be wasted for this clearly flawed, inaccurate, and biased “analysis”.
I know what Iwata has said about Apple being the enemy of the future, and no one can deny that Apple is now a player in the portable games space, but those who think Apple and Nintendo are going after the same market simply don’t know what they’re talking about.
It amazes me how mainstream tech writers are so disconnected from the gaming market. Would a kid rather have an iPad or a Nintendo product? Is that really a serious question, Michael?? Given the choice between Fruit Ninja and Mario game I think I know which one a kid would choose. Do you really think parents are going to give their kid an account tied to a credit card to download apps to a gaming device at a whim? That is why cartridges are popular – they can be given as gifts at Xmas and bdays and don’t require a CC password to buy.
The market for “app” games is much closer to the market for Facebook games – short, throw-away diversions. And if that is what you think of ALL games, then again, you don’t undestand the gaming market. Anyone who fails to see the difference between Fieldrunners and the typical offerings from Nintendo, Square, et all on portable devices simply doesn’t get it.
I’ll give you that 3D may turn out to be pretty gimmicky, but the lack of a need for glasses is huge and makes it very accessible. I’ll also give you that the 3DS may very well not be the juggernaut the DS was – but that’s an easy bet seeing as how the DS is just about the biggest-selling device in the history of gaming.
The market is certainly changing as digital distribution grows. But all this talk about Apple killing Nintendo is just ignorant. (And I’m not a Nintendo fanboy by any means. I own none of their current hardware.) Bookmark this article, and we’ll talk in three years’ time.
Can I borrow your crystal ball? Mine is broken :)
This article seems like it’d fit better with The Onion than whatever kind of site this is.
Gigaom’s slogan: “Trusted Insights and Conversations…”
After reading this article, you may want to remove the word “Trusted” as this article has erased any sense of trust, truth, or honesty.
I suppose, though, that it was simply written by a blogger (as opposed to an actual journalist) who needed to get something in before the deadline.
It would be hard to live this one down, though. Should GigaOM just pull it?
LMAO is this guy serious? The ipad will KILL the 3DS? Hahahahahaahaha this must be a joke
What you, and other Apple fanboys like you fail to realize is that Apple’s products and Nintendo’s are not in direct competition with each other. And until Nintendo offers a fully functional multimedia smartphone and/or Apple gets more serious in the handheld gaming market and starts to put more money into developing 1st party games and garnering more interest from 3rd parties, they never will be.
They may share similar features, but they are two completely different devices aimed at two completely different demographics. As an Apple fanboy, you should be more worried about that Droid platform, as Google IS Apple’s true direct competitor as they have similar mobile services aimed for the SAME target consumers as Apple.
I’ve noticed that Mr.Wolf has said that Iwata called Apple an “enemy of the future” this is speculation, and Fils-Aime has noted in interviews that he and Iwata were wondering where it came from. In fact, note that the original source says “is believed to have said”.
The guy who wrote this article really wolfed it (you know, getting something so wrong that your name is now synonymous with failure).
Could be time for a retraction. Or at least taking out the last sentence about Apple killing the 3DS.
Michael Wolf’s career is doomed, and he killed it.
What you fail to realize is that even PACHTER is a moron and you are a world class IDIOT! HAHAHAHA.
That’s all.
Wait…where have I heard this before…
Oh yea. Back in 2004 when the PSP was first shown off and everyone predicted it would destroy the Nintendo DS and Nintendo would have to be distant second or pull out the hand held market entirely. I mean, when they looked that the PSP was a huge multimedia device were you could watch movies, MP3, chat, web surf and everything on the go, the Nintendo DS was useless between it’s two screens, touch and mind-numbingly fun games.
Yup, the DS completely flopped compared to that all in one device in your pocket the PSP…
P.S. Here is a simple selling point. It’s in 3D, without glasses, on the go. You can watch 3D movies, without glasses, on the go. Play downloadable apps and games, in 3D, without glasses, on the go. And if the rumors are right, you can video skype chat, in 3D, without glasses, on the go, with 3G.
In short, does Apple have a 3D screen you can use without glasses? No. If Apple does, they will be cheap imitators. Nintendo for once just not only leaped over tech in gaming, but tech in the overall marketplace with the Parallax screen. In fact, you could say that if it was not for Nintendo popularizing the touch screen…would the iPhone with it’s touch screen had been given a green light?
In short, STFU troll and be happy with all the negative attention you’ve gotten.
Wait…where have I heard this before…
Oh yea. Back in 2004 when the PSP was first shown off and everyone predicted it would destroy the Nintendo DS and Nintendo would have to be distant second or pull out the hand held market entirely. I mean, when they looked that the PSP was a huge multimedia device were you could watch movies, MP3, chat, web surf and everything on the go, the Nintendo DS was useless between it’s two screens, touch and mind-numbingly fun games.
Yup, the DS completely flopped compared to that all in one device in your pocket the PSP…
P.S. Here is a simple selling point. It’s in 3D, without glasses, on the go. You can watch 3D movies, without glasses, on the go. Play downloadable apps and games, in 3D, without glasses, on the go. And if the rumors are right, you can video skype chat, in 3D, without glasses, on the go, with 3G, for free.
In short, does Apple have a 3D screen you can use without glasses? No. If Apple does, they will be cheap imitators. Nintendo for once just not only leaped over tech in gaming, but tech in the overall marketplace with the Parallax screen. In fact, you could say that if it was not for Nintendo popularizing the touch screen…would the iPhone with it’s touch screen had been given a green light?
In short, STFU troll and be happy with all the negative attention you’ve gotten.
36.000 innovative titles? You mean 35.000 shovelware titles, i’m sure. Cluthering the space for decent efforts. We’ll see how long this Apple game hype will last before devs start to abandon the platform(s). This business model is nice for hobyists that don’t care if they don’t make any money off of their 500kb game. And for the occasional blockbuster title that will sell regardless and will stand out among the 36000.
If a regular dev has to reduce his price significantly in order to be competitive on the platform (36000 titles is a lot of competition for the same consumer dollar on a not gaming oriented platform), how many titles do they have to sell to break even and what kind of game will they be able to make?
Iphone/Ipod may have sold a lot more than DS, but i don’t know anyone with an Iphone/Ipod that uses it as a gaming device, other than occasionally “showing” other people you can play games on it as well. And being a 31 year old designer, i know quite a few people with an Ipod/phone.
Your arguments have no grounds. You are speculating and dreaming about how the apple bubble will never burst.
What the hell, seriously.
Is not even released and it should have a “lower price”? Yeah, the “pricing structure”.
So everytime Nintendo releases a new product they should lower it, for the market?
Yeah, lets wait till a brand new product costs 5 bucks!
By the way, a phone or an MP3 should not be compared to a GAMING console.
Products sell because of what they are made for.
You look for a sleek, multiuse Phone, then get iPhone.
Do you want to listen and buy a lot of songs, get an iPod.
Want a deep gaming experience, and now in 3D? Get a 3DS.
Pfft, this is like comparing Java games to iPhone games.
Totally different.
I don’t know about you, but if the PSP2 were $5, I’d buy it
Do think that the 36,000 mini games in the app store can compare to the high quality of the games being released on the 3DS? You forget that people who buy iPhones also buy other game systems. Apple doesn’t have loyalty when it comes to gaming.
Tell me a game on the iPhone where you control demons and wage war against God, tell me a game that lets you become a sun god and restore Japan with art, show me a game where you are a flightless angel trying to stop the forces of the underworld.
Wolf said in a reply, attempting to retain some credibility, “Unless someone can show why they think Nintendo won’t suffer significant market share erosion in portable gaming from new alternatives available on the market, then I’ll stand by my argument.”
Here you go:
Top Ten Individual Platform Sales (Jan-Jun)
Nintendo DS got the #2 and #7 spot on the list of top 10 sales for the first half of the year. This includes all platforms!! (Not to mention that Nintendo has 70% of the list). Source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1107064p1.html
So that is why I don’t think Nintendo will suffer market share erosion. Do you still stand by your argument?
Nintendo pulled in two of the top ten spots, on a 6 year old system, using what you described as an “antiquated” business model.
Do you still stand by that statement? Do you still think the 3DS is doomed because of Apple’s App Store? Are you still standing by that argument?
Michael, please respond to this. You had the courage to post the article, have the courage to defend it. Please deeply considered what I have posted here and tell us if you are reconsidering your original opinion.
Thank you.
Obviously the person who wrote this doesnt know what they are talking about. ACTUAL gaming sites have reported that nintendo hinted at the ds being in the$129 – $150 range. Not the $250 that this poorly written article suggest.
Wtf? Are you freaking kidding me!?!!?
I guess you thought the Nintendo Wii and the NDS would also be “A Broken Business Model”, when they were released back in the day, right?
Please do not call 2006 back in the day..
Maybe if apple actually made a gaming device it would prove a threat, but this ”The device is doomed, and Apple killed it” is just pure bullshit.
“But in an apps-driven world…”
I’m surprised you could type and gobble steve jobs’ nuts at the same time.
And did you seriously also say that the Apps market has “36 thousand” innovative games?
SMDH!
Name five games in the App store that look as good as any of the games that have been shown for the 3DS. Wait, name ONE game in the App store that are any where near as good as the games that are already out on the DS. Oh that’s right, you can’t.
And do you seriously think that every single one of those 36 thousand games in the app store are original? I’ve scrolled through quick on my friend’s iPhone, yes there were a lot of games, but many of them were the same exact thing. Multiple versions of Minesweeper, Bejeweled clones, dozens of air hockey games, I could go on and on. Not to mention that anyone’s computer can do all the same things, but also do a lot more a lot more quickly than an iPhone or an iPad can. Yes the iPhone and the iPad are good at what they do, but they will never be able to compete with any device that was designed from the ground up for gaming, no matter how hard people who spent $700 on an iPad wish it could.
Goes to show how many people are willing to suck up to Apple’s bullshit. The gaming market clearly showed that there’s limits to what consumers would want to pay and are smart. They knew that even though there was a powerful device the prices were damn right outrageous.
The people spending $700 on iPads need to get this through there heads:
1. It’s a blown up iPod Touch
2. There was already something hhat can read books, Kindle look it up
3. Who the hell would want to pay $700 for a device that only has 16GB of memory, can’t use memory cards, read discs, use flash, and have an e Sata port. People are better off getting PC Tablet.
The people buying the Apple products have no sense where as the gaming community does. How? Ask your self this, how many people have agreed and how many people disagreed. Also two the PlayStation 3 is a better must system since it launched but! the gaming community is smart enough to know that $599 is not the right price to pay for a device.
The Launch PS3 had a better experience to offer than the iPad, it had memory card slots, it supported PS1 PS2 and PS3 games, came with 4 USB ports and came with a nice chrome finish also not forgetting almost the same amount of memory for less than the price of an iPad. Let alone playing stellar high quality games, access to a wide variety of old classics that are priced the same as games in the App Store.
How ever most of the community new that the price had to come down since despite it being so cool, it was expensive. We are more smarter than you and your apple fanbase, who do not realise the worthless point of the iPad.
I’ll finish this off saying, the PSN and XBL stores offer classic games for the same price as most games on the Appstore and are of better quality. The 3DS has yet to launch but is expected to have these features aswell.
Ofcourse this comment is all over the place so yh I probably have made some unclear stuff
Well it’s a good thing it is not an apps-driven world”.
Tell me, where the hell can I get a game for my non-existent I-whatever, that has a game play time of over one hour? All of your games are garbage. Nintendo knows video games and has been developing them for years. You don’t have any franchises to build on and you have little hope of creating a hit game. Have you seen Nintendo’s Sales? The Wii and the DS PRINT MONEY! In addition 3D with no glasses? Sounds like more than visual trickery.
Also you two arn’t in the same market. Nintendo makes games, and you make inferior products at ridiculous prices and sell them to hipsters who couldn’t pronounce “Conficker A” let alone avoid/treat it.
Thanks for this funny article!
The average size of an app is about 3MB. Only a few apps are bigger than 100MB. For such small files an app store makes perfectly sense. Especially if you use the 3G network. Btw, there’s already a similar store for the DSi.
However, the 3DS games will be stored on 2GB cards (!). That’s a completely different catergory. Nobody wants to download 2GB files on a mobile device…
“The device is doomed, and Apple killed it.”
Nope, totally not a troll.
Does the iPhone has 3D? Does the iPhone have/will have actual GOOD, remarkable games?
Hint: The answer is NO. The iCrap is NOT designed for serious gaming, get over it.
Nintendo’s 3DS will be a success, because of what it offers.
What’s next? Saying that a Macbook is better than a part-by-part made PC?
Saying that the iPad is a fantastic, revolutionary, well executed idea?
OH WAIT.
You speak of Nintendo’s antiquated business model of releasing new hardware every 5 years but Apple shits out a new Ipod every other month.
It disgusts me that some can even compare the “games” released on the app-store to actual Video Games
You’re a clearly some sort of Apple Fanboy… Who likes yearly product updates..? PSP owners certainly don’t, and for most DS users 2 years is still too quickly.
Apple and Nintendo offer DIFFERENT things FYI, just because Apple users are used to being outdated routinely every year, doesn’t mean that everyoen else is.
And the App store CANNOT be compared with titles found on consoles. A 3 minute game =/= a full game made for a dedicated console.
You sir, are clearly an idiot. And I will love you see you eat your words when the Nintendo model does prevail.
Wolf: “Nintendo may have re-invented handheld gaming with the DS, but the visual trickery on the 3DS won’t be enough to create a sustained multi-year sales cycle.”
I completely agree with this statement. The 3D display won’t be enough to keep sales up – the quality of the games will take care of that.
Is this guy for real or is this site home to a bunch of amatuer wannabe bloggers that think they’re hip and modern and that nothing can compare to their Apple devices???
Apparently credentials aren’t all that important to gigom….
Nonsense.
Where does this guy lives?
Get out to the real world, first, not every people has internet yet, and that business model of download games instead of having a fisical catridge/disc is a complete madness, you can see it with the PSP Go. We gamers prefer to have a fisical thing, its like must of us readers as well, we prefer to have the book in our hands instead of a digital version of it.
Even more important, we have things like DSiware and of course X Box Live Arcade, Wiiware and more, the business model is there, but the time hasn’t come to do a full change yet, and again you can see the fail of the PSP Go.
It may sound normal to download a crappy 6mb game, but I want you to download a full 2GB game… the internet is not that fast, at least not for all the people, the majority actually, and we need to talk also about space too, the business is there, but do not compare a crappy App with a full game like Kid Icarus: Uprising or Street Fighter 4, the change can’t be made, you can add a little more simplistic things (Apps) with other services as I mentioned before, but to replace the catridges with download software, it can’t be done just yet, we need to wait at least one more generation, but I think it will take more time.
And by the way, how in hell you dare talk about the price of the 3DS, and their business model, Nintendo has already said that they have a more “online model” with this new console, you can’t talk about something you know nothing.
Hilarious. He pretends no one is interested in “traditional console cycles” when the list of third party supporters is rising every day. Is he familiar with the sales of the DS?
And you must be very pleased with the IPhone4.
I agree, it is likely that Apple’s devices coupled with the app store will affect the sales of the 3DS, but I don’t know that it’ll kill the 3DS. In my personal experience, I thought the iPod Touch was the coolest thing ever. I’d been putting off buying an iPod for a long time and the iPod Touch pushed me over the edge. I played with it for about 2 days before putting it aside other than for music. Sure, there are plenty of games for 2-10 dollars, but they have almost no depth.
The iPad can almost be described as an over-sized iPod Touch. The app store (as far as gaming goes at the moment) does not have the kind of support that Nintendo has. The app store games are very cheap for a reason, they don’t provide a rich gaming experience that one might find on a Nintendo handheld. I agree that software prices are getting too high and that the 3DS will probably continue the trend and increase software prices, and there are a few big names that are starting to release watered down versions of their console and handheld titles on the iPad, but I don’t think the support is there quite yet.
Uhm, well i think your assuming all of this on the idea that 3D will be the only change to the system. With the DSi Nintendo took a step forward by introducing SD storage capabilities and music playback capabilities. So i think its reasonable to say that they’re going to improve on that. Plus at E3 they announced that movies would be available for playback on the 3DS, in 3d too. And i think Nintedo has more dominance in the gaming buisness then Apple by a longshot, even though short sweet games like DoodleJump are still popular.
That is all.
Wow, never knew of this new tribe called NDS fanboys. They are as nasty as the Apple fanboys
Well, I am not a gamer but I play a ‘try’ of games these days, thanks to the App Store and my iPhone. I bought an NDS Lite out of curiosity a few years ago. My niece and nephew loved it and went for it whenever they visited us. And then the App Store happened and they go for my iPhone whenever they are around which made me buy an iPod touch for them (and for my 3yr old). Well, the NDS has been lying in a quite corner for the last 18 months now as none of them want that. Recently, I got curious and asked them why? The answer: You always have something new on your iPod touch and we don’t want to play the same stuff for more than a few hours. Hah, maybe i should get DSi and download those online games, but frankly, I don’t give a damn. I get my few minutes of fun, few times a day on my iPhone
And I am no Gamer
You are not a gamer. That’s why you go for the apps. A 2 second attention span – like your niece and nephew. If you were a gamer, and wanted a GAME system, you’d go for the DS or the PSP.
Ha ha ha. Very amusing, person who isn’t a gamer. Allow me to summarize your post using one quote.
“…we don’t want to play the same stuff for more than a few hours.”
You have NO ATTENTION SPAN. You play iPhone shovelware for a few minutes, then download another crap game.
I’m don’t consider myself a gamer but what Wolf said in this article is crap. I guess than Nintendo will discover a new market with Movies in its device.
And yes, I also use sometimes an iPod, but just for music and no more.
Only idiots buy a new iPhone every year and just because that works for Apple why does that make the 5 year cycle of the 3DS bad?
Wouldn’t that ” it offers consumers more bang for their buck” than the “$399 from an entry point of $199″ every year?
I mean lets say the 3DS is 200 or even 250 dollars, in 5 years thats one system, in 5 years based on his theory of iPhone buyers thats on average of 1,495 ( 199 + 399 then divided by 2 then times 5 for each year ).
Lets be nice and say Nintendo releases a 3DS light or i or something iteration and you all go out and buy it, most likely in 5 years you would buy no more than 2 systems… the average cost being no more than 200 but we will be conservative and say 250.
(Nintendo 3DS plus a new 3DS i? light? …. so thats 250 each system 2 systems for 5 years, thats 500 dollars.
Apple 1,495
Nintendo 500 (even-though this number is probably grossly exaggerated more likely its under 400 dollars for both systems combined. )
Which really offers more bang for the buck?
Wow, it’s amazing how many negative comments are on this. Apparently the general population just doesn’t seem to be as intuitive as you, Wolf.
As long as there are gamers, there will always be room for these types of handhelds to exist alongside devices such as the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Don’t get me wrong, there are some very good games on the iDevices, but there’s only so much you can do without physical buttons. People buy iDevices mostly for music, videos, internet, etc.; the games are an excellent bonus, but anyone buying an iDevice solely to play games is stupid. It’s like someone buying a 3DS just to watch movies and listen to music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5qrwzzM3Kk
srlsy!? :D You suggest thats what gamers want, You traffic thirsty, living Apple commercial. I like to see my games.
3DS is a game console that is not going anywhere, it has natural demand and iStuff is just trendy stuff, that moves in the ever changing fashion winds. Not really comparable things, yes? Touchscreen only, buttonless and stylusless(I don’t mean that sausage sized “stylus”, that is like drawing and writing with a hot dog) trendstuff, with millions of fart apps, is the only broken, dated business model here.
Good games are expensive to make, they need your money to make more. If anything, teh iStuff apps are the “too expensive to buy” -things here, because they are consumed in less than one buss trip and then instantly and completely forgotten forever. They didn’t even leave skid marks in your memory, which is waste of everything.
I’m not here trying to pass off my prediction as a professionals. That said, I foresee the ridiculous mass appeal of the DS continuing with the 3DS. Eventually everyone (including Michael Wolf’s mama) is gonna have one. People buy Nintendo handhelds to play games, nobody buys an iPod for that reason. Videogame consumers are still going to get it, whether they have an iPod already or not.
So, the first problem is the hardware life cycle. I can buy a Nintendo DS that will last me 6 years and in its last year will give me great titles like Golden Sun DS, Okamiden, Ghost Trick, Final Fantasy the 4 heroes of light, Ni no Kuni and others or I can buy a new ipod touch (I hope it’s this you re comparing to the nds or the future 3ds cos the Iphone and Ipad are way too expensive . Contrary to your belief these machines never get cheaper cos when they do it’s cos a newer model has come out, new games take advantage of the new gfx and/or cpu or other stuff inside the latest model (gyroscope) and are not playable (or not playable decently) on the previous one. That applies to the Ipod touch too which gets refreshed every year. So it’s 199 usd X 6 years. The only problem I see here is with the Apple model. Too expensive and too fragmented.
The second problem is the software problem. Cos “The app-store model has unleashed a wave of innovative new games”.
Innovative games such as Robo Rush http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isZtH1tAznE or Krazy Karts 1 or 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyOnMToOgzc
So innovative! For developers “looking to free themselves from the long, expensive and highly restricted development cycles associated with traditional console gaming” read it as “trying to rip off great games cos in a short time, with scarce resources that’s all you can do”. You can’t produce great games cos they require big teams, big time and big money.
Apples model is so wrong for gaming…
Realising a new phone with new spec, every year. Means that the previous owners wont be able to enjoy fully the newer games, and in some cases they wont even work.
Im not the only person who’s not going to spend 600 dollars every year for a new PHONE, were playing games on them is a pain.
I phone is selling a lot, but most people don’t buy it for games.
All the pluses out of apples gaming model WILL also be included in 3DS. Cheap garage games made by home-brew developers will be downloadable. SO there goes your extensive downloadable library.
Gamers will also have the option to buy games developed with 100 million budgets, which is unheard of on iphone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5qrwzzM3Kk
srlsy!? :D You suggest thats what gamers want, You traffic thirsty, living Apple commercial. I like to see my games.
3DS is a game console that is not going anywhere, it has natural demand and iStuff is just trendy stuff, that moves in the ever changing fashion winds. Not really comparable things, yes? Touchscreen only, buttonless and stylusless(I don’t mean that sausage sized “stylus”, that is like drawing and writing with a hot dog) trendstuff, with millions of fart apps, is the only broken, dated business model here.
Good games are expensive to make, they need your money to make more. If anything, teh iStuff apps are the “too expensive to buy” -things here, because they are consumed in less than one buss trip and then instantly and completely forgotten forever. They didn’t even leave skid marks in your memory, which is waste of everything.
Also the only reason iphone sells beacause=
Apple = Music player legend
They can never become a game player legend, that’s Nintendo. Jesus they don’t even develop there own games -.-
But it has Mario, so this whole analysis is moot.
Also, Nintendo already has a secondary business model that is just like the App Store — DSiWare. Expect their to be an improved version of that on the 3DS.
I’m fortunate enough to have a job where my company pays for my cell. We’re on Verizon so I have a Blackberry Tour. I’ve downloaded a few games (yes, they have apps too) such as Tetris, Pac-man, and Galaga.
I have also dinked around on my brother’s iPhone and I’ll take the little scroll ball over a touch screen ANYDAY – for playing games, a touch screen as the ONLY input is not enough.
The author is obviously extremely biased. The most disturbing fact is that he is supposedly an “analyst”. If this was just his personal blog, fine then, say whatever you want.
But when you take on the “analyst” role, you have a certain responsibility to the public, a social contract, to look at actual DATA, dig into it, and report.
This is not what happened here. He is, evidently, a big supporter of Apple products and the thought, the very thought, of something else coming along to steal its thunder was too much to bear.
Mr. Wolf, please don’t use this website for declaring personal preference to any one product. It makes you look foolish and erases your credibility for ALL FUTURE “ANALYSIS”.
This is not data analysis: “Nintendo DS sales are down this year and there has to be a reason why and that reason is because of the App Store.”
That’s conjecture, opinion, and wishful thinking. I feel as though I could go on and on with how many things are wrong with this article (and especially your replies), but if you can’t figure out what is wrong with it on your own, I don’t think I can help you.
Good day.
I love these Apple fanboys. This shit never gets old, never actually seen one of them wolf it this bad, though.
Listen, we get it, you think you’re damn sophisticated with your iPhone – as if we couldn’t all own one if we wanted to.
Know how many times an Apple fanboy has come up to me with some app-store game and said, “Check this out! You’re a fighter plane and all you have to do is tilt the phone to steer!” Ohhhhh, WOW! How impressive!!! That lasts about 1 minute before you realize it’s just another, “Get to the finish line quickly game”.
IF THE IPHONE HAD DECENT GAMES ON IT, GAMERS WOULD ALREADY OWN IT! DO YOU NOT REALIZE THIS?!?!?!?!
You wolfed it and you know it. Congrats.
if you wolfed it and you know it clap your hands
clap clap clap
if you wolfed it and you know it clap your hands
clap clap clap
if you wolfed it and you know it, then your post will surely show it
if you wolfed it and you know it clap your hands
clap clap clap
Wow. 35,000 apps, and not a single one of them can compare with Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Kid Icarus, Fire Emblem, Dragon Quest, Advance Wars, etc, etc, etc.
But, but, the iPhone has more!!! And it comes in white!!!
Gotta love ignorant Apple Fanbois.
This article seems to ignore every study that shows from Movies to Games, show that people would rather own the media as opposed to digital downloads.
I know I am buying a 3DS when it comes out, its got both cartridges and digital downloads…who else is with me?
This also seems like a similar argument when the Nintendo DS was about to come out. They kept saying the cellphone market and the NGage was going to to take things by storm and put Nintendo out of the Portable Market. It really gets old.
I’m agreeing with the people here lol.. Kid Icarus IS GUNNA OWN! No chance for apple as its not really made for gaming either.
I’m not even going to try to argue anymore. All we have to do to humiliate you is wait a few years. Then we will quote this article to you and you will cry in shame, still typing on the iPad 4 that Apple scammed you for.
Let’s see you still support your own article with a straight face when the 3DS is released and starts curbstomping any Apple products in sales AND quality software.
I can see this guy has been over at apple getting sucked by steve jobs. I really hope your kidding about apple hurting nintendo?. Apple may have ton of app and lots if ipod/ iphones sold, but thats no where near the installed base of the ds/ dsi/ ds xl. And it happen every time nintedo releases a new handheld they sell millions and if memory serves me, i can recall the ds lite being sold out pretty much everywhere. Nintendo isnt worried about apple and they sure arnt worried about sells slipping because of the app store. Do you realize how stupid that sounds? No matter what you or anyone else says, people are still gonna buy 3DS and im one of the people that will. To the guy the wrote this bullshlt, you really need to get off of jobs penis….
I’m sorry but there are a huge number of problems with this article and the commentary. First of all, the author predicts the fall of Nintendo while fully admitting that “Gamers” are never going to be drawn to the iPod/Pad. This is a simple fact, hardcore gamers will go to the device that offers the best overall experience, and this requires buttons, and analog sticks, not just a simple touch screen interface. Writing off core gamers is absurd because the casual market is still up and coming, and not necessary for the maintenance of a profitable industry. Nintendo made money for over a decade without worrying about the casual gamer. Hardcore gamers will spend 60 dollars on a game, and will do it multiple times a year, they are important to the market, so even if Nintendo just keeps those gamers, then they still maintain profitability, and would be in no way doomed. They would simply be in a different market then an iOS device, although arguing that all casual gamers will go with an iProduct is absurd at this point in time anyways, as this argument ignores the fact that Nintendo has been attempting to shift the market towards a more download oriented, and cheaper game market for years, and they have put a larger emphasis on this for there next system. Games like brain age were released at a lower price point then hardcore games like Dragon Quest, which allowed the DS to dominate the hardcore and casual game market.
Then there is the dedicated gaming device caveat. The 3DS will do other things, but it is primarily a gaming device, and people who buy it will likely buy games for it. Apple products are primarily non gaming objects. I own an iPod touch, I use it for music, and that’s about all. No one I know with a touch or iPhone has more then one or two games they actually play on the device, and a number of them have DS’s that get quite a bit of use. Even if Apple gets an even number of iOS devices on the market as the 3DS, (which will be hard to measure since a large number of devices are replacing older iterations, I will likely get an iPod touch 4, but that will replace my first gen touch, where as few people actually own multiple iterations of one gaming device through it’s lifespan) the gaming profitability of each iOS device is likely no where near the potential profit that each 3DS represents to Nintendo, as a huge number of iOS devices will never be used for gaming.
Then you mention the life cycle, as mentioned before, a device with a one year life cycle is hardly ideal in a game market. Many big games are in development for years. What company would produce a game for a system over the course of years, knowing that when released, it will be for an outdated piece of hardware. God of War will never be fully realized on an iOS device, so gamers wanting a game of that calibur will need to turn to a dedicated system. Again trying to write off the hardcore gamer is absurd.
In multiple comments you discuss how kids run to the iOS device. Well, will this be true when you have a device that can play 3D movies sitting near by, and even if it is, does it matter? The average gamer is still a 35 year old man, with the bulk of gamers falling in to the 18-45 year old demographic, and these gamers actually have money to spend.
Oh, and about the market needing to shift to cheaper games. I’ve read articles from a number of gaming companies who hate the iOS as it has created a segment of the market that refuses to pay more then 5 dollars for a game, and even though they are happy to release there own shovel ware on the system, no one wants to be the guinea pig for the “Big Game”. You believe that eventually games on the iOS will rival games on the 3DS, but this would require that a developer invest the time into making a big game on the system, one that would cost 20 or more dollars, and no one wants to do it. The new market created by the appstore, has scared developers away as it creates an unrealistic price expectations tht don’t allow AAA titles a chance to ever be developed for the system.
But yes, Nintendo is certainly doomed…
Great comment! You should be the analyst on this subject.
Something tells me the author isn’t very good at being an analyst.
For those stating that their kids prefer the iProducts over a DS, well it doesn’t mean much because young kids are easily entertained by simple things like flashing lights and sounds. Most young kids can’t appreciate the more advance games like Zelda or Final fantasy, which has very deep satisfying gameplay. So it makes sense that their attention would lean towards ipod/iphone apps for a few minutes over the “better” DS games. I’m certain that the Little Tikes isle at the toy store would beat out the iproducts for their attention.
sniffle
Yeah?!
sniffle
Bu..Bu…But….But….the iPad is good for reading BOOKS!!!!
sniffle
I…I….I…..I can read e-books!!!!!!!!
sniffle
I can find a restaurant!! A RESTAURANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you pulled the comments?
Can i please kill you for being stupid with a IQ lower than… i don’t know you have reached the lowest IQ possible.
It sucks to play games on Iphone, no d-pad, no buttons nothing only that touch screen. Sure touch screen is nice but it can never compare to a D-pad.
Biggest apple fanboy ever.
hi there wait a minute but dose iphone and ipod touch plays 3D movies 3D you tube 3D internet or 3D netflix 3D pictuers and 3D video 3D movie shop basicaly a device plays 3D movies at $189.99 in fact go too http://www.nintendo3ds.com/uk
hahahahahahahhahahahahaha.
i can’t believe you just compared Apple to Nintendo.
wanna talk about how pizza destroyed the gum market next?
they aren’t even in the same category. and no real gamer will ever take apple’s itouch or phone seriously. they have a bad battery life and limited controls. they are offer no real games. no real stories, and no real long lasting enjoyment. and for some reason my ipod touch gets hot when i play a simple game on it.
this article is a joke. so I’m just gonna stop my self here.
think before posting stuff
have a nice day
Dear God…what is it with some of you Apple fanbois? What is it Apple vs. the world? It seems like every couple of days or weeks I see some new article about how another corporation is doomed because of Apple. The Nook and Kindle, other computers, cell phones, the publishing industry, this and that, and now Nintendo. What is next? The toaster industry is doomed because of what the 2nd generation Ipad can do! I mean seriously… All these other business may as well give up now and submit to King Apple.
BioWare: ‘iPhone Mass Effect a mistake’
BioWare has admitted that the iPhone-exclusive Mass Effect Galaxy was a “mistake”.
In an interview with VideoGamer, co-founder Greg Zeschuk said that the studio has learned from the experience, following the game’s negative reception. Click the link below to read more.
http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a254040/bioware-iphone-mass-effect-a-mistake.html
This is why the iphone/ipad loses to Nintendo’s 3DS. Game Studios that produce AAA titles on real game console are now learning this the hard way. Iphone/Ipad has a different audience, those that like to play little 15 minute apps. If you want a rich gaming experience, you don’t look to Apple.
Seriously, Apple killed Nintendo’s Handhelds?
oh please, this is a joke of epic proportions. the only thing they dominate is the little apps market.
in gaming however, doesn’t Apple’s Pippin come to mind? no, it doesn’t, because it plain sucked and everyone forgot about it.
so, i’d say they’ll stick with apps. because apps are not games, after all.
The writer of this article can go die in a fire, the ipod touch IS NOT A HANDHELD GAMING SYSTEM, and we have learned in way too many cases, NUMBERS MEANS NOTHING. Nintendo OWNS the handheld gaming category.
This writer doesn’t know what he/she is talking about.
The Iphone’s gaming library is mainly filled with poor ports and gimmicky games that can’t possibly impress console gamers. We’re used to quality gaming. A multimedia device with crappy games isn’t going to kill a quality gaming device.
Also, if this is so true, why haven’t we seen any decline in DS sales because of the iPhone? There isn’t any. Any sales decline is because of the PSP, not the iPhone.
“And the DSi Shop can be a virtual sandbox for game creators to incorporate the DSi capabilities into downloadable titles. Or it’s just an easy way to get simple DS ideas into gamers’ hands without going the much more expensive retail route.
With so many DSiWare games hitting the DSi Shop — and with DSi owners having the ability to easily and immediately download the games for themselves…”
http://ds.ign.com/articles/105/1058316p1.html
Do your research before you spout off about something that you are emotionally/finacially invested in (iPhone/iPad).
“Nintendo has already seen the impact of the iPod Touch”
How exactly did you come to this conclusion? Because of a few months of decreased DS sales?
That makes no sense since you’ve said yourself the iTouch has been out for a few YEARS.
Just because sales of one thing decline, doesn’t mean they’re going up somewhere else. Isn’t that like the most obvious thing in the world?
Michael, have you seen the latest article here ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE?!!?
Android Sales Overtake iPhone in the U.S.!!!
http://gigaom.com/2010/08/02/android-sales-overtake-iphone-in-the-u-s/
The iPhone is doomed, and Android killed.
hahahaha lollerskates OWNED.
Can’t believe this guy gets paid for writing this BS…..obviously not a serious gamer
You dun goof’d fanboy
Another thing you failed to notice is that console and handheld games usually get better as it gets older (with the exception of the last 3-5 months of its life). For example, DBZ: Budokai for PS2 was nice, but Tenkaichi 3 was infinitely superior graphics wise, and the game mechanics were about the same in quality. The launch games for PS3 sucked with the exception of Resistence, yet now it’s starting to hit its stride and sell many awesome games. The longer a console is out, the more familiarized are the 3rd party developers that make games for it. And seeing its strong 3rd party line up so far, with Resident Evil, Super Street Fighter 4, Sonic, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Assassins Creed, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, and more, it will only get better as it’s life progresses.
Mr. Wolf, you were all big and bad the day you wrote this but now you’ve gone AWOL. What’s up with that?
I play a lot of games on my android phone…using the gameboy and SNES emulator I downloaded for it…
I think this article is a load of crap! Apps are shorter lived and do not have the time put into a full blown game. Some of them are funny for a while then are no fun. Every YEAR, I would not buy a new phone every year for “updated” crap. Put a sock in it.
@ Michael Wolfe
The only place apple and the ipod succeed is in how well the app store is set out look at all those 59p games on the app store and even the premium games not a single one can match the quality of a Nintendo made game and the only really good games like angry birds flight control and fieldrunners are now appearing on dsiware and why do you think that is it is because developers know that they cannot keep making games that get charged 59p for and make any profit that is why Nintendo will ultimately succeed apple will not kill Nintendo and ipod will not kill 3ds and 3ds will not kill ipod as they are aimed at two totally different markets and i am a person who will not buy apple products because i think they are overpriced and do not want to see a world where the only computers and phones are made by apple and Microsoft