Comments on: Why Apple will never kill the Nintendo DS

Forbes wrote that Apple could kill the Nintendo DS. But after reading that, Don Reisinger thinks it's time for a wake-up call.

[cporpheus]

Yeah, it's crazy to believe that a phone will supplant a gaming device in the mobile gaming space. But for the sake of argument, let's compare the two. 1) The DS is 3X cheaper than the iPhone (today's iPhone, mind you). 2) the DS has far better games available for it. 3) the DS has better (gaming) developer support. And 4) Most people identify the DS as a gaming device and will buy it for that reason. So....Why should Nintendo be afraid?

[SebDavies]

Agree with you!

[KevLeviathan]

Agreed 100%.... games for the iPhone will, at best, be a "nice" addon to a great device. The lack of any dedicated buttons will make it more of a gimmick than a real mobile gaming platform. DS will remain the king of handheld gaming.

[sjsobol]

You know, as much as I like the XBox 360, and even though I think the PS3 is a decent gaming platform, come on. Even Microsoft and Sony can't innovate like Nintendo can (just look at the Wii). And Microsoft's been doing game consoles for a few years now, and Sony's been in the console business forever.

To suggest that the iPhone will be a DS-killer is beyond laughable.

[megamn606]

this has got to be one of the greatest and funniest articles ive ever read. nintendo is king of handhelds. why does everyone need to try to take that from them? dont they understand that itll only make things worse for them?

[shinelikeitdoes]

for some stupid reason i keep finding myself reading your articles and am consistently unimpressed with the poor thinking and reasoning behind most of the nonsense you spew.

are you really comparing sales figures of an established gaming system that is YEARS old, to the sales figures of the iphone, that is just barely (is it even yet?) a year old and does not yet have the capability (until next week) to play games? do you assume that mr. caulfield believes that the iphone will dominate immediately, as if ANY new platform doesnt generally take a couple years to establish itself?

this is all based, of course, on the ignorant supposition that apple IS trying to angle itself as a gaming competitor. it will simply become an option. and most likely, many people will be downloading and playing games on their iphones. its called added value. dont forget that it is a phone. might as well posture on how the DS intends to compete with that if you want to continue with the pointless articles.

[jrm125]

Don isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's barely in the shed with the random stuff that he spews.

He really just likes to say stuff that gets people riled and brings hits in. He's consistently a moron.

[djfelix512]

I own 1 Nintendo DS system and 2 DS Lite systems. I have given 3 DS Lite game systems as gifts. Why? It's a cheap game system. One of those systems I bought in an airport when I left my other at home. It's just that cheap. I don't see that happening with the iPhone. The DS is a gaming system first. It does it well and it has a critical mass of not only publishers but game series as well (Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, Phoenix Wright ... ) That kind of critical mass took Nintendo decades to build, and won't be toppled overnight. Look at the Xbox. Even the Xbox hasn't managed to topple Nintendo yet and it is a dedicated game system as well, not a PDA with gaming as an afterthought.

All of that aside ... the tactile interface on the iPhone is HORRIBLE for games. The DS has a stylus screen, but even with that, it has a series of tactile 8 buttons and is easy to hold in your hand. I can play my DS Lite for hours. I just don't see that happening with the iPhone. Every control would have to be part of the touch screen, without a stylus. I can't imagine playing a game like Mario or Metroid like that. Maybe a turn-based strategy game or board game, but not an action game or shooter.

[mattlp]

I agree with both basic arguments. I don't think anyone can say the iPhone can't compete with DS based on the historical sales numbers. This is the mistake of many great products/companies that sit on their laurels and miss out on the innovation that someone else brings to market.

However:
1. I see no sign that Nintendo is resting on its past successes. Innovation continues. It's part of the reason why over the years my kids have had gameboys, gameboy advances and now DS's.
2. I trust buying a DS for my 10 year old, knowing I won't be getting a new one in six month. I don't feel as comfortable w/ the iPhone's screen.
3. PRICE,PRICE,PRICE. I am not spending $399 to $499 for a portable gaming system. That kind of price is bad enough for a PS3 (we have a Gamecube and a Wii, I'm waiting for a price drop on the PS3). I won't spend that type of money when I have to buy one for EACH kid.

We have two iMacs and three iPods in our house. I'm not opposed to Apple devices in general. Buy they're stretching to jstify the iPhone/iPod Touch as mainly a gaming device.

[gerrrg]

The people that I know of, with iPhones, aren't gamers; they're people that enjoy having cool stuff (I like to refer to this as compensation for other shortcomings). The people that I know of, that have the DS, have dedicated game consoles at home, and games on the computer.

I agree...no way Apple's iPhone comes close to scaring Nintendo. Not even a boo. On a slightly different note, do you suppose Android might scare Apple? I think so.

[davezor]

I really don;t see why it's soo impossible to believe Apple could move into the gaming market. If anything history has shown that companies with absolutely no product in a specific market can make it big if they do it right. Look at Microsoft, when I purchased my Sony Playstation 1 back in 95 I thought it couldn't get any better, then came the Xbox and now the Xbox 360. When Apple announced it was going to move into the cell phone market I like many others thought, "Apple making cell phones? That's ludicrous!" but now we have the iPhone, and Apple taking over a huge part of the cell phone market. I ask again, is it soo impossible?

[panton41]

While I doubt Apple has "killed" a well established game system in any way shape or form, I think it could be a competitor on the next cycle of hand held game system. What is has easily killed, hands down, is Nokia's latest (and fatally flawed) N-gage reboot.

[Neal99]

like someone said, dedicated buttons will completely dismantle apple's hopes for gaming. I understand the sides of the argument, that nintendo's been doing it for years and the iPhone is still in its infancy, but I also noticed not one person attacked the issue of target audiences. If i may ask for you all to raise your hands, how many people know someone who owns a DS, and how many know someone who owns an iPhone, i doubt there is anyone in this area of news that couldn't raise their hand. However how many people can raise their hands and say they know a 10 year old kid who owns both an iPhone and a Nintendo DS? I know there are exceptions but it's sheer number, the DS has a broader audience range, im 18 years old and I couldn't pry the DS out of my own hands to save my last semester of high school. And i know parents are entrusting more responsibility to kids, but I don't see the number of kids under 15 having an iPhone drastically increasing anytime soon. and to whoever tried to argue that "do you assume that mr. caulfield believes that the iphone will dominate immediately, as if ANY new platform doesnt generally take a couple years to establish itself?", you're very right, Nintendo only sold some ~1 million units its first 19 months whereas the iPhone did generate ~10 million, big difference, however I must take the side of Nintendo in that they have nothing to fear from Apple, (p.s., the article was a response to the allegations of the iPhone dethroning the DS) All summed up my friends, dedicated tactile buttons will keep the iPhone from being a serious competitor.

[Brian_Caulfield]

The Wall Street Journal weighed in today.

"iPhone Faces Off With Game Champs"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122644912858819085.html

Remember, fellas, you read it on Forbes.com first.