Apple is completely wiping Nintendo's popularity off of the face of the earth.
It was shortly after the release of the Nintendo 3DS that Nintendo had to downsize the price. Why? The iPod touch and the iPhone 4, which used to cost less than the Nintendo 3DS, proved to be a more popular gaming solution than any game that Nintendo game creators could whip up. No one wanted to buy $30+ game cartridges anymore. The future is here, and Apple saw that it would mean downloadable content would be the mainstream way to carry games with us.
The choice is clear. Do you want to carry around cases of game cartridges for your clunky Nintendo 3DS? Or do you want to be able to download and delete games on the fly on your sleek, slim iPod touch or iPhone? The consumers have made this decision, and it is shown by how Nintendo's sales numbers are draining as each sales quarter goes by.
Nintendo, the maker of the Wii, 3DS, DSi, and more reported that over a time span of just six months, they lost $925 million to the all-in-one mobile device maker, Apple. Nintendo is hanging on by threads. They hope that the upcoming holidays and promotions that stores will offer will help them sell their machines. They expect that through 2012 the Wii and 3DS will continue to fall victim to Apple's device cannibalization. With the iPhone 4S bringing a compact gaming experience that's seven to eight times better than the iPhone 4, Nintendo is going to have a hard time trying to sell their devices. Additionally, Apple's engineers keep making the iPhone better. Nintendo is already 3 steps behind and I don't see them being about to outpace Apple any time soon.
The cannibalization of the market is beyond the stretch of Apple, though. Nintendo sees Android smartphones as a massive threat to their business as well. Android phones have graphics capabilities that equate the iPhone, however the iPhone 4S is currently in the lead of all smartphones.
Nintendo has failed to cooperate with Apple, in that they have been encouraged to release their games on the Apple iOS platform. Games such as Mario, and Zelda. Nintendo sternly said no. While it may have been a reach for Nintendo, it certainly would have helped them rake in some revenue. With all of the iDevices out on the market, selling their games on the App Store would help with their upcoming debt problems. With addicting quick-sellers on the iOS platform such as Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Words with Friends, Nintendo will need to make an urgent decision. Maybe soon, Nintendo will see that there is no other choice but to come to peace with the saying, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
What do you think? Should Nintendo release their games on the iOS platform for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad? Share in the comments below!
Sources: Apple Insider
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