Iwata: Nintendo to expand beyond games

[dario14]

Dude the mobile phone market is perfect for Nintendo. Every mobile analyst wants Nintendo to release games to the mobile stores. If Nintendo made their own phone and made mobile games and rereleased oldschool roms to be used only with their proprietary phone, then that could be a goldmine. I don't see why they wouldn't enter the "ultra competitive phone market" as their moto has always been about fun at an affordable cost, they could be the anti-apple. While their phones would be proprietary like Apple and have its own exclusive and vast game market, it would come at an incredibly affordable price as opposed to Apple's ridiculously expensive prices.

I would totally buy a Nintendo smartphone that played 3ds games

 

[Steena]

Nintendo is not competent enough on the technical department to make a smartphone that can in any way compete with the current ones on the market. It probably cannot even make a smartphone that is 1/10th as good as them.

Their technology has a track record of being subpar for a juggernaut electronics company, from the online systems, to the netcode of their games, to their terrible WiiU devkits that were handed out to third parties, or the piss-poor performance of the tablet-controller. They get a free pass for the inaccurate motion controls because they were the first ones to commercialize it globally, but yeah even that was horrible, quality-wise.

It's a mixture of having a mentality that is stuck 10-20 years in the past and being a japanese company (that has generally weaker domestic electronics prowess nowadays) to compete in an environment that thrives on modernity to succeed. It would result in a massive loss of money as being entirely new to the field they'd need to invest a lot on R&D and probably marketing, and it'd fail to keep up with the competition by a long shot regardless.

I personally believe that, for the next generation, Nintendo would dominate if they made a super smartphone that played proprietary portable games and had TV connectivity to play home console games, all in one device (perhaps with the addition of a performance boosting box, depending on where technology is at in 8-10 years). The problem is that they just cannot pull it off. Maybe if they merged with another company that is big on smartphones, that'd be the way. But I don't see them merging with another company for a long time either, so ehh.

Nintendo is the "nobody knows what the fuck is gonna happen next" company. Their unorthodox way of business is both their strength and weakness. So who knows.

 

[gamefan5]

Shh, FAST, shh! Muh innovation! ;O;

And once again, Foxi4 succeeds at making sarcastic, witty, unbiased comments. You sir, have made my day. LOL

 

[WhiteMaze]

Oh Nintendo....

Your beloved WiiU sinks like a ship, your 3DS sales are going down and your Youtube hate still stands tall.

What are we to make of you?

In all honesty, I still feel like Nintendo is the same god damn annoying, change-phobiac, old guy that goes in a bar and asks for "the usual", company it has ever been.

I do have to agree that they do know how to innovate and be original. But that's pretty much it. That's where the good stuff ends.
Any person with half a brain can see, this is a "cry for help", or in other terms, a "lets expand to other markets since our videogames don't pay for our cars anymore".

I mean, I sympathize that any company has the right to expand their horizons, enter new markets, and begin producing other things in order to secure a bigger share and a bigger variety of products. Any good company will expand and grow that way.

However, what Nintendo has in mind, will determine what the outcome will be.

Sure, Nintendo started out as a god damn card company. True. But here's the kicker: They were a nobody.

Compared to what Nintendo is today, due to its investment in the videogame industry, Nintendo was a microbe. Today they are a multi-billion dollar name on their own, known around the globe, and with a solid reputation.

No one was going to cry if "Nintendo the card maker" went out of business. But that can't be said for the Nintendo of today. Over the years it has accumulated millions of fans and people who appreciate their work. And it is all due to one thing: Gaming.

Now as I said before, Nintendo has every right to expand to other markets. My point is this: if Nintendo plans to "expand" to other markets, it has to be carefully done. I hope we don't get the news that Nitendo will now start making slippers and shower curtins.

Why? Because the money to be made on videogames is still very much there. There is just one reason, a SINGLE reason why both Nintendo and Sony's handhelds are beginning to fail miserably. What's that reason?

Because this is 2014, and something happened a few years ago called: The Smartphone. Smartphones and Tablets.

Nintendo is not competent enough on the technical department to make a smartphone that can in any way compete with the current ones on the market. It probably cannot even make a smartphone that is 1/10th as good as them.

Their technology has a track record of being subpar for a juggernaut electronics company, from the online systems, to the netcode of their games, to their terrible WiiU devkits that were handed out to third parties, or the piss-poor performance of the tablet-controller. They get a free pass for the inaccurate motion controls because they were the first ones to commercialize it globally, but yeah even that was horrible, quality-wise.

It's a mixture of having a mentality that is stuck 10-20 years in the past and being a japanese company (that has generally weaker domestic electronics prowess nowadays) to compete in an environment that thrives on modernity to succeed. It would result in a massive loss of money as being entirely new to the field they'd need to invest a lot on R&D and probably marketing, and it'd fail to keep up with the competition by a long shot regardless.

I personally believe that, for the next generation, Nintendo would dominate if they made a super smartphone that played proprietary portable games and had TV connectivity to play home console games, all in one device (perhaps with the addition of a performance boosting box, depending on where technology is at in 8-10 years). The problem is that they just cannot pull it off. Maybe if they merged with another company that is big on smartphones, that'd be the way. But I don't see them merging with another company for a long time either, so ehh.

Nintendo is the "nobody knows what the fuck is gonna happen next" company. Their unorthodox way of business is both their strength and weakness. So who knows.

Very much agreed.

The only problem here, is simply that Nintendo is the most stubborn, screaming annoying child of a company. They freaking REFUSE to get with the times. Their internet enabled games suck. Their internet platforms suck. Their developing kits suck. ANYTHING remotely related to internet and connectivity or social media sucks. Its ridiculous.

Meet Nintendo: the god damn Samurai company who shall keep their Katana's long after the AK-47 shows up.

Fine by me Nintendo. Just don't expect your "Honor" and your "Katana" and your "same old traditions" to save you from a bullet.

Technology happens Nintendo. And sometimes a major technological advancement, strikes you right on your belly, rendering your devices obsolete.

You either embrace that technology and get in the market like the rest of them, or you sink.

You want to save yourself Nintendo? Grow up.

For a company with your reputation to "not include cut-scenes" because of Youtube, is the biggest joke and embarrassment I have ever heard in my entire life.

Sony is still failing miserably with the Vita too. But at least they are entering the tablet and smarphone market. Because Sony is no idiot.

Even freaking Microsoft pulled back on their handheld idea when the first Smartphones and Tablets began to arise. Because they knew what it meant. They knew that if there was to be a handheld market, it wouldn't be on a platform that ONLY runs games. It would be on a platform that did everything, from making phone calls, to browsing the internet.

Get a hold of yourself Nintendo. And may the gods help you, because I really like your games.

 

[osirisjem]

Oh Nintendo....

Your beloved WiiU sinks like a ship, your 3DS sales are going down and your Youtube hate still stands tall.

Get a hold of yourself Nintendo. And may the gods help you, because I really like your games.

That YouTube fiasco still boggles my mind.
To pick on your fans for making videos of your games ? /facepalm

I guess when the innovation dries up, you bully kids on YouTube about your IP.

And you decide to do this when your console is a failure and you need every bit of eyeball time you can get on your potential customers ?

What a fail.

 

[duffmmann]

Nintendo is not competent enough on the technical department to make a smartphone that can in any way compete with the current ones on the market. It probably cannot even make a smartphone that is 1/10th as good as them.

Their technology has a track record of being subpar for a juggernaut electronics company, from the online systems, to the netcode of their games, to their terrible WiiU devkits that were handed out to third parties, or the piss-poor performance of the tablet-controller. They get a free pass for the inaccurate motion controls because they were the first ones to commercialize it globally, but yeah even that was horrible, quality-wise.

It's a mixture of having a mentality that is stuck 10-20 years in the past and being a japanese company (that has generally weaker domestic electronics prowess nowadays) to compete in an environment that thrives on modernity to succeed. It would result in a massive loss of money as being entirely new to the field they'd need to invest a lot on R&D and probably marketing, and it'd fail to keep up with the competition by a long shot regardless.

I personally believe that, for the next generation, Nintendo would dominate if they made a super smartphone that played proprietary portable games and had TV connectivity to play home console games, all in one device (perhaps with the addition of a performance boosting box, depending on where technology is at in 8-10 years). The problem is that they just cannot pull it off. Maybe if they merged with another company that is big on smartphones, that'd be the way. But I don't see them merging with another company for a long time either, so ehh.

Nintendo is the "nobody knows what the fuck is gonna happen next" company. Their unorthodox way of business is both their strength and weakness. So who knows.

Nintendo is not opposed to working with other companies to make such a thing. Lets not forget they worked with Sony ages ago, don't see why they couldn't reach out to a company that knows what they're doing in the smart phone department and partner up. I don't personally want to see a Nintendo smartphone, but realistically, I think eventually it will be inevitable.

That YouTube fiasco still boggles my mind.
To pick on your fans for making videos of your games ? /facepalm

I guess when the innovation dries up, you bully kids on YouTube about your IP.

And you decide to do this when your console is a failure and you need every bit of eyeball time you can get on your potential customers ?

What a fail.

And yet now Nintendo will allow you to upload your Mario Kart 8 races straight to youtube from within the game... Nintendo's relationship with youtube is odd to say the least.

 

[WhiteMaze]

And yet now Nintendo will allow you to upload your Mario Kart 8 races straight to youtube from within the game... Nintendo's relationship with youtube is odd to say the least.

Really? Wow....

A baby step, but maybe, just maybe Nintendo is pulling its head out of its ass.

 

[Dork]

your 3DS sales are going down

Except that isn't true.

Why? Because the money to be made on videogames is still very much there. There is just one reason, a SINGLE reason why both Nintendo and Sony's handhelds are beginning to fail miserably. What's that reason?

Because this is 2014, and something happened a few years ago called: The Smartphone. Smartphones and Tablets.

That would be true, except for the fact that both the 3DS and the Vita are both doing considerably and consistently well. http://www.m-create.com/ranking/

Your entire rant you got there is based on falsehood and the false assertion that current mobile gaming is going to "replace" traditional handhelds. Stop.

 

[codezer0]

Iwata confirmed for Nintendo's "Krazy Ken".

 

[WhiteMaze]

Except that isn't true.



That would be true, except for the fact that both the 3DS and the Vita are both doing considerably and consistently well. http://www.m-create.com/ranking/

Your entire rant you got there is based on falsehood and the false assertion that current mobile gaming is going to "replace" traditional handhelds. Stop.

Lets just put things this way:

How many people in your daily routine do you know, that own a 3DS system, or even a Ps Vita for that matter?

Now how many people in your daily routine do you know, that own a Smartphone or a Tablet?

I know quite a few that have a 3DS, or a Ps Vita. Hell, I know 2 or 3 individuals that own both.

But how about Smartphones / Tablets?

Well, from my mother to my hated enemy, they all have at least one of them. A good 90% if not more, of the people I know, have these devices. And of course, with Android / iOS, come gaming capabilities. Which is where they get 99% of their gaming these days.

I honestly do not see the point of that link, as sales that go inside Japan only, are of no concern to this matter, as the Japanese are the ones who invented the 3DS / Ps Vita. Old-school Nintendo and Sony's handheld gaming will never die there, as well as their PS4's and WiiU's.

What concerns me, is the sales OUTSIDE of Japan.

3DS has around 30 million units sold currently, which is not bad, but then again, is by no means the same amount of profit Nintendo made with its predecessor (155 million units sold), or even with the GBA.

So forgive me if I have offended you kind sir. However, I prefer not to close my eyes to the "sad" truth.

I believe this is enough to defend my argument, but should you not be pleased, then I also present you with one final point of view:

Smartphones and Tablets can be several times the price of a general Ps Vita or 3DS. Yet, people seem to buy them, regardless of that fact. Anyone who does not take that into consideration, is seriously underestimating the demand for Android / iOS based devices.

 

[dario14]

Maybe Nintendo could collaborate with a smartphone company the way Google does. LG makes the Nexus 5. It's still Google's phone and brand though.

 

[Steena]

Nintendo is not opposed to working with other companies to make such a thing. Lets not forget they worked with Sony ages ago,

How many years ago was that? 25? It's also worth noting that the conflict between the two companies during their partnership has led sony to make their thing on their own and they proceeded to destroy the N64 shortly after. Perhaps nintendo got overly defensive since that happened.

Really? Wow....

A baby step, but maybe, just maybe Nintendo is pulling its head out of its ass.

The root of the problem is, and always been, that Nintendo wants to force their own quality control, even if that means limiting content. You can only upload races through the WiiU, so you cannot add anything else but the replay itself. In a way, that is not really "user content".

 

[FAST6191]

Apologies if I missed it but I suppose someone had better do the "we spent decades expanding the waistlines of our fans, now we wish to expand our horizons" joke.

 

[Bladexdsl]

Maybe Nintendo could collaborate with a smartphone company the way Google does.

just what we need the eshop full of pay to play games....

 

[T Link7]

I get dèjá vu every time I read a Nintendo-related thread on this website... <.<

On-topic: perhaps they were talking about this among other things? I personally think this is a good idea, because when I was young, me and my friends would've died to get our hands on Nintendo toys So let's hope things haven't change too much... Even if children these days aren't that interested, I'm sure there'll be people collecting the stuff.

 

[WhiteMaze]

just what we need the eshop full of pay to play games....

Oh no good sir.

What we need is things like the eShop gone.

 

[Dork]

Lets just put things this way:

How many people in your daily routine do you know, that own a 3DS system, or even a Ps Vita for that matter?

Now how many people in your daily routine do you know, that own a Smartphone or a Tablet?

I know quite a few that have a 3DS, or a Ps Vita. Hell, I know 2 or 3 individuals that own both.

But how about Smartphones / Tablets?

I don't get where you are going here. If I see more people with a smartphone than a 3DS than this is pure evidence that mobile directly impacts handhelds?

All you have really been saying here is that mobile devices do extremely well and everyone has one. However, I have yet to see any actual evidence or stats that help your point that handhelds are directly suffering because of mobile device success.

You also have to consider that these devices, viewed as gaming devices, offer completely different games and experiences, and pander to different audiences. Plus the success of mobile can also be contributed to other factors such as being a "do everything" device, but that's at the expense of being mediocre for games.

I honestly do not see the point of that link, as sales that go inside Japan only, are of no concern to this matter, as the Japanese are the ones who invented the 3DS / Ps Vita. Old-school Nintendo and Sony's handheld gaming will never die there, as well as their PS4's and WiiU's.

Well, Nintendo and Sony are Japanese companies, so when you talk about the overall success they have in the handheld market, it kind of does matter. Also, the mobile "fad" has swept Japan just as it had with western territories, so I don't know where you're going with that.

If you want western sales data so much, the only thing I can provide you is a VGChartz spreadsheet but they pull sales data out of their ass. These are points you are trying to make so it's up to you to provide something other than anecdotal evidence.

 

[Bladexdsl]

What we need is things like the eShop gone.

and what exactly would that accomplish except make things worse?!

 

[shadow1w2]

Nintendo has gone a bit crazy haven't they?
They just need to focus on the gaming aspect like they used to and they'd be fine.
A Nintendo brand Android device though? Sure I'd go for that but again Nintendo and gaming fit together as a household brand.
Anything else is not going to sell well especially with their bad track record in anything but gaming.
Without gaming I don't think their consumers will be very forgiving.

But hey, they want to branch out a bit that's fine really.
Just well, hard to imagine what they'd branch out to.

Maybe heart monitors?
They've been trying to do that for awhile now.
Heh ya, medical equipment manufacturing maybe?
Heart monitor with Mario running along and dying when the patient does?.....
Okay that's a ton of wrong right there.

Do what you want Nintendo but don't throw away what you have.
Its not all over if you just try a little harder.

Eh, maybe Smash Bros will be a console seller and they'll just forget this "non gaming" nonsense.

Still can't think of anything they might do.
Toasters maybe? Only Sony ever did that and gaming. xD

 

[Bladexdsl]

Still can't think of anything they might do.
Toasters maybe?

already been done