Noheat.com speculates that Nintendo will release "a limited amount of content" for Apple's iPhone, in the form of downloadable $29 games. There is so much wrong with this idea. First, and most obvious, Nintendo kind of has their own handheld system with a touch screen. Second, Nintendo does not release games for non-Nintendo consoles. They licensed Mario and Zelda out to Philips for CD-I games, but they didn't make those games (and it didn't really work out.) The last time Nintendo made a game for someone else's system was pre-NES, with stuff like Donkey Kong and Popeye. And back then, they didn't have a console out to compete with Coleco, Mattel, and Atari.
Here's the weirdest part of all: Noheat claims that "The logic is that because the licensed games will be exclusive and cater to an older audience they should not intrude into Nintendo's existing markets." Brain Age says hello! Of course, having said all that, now we're quite certain Nintendo will make the announcement later today, just to make us look foolish!
[Via Dot Matrix With Stereo Sound, TUAW]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-20-2007 @ 10:59AM
Jared said...
Sure, and Ken Kutaragi will announce tomorrow that he's leaving the board at Sony (he kept that position) to take a job as lead developer/engineer at Nintendo.
I dunno. I just don't see it happening.
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6-20-2007 @ 11:47AM
o01Frog said...
While I think it's unlikely, I wouldn't dismiss it immediately. I had a more eloquent post about this on TUAW's write up, but I'll condense it a bit here:
I think the iPhone will get more of the 30+ crowd in America than the DS has so far, and with Nintendo's current goal of bringing games to a wider audience, it's not a bad idea to offer Touch! Generation type games on the iPhone.
While I'm sure they would prefer all those people to buy a DS and the Brain Age cartridge instead, Apple doesn't have a 'kiddie' image to battle in the States like Nintendo does, and there are probably enough people who wouldn't mind getting a copy of Brain Age, but *really* don't want to be seen carrying around a DS, to make this a profitable endeavor for Nintendo.
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6-20-2007 @ 12:18PM
hvnlysoldr said...
I'm not springing for a $100 trak phone which would help immensely at work, so I am in no way interested in iPhone that doesn't have buttons and solely relies on an expensive multi-touch screen.
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6-20-2007 @ 12:24PM
Herby said...
Possibly the dumbest rumor I've read in weeks. Really, why do you even bother reporting such idiotic speculation?
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6-20-2007 @ 1:10PM
haritori said...
it makes sense in the fact that if they were to approach anyone for games for iphone nintendo would be best bet to get exclusive titles for iphone and not see them at some point appear on there competitiors consoles/phones/hardware!, microsoft or sony, nintendo would probly be the best bet to see this happen, even if they picked up with a 3rd party it would be costly to keep exclusivity to apple with the liceneces being owned by who ever makes these games, and sure apple probly woulod`nt mind the games end up being on a nintendo platform in the future as they dont really have anything that competes directly with them where as microsoft and sony do.
but sounds like crap to me in the long run apple could make there own games if they so choose to and i dont believe ninty would want games on iphone that they can put on ds. but ive heard stranger things on here come true?????????
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6-20-2007 @ 1:36PM
Kenny said...
This makes a *ton* of sense! I've read, and I forget where, that Nintendo is trying to get in bed with Apple. The Wii was possibly designed to blend in with Apple's design motif for things like the Airport Extreme and the Mac Mini. I've read where Nintendo wants to integrate with Apple to some degree. I believe Nintendo would want to leverage their brand's success with touch screen gaming with what is expected to be the biggest touch interface device in the States.
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6-20-2007 @ 2:10PM
hvnlysoldr said...
All those Apple buying or partnering Nintendo are false. For one thing Nintendo is the one buying Apple.
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