They should start, at the very least, examining companion apps for their games. I could see a lot of value in something like Pokemon: The Adventure Begins, which offers a few hours of Pokemon and gets kids to want the new one. Maybe make it an exclusive 'mon to start with or whatever, you know, instead of Pikachu make it Phonechu or Applechu or DroidChu.
Get people hooked on the game, then say "hey, you can get more by purchasing a 3DS/2DS. BTW, here's a 15 dollar coupon since you bought our app for 5 bucks and played through the game.
One of the reasons so many analysts don't believe that Nintendo hw is the way forward is that there is very little faith that they can make hw that is attractive in a world where every major electronics company iterates on phone technology annually.
It's as impossible for a handheld to remain cutting edge compared to mobile hw as it is for a console next to pc hw...The only difference being, consumers like carrying around sleek cell phones, while only enthusiasts enjoy investing hundreds of dollars into RAM and video cards and plugging their PCs into their televisions. And consoles have traditionally had stronger attach rates than handhelds. So dedicated consoles have a stay of execution...for now.
The time for Nintendo to put out a multi-touch device was 2012, not 2017.
This is the same discussion on the other thread about the stock drop yesterday. Nothing new here. Iwata was just requoted but it's the exact same quote. A whole new thread on this seems unnecessary.
This is the same discussion on the other thread about the stock drop yesterday. Nothing new here. Iwata was just requoted but it's the exact same quote. A whole new thread on this seems unnecessary.
I don't know what investors are expecting to change strategically then if he's unwilling to even consider this yet. Price drops? That's not going to change what's going on. More Mario games? A rental service or something?
This seriously continues to show a real stubbornness that is going to continue to make 2014 impossible for them, and 2015 as well.
I think the Wii Sports U release was a red herring for what we can expect in the future. At least I hope so. Nintendoland, for example, would have sold better as individual game releases IMO. You could STILL connect them in an overarching achievement like system. This might be ambitous, but if Nintendo released a Nintendo-land like game every two weeks, I think people wouldn't complain as much about a drought. Their biggest challenge is to ensure that people hook their Wii U's up to the Internet, which is not something many parent's are accustomed to needing to do for their kid's game consoles.
So my friend and I had an idea of how Nintendo could successfully get into iOS. Any thoughts and impressions would be appreciated!
So we can all agree on the fact that handhelds are a shrinking market, right? So naturally everyone clamors for Nintendo to develop for iOS. However, Nintendo is afraid of devaluing it's brands (see Anth0ny's earlier post). I believe Nintendo should develop new IPs specifically for iOS. New IPs with new gameplay concepts that take full advantage of iOS's features.
Now I know what you're thinking. The iOS market is flooded, so no one will notice one of dozens and dozens of new IPs. They need to use their existing IP to make a splash, right? I think that is incorrect. Nintendo releasing a game on the App Store would be HUGE. Just think of all the headlines. This alone would generate enough interest for people to give the game a try. Now if the game turns out to be any good, Nintendo will have new fans who will be looking forward to their future iOS releases. Nintendo will create new franchises that are exclusive to the iOS platform. Also, these will be very profitable as Nintendo will have really small teams dedicated to making these iOS games. Of course, Smash Bros appearances for these characters would be fine.
What about dedicated handhelds? That market is rapidly shrinking. However, I think there's still enough interest in button controlled mobile games and Nintendo franchises to have a userbase of 40-60 million. Much, much smaller than what the market used to be, but enough to be profitable if Nintendo makes it work. The 3DS will run it's course, so this is all about Nintendo's future handhelds. Profitability should be Nintendo's main objective here. They need to make a low cost device that has very high profit margins. Game development budgets need to decrease to make room for lower cost games. Nintendo's existing stable of franchises (Mario, Pokémon, etc.) will be exclusive to Nintendo's own hardware, to maintain interest in their hardware. Plus, these brands don't get devalued. Even with a much smaller userbase, Nintendo will be able to generate enough profit to continue making handhelds.
There you have it. With this plan, Nintendo is able to create a new, incredibly profitable third pillar without harming their main sources of income. I'm not sure what Nintendo can do with their home consoles, but this plan is enough to have at least 2 very profitable divisions for Nintendo. Of course, if iOS development is a bust, they can easily stop developing for it, as they won't be putting too many resources into it. I think this is a great way for Nintendo to return to profitability. And if there's anyone that can revolutionize mobile gaming, it's Nintendo.
Thoughts? (I would have made a new thread for this but those are getting locked left and right, and this is pretty relevant to the thread).
Now that console and pc hardware design is converging, I don't see how that is so. For instance, the components in PS4 and X1 are not exactly breaking the budget.
You know small companion apps wouldn't be terrible, like a History of Zelda book for the Iphone, explaining all the mythology and lore of the series, putting actual games on it seems a little extreme though. Might be a great platform to advertise on however.
Most likely there will be a Miiverse for smart phones that you can use to also "explore" new content like games and stuff, this is what Iwata was alluding to.
I'm all for marketing tools, that help games / brands to be recognised by a big audience. But I'm also ok with some more gamey efforts, even not too distant from eShop titles.
Pokémon Company already does that, with things like Pokémon TV and Pokédex, and certainly that brand is still strong as hell on Nintendo consoles. So, even if carefully, they can do that.
...Actually, here's an idea about how to do that. Not just apps where you receive items to use in the full game.
Example: Donkey Kong Flick Jungle (random example). Based on those PAON GBA and DS Donkey Kong games. It has a leaderboard, many levels, simple mechanics, style different from the normal DK releases, etc.etc. It's released...let's say two weeks before Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.
You play it. You go on, and on, and on. You obtain some banana coins. The better you play, the more coins you obtain. You can decide to use those coins for in-game purchases OR to put in a Bank Chest, where coins can only enter, and not exit. When the game releases, the Bank Chest will light. And it'll request you to insert your Nintendo Network ID. And then, it'll give you a code. That code allows to download Donkey Kong Country TP...for a discounted price! Of course, such a thing would be promoted right at the beginning of the game. So, basically
1)You make people aware of the next big release AND of the console
2)You make them interested, with some of the elements from the game, but with different style so people can't be confused
3)You make them interested, since they're awarded with discounted copies of the game
4)Since it's a code for a download, people have to use the Nintendo eShop, and so they'll become aware of the digital offerings
Discounts should be from 5% to 33%, based on the score obtained in the game.
honestly, social f2p pokèmon could be the end of the world as we know it.
The game is freaking perfect for that, sadly.
Candies \ Master Balls \ Happiness things \ Proteins \ things to change IV\EV\Nature\Shininess on the shop, plus emotional attachment to pokemon.. it'd work.
Pollute sales from handhelds, sure.. but work.
Universities are already plagued with people emulating pokemon on their phones tbh.
I'm all for marketing tools, that help games / brands to be recognised by a big audience. But I'm also ok with some more gamey efforts, even not too distant from eShop titles.
Pokémon Company already does that, with things like Pokémon TV and Pokédex, and certainly that brand is still strong as hell on Nintendo consoles. So, even if carefully, they can do that.
...Actually, here's an idea about how to do that. Not just apps where you receive items to use in the full game.
Example: Donkey Kong Flick Jungle (random example). Based on those PAON GBA and DS Donkey Kong games. It has a leaderboard, many levels, simple mechanics, style different from the normal DK releases, etc.etc. It's released...let's say two weeks before Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.
You play it. You go on, and on, and on. You obtain some banana coins. The better you play, the more coins you obtain. You can decide to use those coins for in-game purchases OR to put in a Bank Chest, where coins can only enter, and not exit. When the game releases, the Bank Chest will light. And it'll request you to insert your Nintendo Network ID. And then, it'll give you a code. That code allows to download Donkey Kong Country TP...for a discounted price! Of course, such a thing would be promoted right at the beginning of the game. So, basically
1)You make people aware of the next big release AND of the console
2)You make them interested, with some of the elements from the game, but with different style so people can't be confused
3)You make them interested, since they're awarded with discounted copies of the game
4)Since it's a code for a download, people have to use the Nintendo eShop, and so they'll become aware of the digital offerings
Discounts should be from 5% to 33%, based on the score obtained in the game.
Three days later, a ram hack comes out to automatically set the score to '100%' without playing it. Unless you want to make it cumbersome (locking a phone to a nintendo account or something), you have to through codes for it, which would find it's way to the secondary market\friends pretty quick.
Then someone makes the game run in a emulator (BlueStack, for example), and automatically generates codes, and distributes them \ sells them for 0.99 on ebay.
The saving tail is that unless the code can be redeemed against another code (and not just a bound purchase), it creates enough hassle to probably not be worth the ~15 discount in the eyes of most.
It's not an idea without merit, but this _IS_ going to happen. How widespread, perhaps not that much if it's a one-off - but if it becomes a trend, you can make sure basically all of those who are invested enough about the phone mini-game are knowledgeable enough to get the discount code from a third party.
honestly, social f2p pokèmon could be the end of the world as we know it.
The game is freaking perfect for that, sadly.
Candies \ Master Balls \ Happiness things \ Proteins \ things to change IV\EV\Nature\Shininess on the shop, plus emotional attachment to pokemon.. it'd work.
Pollute sales from handhelds, sure.. but work.
Universities are already plagued with people emulating pokemon on their phones tbh.
Looking at the quote again its kinda confusing because it seems like they are thinking about putting games on mobile and but they just aren't going mobile only with their big titles releasing on mobile(which should be obvious).
honestly, social f2p pokèmon could be the end of the world as we know it.
The game is freaking perfect for that, sadly.
Candies \ Master Balls \ Happiness things \ Proteins \ things to change IV\EV\Nature\Shininess on the shop, plus emotional attachment to pokemon.. it'd work.
Pollute sales from handhelds, sure.. but work.
Universities are already plagued with people emulating pokemon on their phones tbh.
[*]Feature more 2nd-party Nintendo characters(Xenoblade, Last Story, Wonderful 101) in Smash Bros. and Nintendo cameos. I want Shulk as a Newcomer and I want him now!
[/LIST]
Oh, so do i.
That's why i fear it, it actually fits well enough for some madman to consider it. Square or Capcom would've done it already (Hell, square has made a FF for phones >_>)
This is insane. That'd be absurdly expensive to R&D, produce and market in such a tiny period of time, not to mention incredibly risky since there's no way to know if it'd bomb as hard as WiiU. With all this focus on insta-creating a new platform, they wouldn't be able to simultaneously develop plenty of games for it - something they apparently can't even do for WiiU which is a system that already exists. This is really a terrible idea, and no offense but IMO most people need to understand that NOT literally ANYTHING is better than Nintendo's current situation with WiiU.
Nintendo should realize that people care about technology and horsepower.
They still think internally they are just a toy company and their focus should be on new and exciting ways to make games fun.
That's great and all but people want power. A big number of people are willing to spend $600+ every year or so on a new iPhone. Why? They want the latest and greatest technology.
I remember the days of Nintendo posting tech specs proudly of their new systems in magazines. Now they tried to hide the specs or just don't talk about it.
Can you imagine if the iPhone 6 came out and Apple wouldn't tell you what was in it?
I just think Nintendo is so far out of the loop with hardware that they either need a complete overhaul and fresh blood injected into the company or they need to go 3rd party. They are clearly still masters when it comes to software, they just need someone who is good at hardware to help them along.
Screw their plans for phones and what not; they need to be getting on that Region-Free so's they can get a bit more money from the hardcores. Sure it's not super bankrolls of money, but holy shit, it could only make things better.
This is insane. That'd be absurdly expensive to R&D, produce and market in such a tiny period of time, not to mention incredibly risky since there's no way to know if it'd bomb as hard as WiiU. With all this focus on insta-creating a new platform, they wouldn't be able to simultaneously develop plenty of games for it - something they apparently can't even do for WiiU which is a system that already exists. This is really a terrible idea, and no offense but IMO most people need to understand that NOT literally ANYTHING is better than Nintendo's current situation with WiiU.
Clearly the tech isn't the only thing holding back the Wii U though. It's not like it's a must-have, cutting edge concept, but it's held back by low tech. It's just a kind of weird angle to go for.
Iwata is promising to surprise us but he's been saying that for a couple years. I want more acting and less talking. Show and/or tell me about games and features coming outside of the next few months. Quit jerking our chains.
If I was Iwata, I'd release SMB1 on iphones as is with an onscreen controller, and then laugh heartily for 6 months as people realize its a useless device for games that require anything other than tapping and dragging.
Something they could do is a hybrid iphone (as a concept) / Xperia Play (for the hardware) console:
- Nintendo releases an accessible (cheap/basic) model once, with real controls, with Android and a proprietary eShop (subscription with a phone carrier is optional)
- They License it to a few trusted partners who can use their knowledge to make better, more expensive annual iteration of the hardware. This hardware would have to follow rules from the basic model such as button placements etc, but otherwise would be free to upgrade the processor, screen, 4G+, whatever phone users fancy.
- The phone being Android it's completely compatible with the Google Store, making the annual iterations relevant.
- All Nintendo software will be compatible with the basic model and run on every iteration
- After a few years a new Nintendo model is released (Basic2) and from this point new eShop games will only be assured to run on the new model (like Apple is clogging their old iphone models). Trusted Partners would have to label their hardware correctly, and if done right an older but powerful compatible phone would be able to use games made for Basic2.
With this you still have Nintendo's seal of quality hardware, eShop quality games are not diluted with all the freemium and $.99 crap, people who want a real powerful smartphone can pay the price and have one, Nintendo is fully in control of their hardware and their games, selling hardware makes them money thanks to the licences, they can embrace a new market while still retaining their old market.
Best of both worlds.
I really fancy my idea. Nintendo, get in touch asap!
Why, so you can rage about them still not doing it? Looking at their losses, you are on some strong stuff if you think smartphone ports of their old games are going to turn things around for them. It wouldn't even be a blip on the radar considering how much money they are losing. Furthermore, it would be a spike in revenue that would die out over time. It wouldn't be a long sustained huge source of revenue at all. And even if it was, it wouldn't offset the WiiU's bleeding.
I wonder sometimes if anyone is even thinking this stuff through...
If I was Iwata, I'd release SMB1 on iphones as is with an onscreen controller, and then laugh heartily for 6 months as people realize its a useless device for games that require anything other than tapping and dragging.
Or better yet, release their entire SNES and NES catalogue on mobile, then "Come back in 5 years" and wonder why those games aren't enough to float their business if they have a behemoth of a money losing home console.
Considering that most of their backlog can run on Android without much issue other than those pesky lawyers I don't see why this couldn't be a path to generate some quick cash for all parties.
Something they could do is a hybrid iphone (as a concept) / Xperia Play (for the hardware) console:
- Nintendo releases an accessible (cheap/basic) model once, with real controls, with Android and a proprietary eShop (subscription with a phone carrier is optional)
- They License it to a few trusted partners who can use their knowledge to make better, more expensive annual iteration of the hardware. This hardware would have to follow rules from the basic model such as button placements etc, but otherwise would be free to upgrade the processor, screen, 4G+, whatever phone users fancy.
- The phone being Android it's completely compatible with the Google Store, making the annual iterations relevant.
- All Nintendo software will be compatible with the basic model and run on every iteration
- After a few years a new Nintendo model is released (Basic2) and from this point new eShop games will only be assured to run on the new model (like Apple is clogging their old iphone models). Trusted Partners would have to label their hardware correctly, and if done right an older but powerful compatible phone would be able to use games made for Basic2.
With this you still have Nintendo's seal of quality hardware, eShop quality games are not diluted with all the freemium and $.99 crap, people who want a real powerful smartphone can pay the price and have one, Nintendo is fully in control of their hardware and their games, selling hardware makes them money thanks to the licences, they can embrace a new market while still retaining their old market.
Best of both worlds.
I really fancy my idea. Nintendo, get in touch asap!
It'd be interesting if they brought an entirely original IP to smartphones. I'm not sure many are familiar with it, but Skylanders released an iOS game called Skylanders Battlegrounds. It came in a separate box, but you could use all the figures and stuff that you have from the console games. (and even had an exclusive figure it).
Nintendo doesn't have a Skylanders like game, but it doesn't mean they couldn't take that approach. The series still releases yearly on home consoles, but they also had that one iOS game.
Nintendo could do this with some new IP...or use some of the small time guys like Chibi-Robo. Personally, I'd like to see Non-Specific Action Figure...maybe they could do something like a Wario Ware styled game with minigame stuff. They could sell physical figures which could add new mini games (and potentially use their more common IPs like figures of Mario, Samus, Link, etc) and then the figures could also do stuff on the Wii U (which has NFC but only one game thus far I believe has used it)
I don't think bringing a new Mario title to smartphones is a good idea, or any of the current IPs for that matter. I think anyone actually believing they would is just deluding themselves.
Saying the handheld market is shrinking is ignoring the fact that the ds was probably just an outlier. 3ds sales are comparable to anything before the ds. The ds just expanded the market much like the Wii which did not carry over. Well yeah its shrinking compared to the explosion that was the ds. I'm not convinced mobile and handheld can't coexist.
It's also logical to say if people are satisfied with mobile gaming that they would have no need for a ps4/xbo. Mobile games are also played at home after all. Handhelds won't die because of mobile gaming for the same reason consoles won't.
Saying the handheld market is shrinking is ignoring the fact that the ds was probably just an outlier. 3ds sales are comparable to anything before the ds. The ds just expanded the market much like the Wii which did not carry over. Well yeah its shrinking compared to the explosion that was the ds. I'm not convinced mobile and handheld can't coexist.
It's also logical to say if people are satisfied with mobile gaming that they would have no need for a ps4/xbo. Mobile games are also played at home after all. They won't die because of mobile gaming for the same reason handhelds won't.
Sounds like Iwata and co have no idea what they are doing (again). inb4 they start using smart phones like smart glass to connect with 3DS and Wii U, and no one cares about it. Or they start using Nintendo Direct as an app on phones or tablets.
They are going to ignore the mobile market and think the solution is advertising Nintendo's products through mobile/tablets.
The only difference being, consumers like carrying around sleek cell phones, while only enthusiasts enjoy investing hundreds of dollars into RAM and video cards and plugging their PCs into their televisions. And consoles have traditionally had stronger attach rates than handhelds. So dedicated consoles have a stay of execution...for now.
The time for Nintendo to put out a multi-touch device was 2012, not 2017.
Do you really think this will be the case in five, ten years? Smart phone sales are already slowing considerably in developed nations, which is where you will see the majority of app/game sales. There are only so many ways you can design a cellphone, and hardware improvements are hitting a point where it doesn't make much difference to the average user. Buying a new phone every year is a fad, and one that is fading.
I would rather see Nintendo find the next new thing, or if they cannot, at least successfully fill a niche that a lot of people are still interested in. Everyone thinks they know what the future holds, and so few people turn out to be right.
Hah, I deserved that. I should have made more clarification of what i meant.
Mobile is huge in Japan. I wouldn't put it past them to try to do something with mobile phones + 3Ds connection. You can't take your Wii U gamepad outside now, can you? They seem hellbent focused that the problem with their hardware not selling, is an advertising problem. And they think that mobile/tablets can help out with them. So outside of a Direct like app, and connecting these devices to their hardware as an add on, I can't imagine what Iwata and co (who have proven incompetent in the last 3 years) have up their sleeve.
Sounds like they are focusing on the wrong thing, again.
