Nintendo not worried about Apple competition

[Shrygue]

via Computer and Video Games


Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway isn't concerned about competition from Apple.

With games being released for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple could be seen a threat to Nintendo's handheld dominance but, in an interview with GamesBeat, Dunaway reiterated that DS is still number one.

"It is interesting that for all of the talk of competition from Apple last year, here in the U.S. we had our best year ever, selling 11.2 million units," said Nintendo of America's always smiling exec VP of sales & marketing.

"That has never been done by any game platform ever. Consumers are still finding fun with our products, and there is a lot of room to grow.

"If you look at the penetration of the market, the DS franchise here in the U.S. has a long way to go. In Japan, one in two consumers has a DS. Here, it is one in four. So we have room to grow."

Nintendo will be hoping that the release of DSi XL this Friday will provide a catalyst for further growth and for Dunaway (and us), the increased screen size is the main appeal.

"I think it's a fresh idea to innovate based on a larger size. The DSi XL has a 93-percent bigger screen. When people try it, they say, wow, that looks great. That will help us keep the DS business vibrant."

[wraggster]

if i was nintendo i would be worried when Apple are seemingly taking over with cheap commercial games, interesting times ahead

[VampDude]

Apple could only truly compete if they had decent games, many of the games I've seen are ports of older games or clones.

They have been playing with the markets over the years, which it wouldn't surprise me to eventually see Apple entering one of the console markets just as Microsoft did nine years ago.

[LDAsh]

...taking over with cheap commercial games

That's what they call "casual games", that try to please everyone and instead please no one. All marketing, no substance. I'm not sure which platform isn't becoming this way, these days. So long as Nintendo will have confidence is some substantial games, they shouldn't have much to worry about.