Gaming Forums => General Gaming => Topic started by: tendoboy1984 on January 18, 2014, 01:41:58 PM
Title: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 18, 2014, 01:41:58 PM
I've been thinking about Nintendo's inevitable move to mobile gaming, and it would work out well for them. They could just make a minigame collection. Kirby games are full of minigames that would translate well to mobile devices, especially the Scope Shot and Dojo games from Kirby Returns to Dreamland and the Mega Punch minigame from Kirby Superstar. Super Mario 64 DS also has tons of minigames that could be ported to mobile devices, because they all relied on the touchscreen.
Nintendo could sell their minigame collections in packs of 10 games each, costing no more than $5. They could even port the Game & Watch games to mobile devices, giving players enhanced and classic (original) versions of those games.
My plan is perfect. How could Nintendo lose?
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Stratos on January 19, 2014, 08:15:48 PM
Because they make more off of their hardware than they do off of software. Losing the income of their hardware would be devastating to their bottom line. Check the sales thread for some more in depth details on those numbers.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Adrock on January 19, 2014, 08:49:45 PM
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on January 19, 2014, 10:00:01 PM
Almost nobody is paying $5 for smartphone games.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 19, 2014, 10:13:56 PM
Since when was $5 expensive for a game? I just bought 3 Wii U games that cost $30-50 each. $5 is nothing in comparison.
And music albums cost more than $5, plenty of people buy those.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Oblivion on January 19, 2014, 10:56:11 PM
Yes, Tendoboy, nobody in their right mind pays $5 for a SMARTPHONE game these days. When the average smartphone game is 99 cents with a lack of depth, making people pay $5 for Nintendo mini-games at the same lack of depth is just ripping off your consumer. Knowing Nintendo, they'd charge that price for being a "premium" developer, similar to how Square-Enix prices their smartphone games.
I don't know what the hell music has to do with this, either.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 19, 2014, 11:35:54 PM
Well in Square Enix's case, Final Fantasy offers a lot more depth than a simple casual minigame.
And I brought up music because full albums cost a lot more than a mobile game, yet they only give you an hours worth of content. So music costs more but offers you less.
This is why mobile games are ruining the value proposition of gaming as a whole. Pretty soon people will expect books and movies to be that cheap, when economically it just isn't feasible. A $5 game isn't bad at all considering digital books and movies cost more.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BranDonk Kong on January 20, 2014, 12:41:27 AM
tendoboy has been trolling us since he got here. He's either one of ty's dupes or he's some other social experiment from some company somewhere.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Kytim89 on January 20, 2014, 01:22:01 AM
And you people think that I am a bad forum poster? Of course games that offer more depth are going to cost more than a single dollar because games that cost a dollar on smart phones are so easy that a monkey could play them. As for Nintendo entering the smart phone business, they are too financially autonomous to do that. They will continue in the handheld space forever as long as their future handhelds sell as good as the DS and 3DS.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Adrock on January 20, 2014, 01:34:05 AM
And you people think that I am a bad forum poster?
Someone else being terrible doesn't mean you can't also be terrible. Not necessarily saying you're terrible, just pointing out the faultiness of your logic.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Spak-Spang on January 20, 2014, 02:42:20 AM
If Nintendo got into the mobile business I would want them to make a Nintendo phone. Seriously, make an Android phone with Nintendo style buttons. I am thinking this should only be used for Virtual Console like games….and not be a replacement for a fully devoted handheld.
If you could make a device to play a small phone, play NES, SNES, GBA, and new retro games with great buttons and D-Pad it would be a pretty awesome device.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 20, 2014, 04:13:41 AM
Think Galaxy Note 4 in screen size with a slide out keyboard controller. 2 right side buttons that double as L & R when controller is slid out. 1 top button that does power. 1 left side button that does volume & an SDmicro slot.
Slide it controller had a d-pad & thumb slider on left; 4 face buttons & thumb slider on right; start, select & home in the middle.
$249 w/ 2yr contact. eShop carries full VC catalog from GB & NES to VB, GBA & GC and all the systems with their complete catalog as well. Twitter and Facebook are fully integrated into Miiverse. OS is based off of Android and most popular and useful apps have been converted over.
There, now that that bit of fantasy has been taken care of, can we get back reality? Nintendo ain't going mobile and they ain't making no phone.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: ThePerm on January 20, 2014, 05:25:12 AM
Gameboy Phone
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: ejamer on January 20, 2014, 09:12:11 AM
Talk of Nintendo-made phones miss the point (massive install base ready to buy your software) of going mobile.
I understand the arguments for not going mobile. I agree with most of them. But you have to admit that if Nintendo set up one semi-independent studio to test mobile releases, there could be a lot of potential money on the table.
The trick would be figuring out how to use mobile games to give people a taste of Nintendo gaming without devaluing or giving away the key franchises that are used to propel Nintendo hardware sales.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Adrock on January 20, 2014, 10:09:42 AM
The only way developing for other mobile platforms even kind of, sort of works for Nintendo is if they don't use their established franchises because they don't want people thinking Mario and Zelda can be had on anything except Nintendo hardware. That's still silly because using their brands is the easiest way to sell those games.
Perhaps there could be some interaction between your phone and 3DS like Streetpaases picked up via the upcoming Miiverse app then transferring them to 3DS at home. I carry around my 3DS specifically for Streetpasses so maybe Nintendo shouldn't do anything to discourage that.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 20, 2014, 10:10:05 AM
I have plenty of ideas.
- Mario auto-runner where the objective is to collect the most coins before you reach the goal.
- Kirby game where the objective is to inhale as many enemies as possible within the time limit, with each enemy wave getting more difficult to swallow (bombs get in the way).
- Zelda game where the objective is to defeat enemies in a manner similar to Infinity Blade (attack, dodge, attack).
Or Nintendo could simply port a bunch of minigames to mobile devices. Super Mario 64 DS had plenty of them, as do many Kirby games.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 20, 2014, 10:15:58 AM
EXCLUSIVE FIRST IMAGE OF NINTENDO PHONE!!!!!!
(http://i.imgur.com/bjTFAMv.jpg)
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Eiksirf on January 21, 2014, 11:26:13 AM
Nintendo could shovel cheap mini games onto phones all day. The risk they run is that it'd cause their 3DS to lose value to potential consumers. "Why should I buy that for $250, I have Donkey Kong for 99 cents already (and I can browse Facebook with my index finger)!" Seriously.
If Nintendo wanted to really tackle mobile as a way to shore up the business they're losing on consoles, I imagine they'd have to pony up big and compete against Apple and others with their own, fully-functioning smart phone. It can't be cute, it'd have be a competitive, sleek alternative in a market that is DOMINATED by its current leaders.
Given the state of their online expertise, I doubt they take that risk, and I doubt they should.
I think the middle ground is to release some cheap phone apps and games and load them with links and ads for the real products they're trying to sell. Why not download a free Pokemon screensaver thing for your phone and have it promote Pokemon X and Y at the same time, right?
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Ian Sane on January 21, 2014, 12:26:22 PM
Nintendo can barely surf the web so how the hell would they pull off a decent phone? They probably use rotary dials in the NCL office.
All this mobile talk is odd because Nintendo's console is flopping while their handheld is not. So they're going to kill off their handheld market share to make shitty phone games? It makes no sense. Before the 3DS launched there was concern that the phone games were going to kill the handheld market. Why would Nintendo try to accelerate that?
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 21, 2014, 12:45:22 PM
IF, and this is a BIG "IF", Nintendo decided to develop things for mobile phone, it wouldn't go much further than a Miiverse & eShop app and a mobile Pokedex. Maybe a street pass app like was suggested earlier. Those would actually be smart idea's that Nintendo should have already done.
IF, and this is an even bigger "IF", Nintendo were to put actual games on mobile phones, it wouldn't be anything more than a VC app for games from GB/NES TO GBA/SNES, and even then they would still be waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced compared to most software and games found on phones today. But if it joined your unified account and let you play the same games at home and on your handheld too, then maybe the price of admission won't be so bad.
1st scenario may happen, but the second one is only a little more likely than Nintendo developing their own subsidized smart phone, which isn't gonna happen.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Adrock on January 21, 2014, 02:04:13 PM
Nintendo already announced a Miiverse app for smartphones. It's not "if" but "when." Like most things regarding Wii U, Nintendo has been dragging their feet. That shiz should have been out by now.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 21, 2014, 02:39:41 PM
They also announced eShop on the internet, but these are things that should have existed at launch or shortly there after.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Eiksirf on January 21, 2014, 03:06:46 PM
All this mobile talk is odd because Nintendo's console is flopping while their handheld is not. So they're going to kill off their handheld market share to make shitty phone games? It makes no sense.
You're right. I think Nintendo has a home console marketing and image problem, but Iwata is the one who mentioned mobile, so if they're thinking cell phones, what do they do? Mini games/apps that include advertising of their other products to me is the only realistic option that could help with their real problem - marketing and image.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 21, 2014, 05:31:09 PM
Iwata never mentioned anything about going mobile, but he did mention studying "Smart Devices" and then cited that "it wasn't as easy as putting Mario on a smartphone" as sort of a response to investors wanting Nintendo to go mobile.
"Smart Devices" include lots of things, from phones, to tablets, to Roku-like devices and then the TV's themselves. and it's funny he brought that up because that was one of the motivating factors behind the idea of "the Hybrid" that we have discussed on in the Console area.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on January 21, 2014, 06:16:22 PM
Someone already said something to this effect but: who would buy Nintendo consoles if they could play Nintendo games on other platforms? The second Nintendo starts publishing games on non-Nintendo hardware, people will immediately assume they're going 3rd party. It would basically be shooting themselves in the foot. Bad sales already give them an image problem; making such a radical change in strategy would make it worse.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: lolmonade on January 21, 2014, 10:42:39 PM
I think it would be silly for Nintendo to go mobile-only. That said, I think there are certain game series (Brain Age & Nintendogs come to mind) that I'm not sure people are willing to pay retail price for, and may be able to net a better profit if Nintendo had a willingness to release these types of games on smartphone/tablet platforms.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 22, 2014, 10:42:27 AM
Who said anything about Nintendo going mobile only? I was talking about them making mobile games as a side project while they continue to focus on their consoles. They could make some extra cash that way because many people would gladly buy Nintendo games on smartphones / tablets. It worked for Sega and their Sonic games.
Instead of simply porting classic Mario and Zelda games to mobile devices, I was thinking Nintendo could make a minigame collection (look at Super Mario 64 DS and the various Kirby games for examples). Game & Watch titles would also work well on mobile devices because those games are simple and easy to play.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Oblivion on January 22, 2014, 10:49:37 AM
Who said anything about Nintendo going mobile only? I was talking about them making mobile games as a side project while they continue to focus on their consoles. They could make some extra cash that way because many people would gladly buy Nintendo games on smartphones / tablets. It worked for Sega and their Sonic games.
Instead of simply porting classic Mario and Zelda games to mobile devices, I was thinking Nintendo could make a minigame collection (look at Super Mario 64 DS and the various Kirby games for examples). Game & Watch titles would also work well on mobile devices because those games are simple and easy to play.
(http://i.imgur.com/XBXi5Fi.gif)
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on January 22, 2014, 06:41:30 PM
Who said anything about Nintendo going mobile only? I was talking about them making mobile games as a side project while they continue to focus on their consoles. They could make some extra cash that way because many people would gladly buy Nintendo games on smartphones / tablets. It worked for Sega and their Sonic games.
Instead of simply porting classic Mario and Zelda games to mobile devices, I was thinking Nintendo could make a minigame collection (look at Super Mario 64 DS and the various Kirby games for examples). Game & Watch titles would also work well on mobile devices because those games are simple and easy to play.
1) That cash flow isn't strong. 2) You would take away resources from putting games on the Wii U? 3) That didn't work for Sega, Pachinko machines are their bread and butter right now. 4) We've heard your idea already; it's stupid.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 23, 2014, 10:34:19 PM
Sega themselves don't make Pachinko machines. Their parent company Sammy does. Sega just makes video games and arcade games.
Nintendo making mobile games wouldn't take away resources from Wii U or 3DS development. They could just set aside a small 5-man team to make mobile games.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 23, 2014, 10:37:20 PM
To paraphrase Chris Kohler, saying Nintendo should get a little bit into mobile gaming is like suggesting someone get a little bit pregnant. Going down that road is the first step toward leaving the hardware business, and they couldn't go back.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: tendoboy1984 on January 23, 2014, 10:47:57 PM
To paraphrase Chris Kohler, saying Nintendo should get a little bit into mobile gaming is like suggesting someone get a little bit pregnant. Going down that road is the first step toward leaving the hardware business, and they couldn't go back.
Why can't Nintendo do both mobile games and their own hardware/software? Microsoft makes games for mobile and Xbox, and even Sony is starting to make games for mobile devices.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 23, 2014, 10:54:18 PM
The absolute biggest selling point of Nintendo hardware is Nintendo software. If you introduce ways to get that on other hardware, you are sowing the seeds of Nintendo's downfall.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: UncleBob on January 23, 2014, 10:59:30 PM
Not that I see this as a good idea, but the only way I see Nintendo going Mobile is if they create a phone that plays Nintendo games and is the only way to play them.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 23, 2014, 11:05:03 PM
The sales of a Nintendo-made proprietary phone would make the Wii U look like the second coming of Wii/DS.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on January 23, 2014, 11:21:51 PM
Sega themselves don't make Pachinko machines. Their parent company Sammy does. Sega just makes video games and arcade games.
They issue a consolidated set of financial statements: they are the same company.
Quote
Nintendo making mobile games wouldn't take away resources from Wii U or 3DS development. They could just set aside a small 5-man team to make mobile games.
Setting aside a small team = taking away resources. Hiring a small team = spending money that could be spent elsewhere
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: ThePerm on January 24, 2014, 04:44:46 AM
The only way developing for other mobile platforms even kind of, sort of works for Nintendo is if they don't use their established franchises because they don't want people thinking Mario and Zelda can be had on anything except Nintendo hardware. That's still silly because using their brands is the easiest way to sell those games.
Perhaps there could be some interaction between your phone and 3DS like Streetpaases picked up via the upcoming Miiverse app then transferring them to 3DS at home. I carry around my 3DS specifically for Streetpasses so maybe Nintendo shouldn't do anything to discourage that.
The sales of a Nintendo-made proprietary phone would make the Wii U look like the second coming of Wii/DS.
On the other hand, a Nintendo handheld that was capable of Wi-Fi calls (video/voice/text) would be pretty damn popular (just for the fact that it was a Nintendo handheld, nothing to do with the communication features)
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: UncleBob on January 24, 2014, 02:00:50 PM
I don't think it would. A) Nintendo would probably not actually let you use any of those features for fear of child predators and B) It'd be awfully bulky.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 24, 2014, 04:03:44 PM
The only [addition needed to] whatever the handheld was is a better Wi-Fi chip and software. I don't think any bulk would be added.
Part of Nintendo's problems is not embracing the advancement of technology, that's why all their attempts at modernization appear to be half step implementations. Let the tech do what the tech is capable of doing. They need to be a little more forward thinking in their design and stop creating obstacles that need new hardware to be overcome.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: UncleBob on January 24, 2014, 05:26:02 PM
The only aspirin it would be too whatever the handheld was is a better Wi-Fi chip and software. I don't think any bulk would be added.
I'm sorry, I don't understand your crazy moon language. :D
Seriously though, it wouldn't add bulk, but could you imagine talking on a phone the size of a 3DS? Even the GBA?
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Ian Sane on January 24, 2014, 07:23:11 PM
Nintendo can't make a phone because you need to be hip to current technology to pull that off. The phone market would rip Nintendo apart. There is no room for Nintendo to do their wacky Nintendo solutions that reinvent the wheel. The only way I could see such a concept working is if they teamed up with an existing phone company and let them handle everything but the videogame stuff. Otherwise we would get the Nintendo equivalent of N-Gage side talking.
Do you look at the interface of the eShop or the Wii U and think "I want THIS company making my phone" or any sort of practical non-entertainment software for that matter?
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Adrock on January 24, 2014, 07:54:00 PM
Even if Nintendo made the best phone ever, I'd have no interest in it. I already have an iPhone and I'm happy with it. Like Nintendo's hardware, it does what I need it to do and I have no reason to switch as long as it does. I was mildly interested in Blackberry Z10 and from what I demoed of it at Best Buy last year, it certainly was competent (though a dead-ringer for WebOS). I just had no answer for the most important question: Why?
There's no reason for Nintendo to throw their hat in the ring. The market is too complicated and crowded as it is.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 24, 2014, 08:19:14 PM
The only aspirin it would be too whatever the handheld was is a better Wi-Fi chip and software. I don't think any bulk would be added.
I'm sorry, I don't understand your crazy moon language. :D
Seriously though, it wouldn't add bulk, but could you imagine talking on a phone the size of a 3DS? Even the GBA?
DAMN THAT TABLET AND IT'S SWYPE CORRECTIONS!!! (I should proof read more often.....)
I can't decipher what that first sentence was supposed to say... :-[
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: UncleBob on January 24, 2014, 08:20:54 PM
Yes, yes you should.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on January 28, 2014, 11:09:38 PM
Figured I'd post this here. (http://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/nintendo-mobile-games)
The big gist is that Nintendo could make $2.7 billion in 7 years by going mobile. Sounds juicy right?
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: Shaymin on January 28, 2014, 11:20:18 PM
That number is based on a set of assumptions that have no basis in even the biggest phone fan's wet dreams.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 28, 2014, 11:21:58 PM
Any prediction like that you could see made would make things Michael Pachter has said look like they were based on really solid evidence.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on January 28, 2014, 11:42:01 PM
Agreed.
The article even states that US mobile game sales in the US were $11.8 billion. It neglects to mention that Apple takes 30% of sales their platform (which could reasonably be half). So, that number is 15% too high. Then it fails to point out that that's the entire pie in the US.
Nintendo's sales last year were more than half of that entire pie.
Admittedly, Nintendo has been taking losses, but to produce a profit under those circumstances, a huge chunk of their staff would need to be cut (hardware devs would be unnecessary anyway) and that doesn't look good to any investor.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: oohhboy on January 29, 2014, 12:00:44 AM
Nintendo looks bad to the American "Investor" who are short term quaterly sharks. Nintendo is a Japanese company and will do things the Japanese way.
You don't cut Hardware since they design you new hardware and revisions. Not sales since your marketing already sucks. Cut the "Cards" division, but that is so small as to be insignificant.
The problem at Nintendo has never been one of numbers. It has always been one of policy. Always have and continues to be.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: nickmitch on February 09, 2014, 01:34:27 PM
So, the Washington Post made a pretty bold claim (http://t.co/xmMyzPi04B), saying that the creator of Flappy Bird, a mobile game, is more successful than all of Nintendo.
Seriously.
Title: Re: Nintendo and mobile gaming...
Post by: BranDonk Kong on February 09, 2014, 02:37:32 PM
That article is not even worth reading and the premise is so mind-bendingly stupid it's not even funny.
