
Nintendo Opens Door to Smartphone Games - antr
http://www.wsj.com/articles/nintendo-opens-door-to-smartphone-games-1426579567
======
saturdaysaint
I recently bought a New 3DS on a whim and have been amazed by the experience
developers can create on hardware that's probably somewhere in the league of
the first iPhone. I've been rooting mobile gaming on and trying out the most
critically acclaimed iOS games for going on 6 years but I feel confident
saying that nothing's been remotely in the league of Mario Land 3D or Monster
Hunter 4. Purpose-built hardware (specifically, the nicely calibrated buttons
and the new eye-tracking 3D) is a wonderful thing.

\---

I looked up DeNa and they look like nothing more than a competent freemium
game factory. So I'm pretty much reading this as a play at spreading N's IP
far and wide on the hottest mediums. It would be interesting if Nintendo found
a way to actually extend gameplay to when you're not on the system, but I'm
not getting my hopes up and expect more along the lines of Candy Crush clones
dressed as Dr. Mario.

~~~
VikingCoder
I read John Carmack say that you could DOUBLE the performance of a game (or
engine), if you had a KNOWN hardware configuration.

~~~
saturdaysaint
Just as interesting to me is how well everything is optimized for power
consumption. I can't imagine playing anything as simple as match 3 puzzle game
on my iPhone for more than 10 minutes without taking hours of standby time off
of my phone. You can really get several multi-hour play sessions out of one
full charge on the N3DS. The shoddy battery life (for gaming, at least) of
phones really precludes the ability to immerse yourself in an experience for
an hour or two.

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wernercd
How about an article not behind a paywall?

[http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2015/03/17/nintendo-
open...](http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2015/03/17/nintendo-opens-the-
doors-for-mobile-mario/1)

" Nintendo Co. said Tuesday that it had agreed to a broad alliance with DeNA
Co., a Japanese mobile video game provider, under which the companies will
take stakes in each other and jointly develop "gaming applications" for
smartphones."

[http://www.4-traders.com/NINTENDO-CO-
LTD-6491906/news/Ninten...](http://www.4-traders.com/NINTENDO-CO-
LTD-6491906/news/Nintendo-Opens-Door-to-Smartphone-Games-20038229/)

"Partnering with Japanese mobile gaming powerhouse DeNA, the two companies
will jointly develop games for smartphones and tablets using Nintendo's
portfolio of iconic gaming IP."

As long as they don't follow the Final Fantasy route - releasing the same game
on 10 different platforms - I'm on board.

edit: or a post to the source

[http://dena.com/intl/press/2015/03/nintendo-and-dena-form-
bu...](http://dena.com/intl/press/2015/03/nintendo-and-dena-form-business-and-
capital-alliance.html)

~~~
zyxley
>As long as they don't follow the Final Fantasy route - releasing the same
game on 10 different platforms

Something in the style of Steam's multiple-platforms-with-one-purchase support
would be interesting, though I imagine putting together a system for it that
reliably works across both Android and iOS would be unpleasant.

~~~
Pxtl
I assuem this is for F2P games. How does iOS handle F2P cross-platform games?
Can I buy assets on the Android version of a game and have them appear on the
iOS version, or does that violate Apple's TOC?

If they go traditional pay-up-front, Android/PC has been done by Humble Bundle
- they have their own app-downloader-app on Android, and use Steam keys on the
PC.

If Nintendo targets PC they would probably go webapp since this smartphone-
Nintendo thing is likely about Pokemon Shuffle (and possibly other Facebooky
games). Webapp makes distribution simple. So they could do
Webapp/DS/Wii/Android.

~~~
zeitg3ist
> I assuem this is for F2P games. How does iOS handle F2P cross-platform
> games? Can I buy assets on the Android version of a game and have them
> appear on the iOS version, or does that violate Apple's TOC?

Yes, you can. For example, Kindle books you buy on Amazon appear on the iOS
app, and Hearthstone packs you buy on Battle.net appear on the iPad app. Apple
takes a share of IAPs bought in iOS apps, but that doesn't mean it disallows
content bought somewhere else.

~~~
chaosphere2112
Can you buy kindle books in the app on iOS? I thought Amazon didn't want Apple
taking a bite out of their (already low) ebook profits?

~~~
TranquilMarmot
You still buy the books _through_ Amazon, and download them from Amazon.
Technically they're not an IAP, since with "traditional" IAPs the app
store/play store would keep track of what purchases a user has made; with
Kindle, Amazon is keeping track of what you buy and they link it to your
account so you can access it anywhere.

------
chimeracoder
I can see this being potentially very fruitful and helping to drive the sales
of Nintendo hardware. I'm actually very surprised it took this long.

Nintendo games have long had ancillary hardware devices that are essentially
meant to be "more mobile than the console", in that the console is intended
for longer periods of interaction, whereas ancillary devices are meant for
shorter use. An example is the PokeWalker[0], which itself had many
predecessors as far back as the second generation of Pokemon games (late 90s).

Now that kids already have smartphones, they don't need to be carrying around
a cheap piece of plastic clipped to their belt in order to get this sort of
experience. If Nintendo integrates the console games with smartphone apps that
supplement (but do not replace) the main games, this could be a real boost for
them.

Also, look at existing game mechanics such as StreetPass[1]. It's almost
laughable that people are still using devices that _aren 't_ smartphones to
measure steps or handle near-field communication. This is long overdue, but
better late than never!

I use Pokemon as an example because it's the most successful game franchise
they have, so they tend to take advantage of Nintendo's full range of game
mechanics much more than other series. It's also about 20 years old at this
point, so it's possible to use the series to track how the Nintendo platforms
have evolved over the years.

Interestingly, one of the Pokemon creators mentioned recently (last year or
two) in an interview that they've consciously made the most recent generation
of games much easier, because kids are interacting with games for much shorter
periods of time, and they have to compete with games like Angry Birds for
kids' attention.

[0]
[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9walker](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9walker)

[1] [http://www.ign.com/wikis/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-
sapphire/S...](http://www.ign.com/wikis/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-
sapphire/StreetPass_Features)

~~~
djent
The thing about the Pokewalker and other Nintendo accessories is that they are
cool, collectible, and recognizable. Having a Pokewalker app on your phone
isn't fashionable in the same way having a Poke Ball clipped to your belt is.

------
porsupah
One key point:

"During the joint press conference with DeNA, Iwata clarified that Nintendo
will not port videogames created for dedicated consoles to smart devices."

[http://www.siliconera.com/2015/03/17/nintendos-next-
dedicate...](http://www.siliconera.com/2015/03/17/nintendos-next-dedicated-
videogame-platform-codenamed-nx/?onswipe_redirect=no&oswrr=1)

------
TazeTSchnitzel
This is rather surprising. Nintendo's IP is basically the main selling point
of their hardware. Without that, they'd just be SEGA. Their hardware sells
very well, too - the Wii U didn't, maybe, but the 3DS is doing great and
previous generations have done great.

I don't see this going anywhere good for the company. There's a risk of this
cannibalising their hardware business. Why buy a DS if I can get Mario and
Zelda on my phone?

~~~
jdub
_There 's a risk of this cannibalising their hardware business._

Yes, but there's also a risk of them not having a business.

Considered the install base of Android + iOS vs. Nintendo portables (or even
consoles)?

There's only one rule in Cannibal Club: Cannibalise yourself.

~~~
Touche
The smartphone game business is not an especially profitable or stable one.
That's not where their stockholders want the future of the company to be.

~~~
mcphage
> That's not where their stockholders want the future of the company to be.

Unfortunately, they might not have a choice in the matter—hardware development
is becoming more and more expensive, and I'm not sure Nintendo has deep enough
pockets to keep up. Their common tactic of underpowered hardware that's
cheaper to manufacture and develop for hasn't really worked out with the WiiU.
So it might be, no profits, or smaller profits.

I wouldn't worry too much about "stable", though. Nintendo knows how to sell
their software.

------
NDizzle
This is just another instance of Nintendo's ancient management being
demolished by what they think consumers "don't really want".

Another instance would be their refusal to embrace internet multiplayer. A
final instance, which they are still guilty of, is piss-poor hardware in their
consoles. Nobody can port a game to Nintendo because they have to make a
subpar product compared to what they can make on the other consoles.

That's why you only really see first party games on Nintendo consoles. There
are some third party releases, but you'd be much, much better off buying the
same game on an xbox/playstation.

Watch them figure out the free to play revolution somewhere around 2022, when
everyone else is extremely tired of the idea.

~~~
LastZactionHero
I'm pretty tired of the 'free to play' revolution. I can't really wrap my head
around why this is something consumers want.

"Your imaginary software racecar needs repairs! Wait 45 minutes or pay $2.99
and we'll set the 'repaired' variable to true."

People really do this?

~~~
pjc50
Some do. Unfortunately quite a lot of those are either spending other people's
money or have a poor grasp on their own finances. In some ways it's going back
to the arcade model where a small currency unit buys you a few minutes of
entertainment, rather than a big upfront investment buying you hours.

------
padobson
I'm not altogether certain that the paradigm of the video game console has
shifted properly to keep up with the shifting intelligence of our screens.

When Nintendo was first getting started in consoles, all screens were dumb. To
make your Zenith or RCA CRT TV do something interactive, you had to hook a
console up to it.

This is unnecessary now, because cheap computing and the ubiquity of LCDs have
made screens much smarter.

That said, I think it's wrong for Nintendo or Sony (Computer Entertainment) or
Microsoft (XBox division) to look at Apple and Google like competitors, when
they should be looking at them like screen makers.

A gaming platform should work seamlessly across Android, iOS, mobile Windows,
and the various smart TV platforms the same way that gaming platforms used to
work seamlessly across RCA, Zenith, Magnavox, and JVC.

I'd like to see a world where I order a blue-tooth Nintendo controller from
Amazon and download the Nintendo app to my various devices. The controller
links with any device that has the App. I buy Nintendo games for the Nintendo
platform by doing in-app purchases, and my games are stored in the cloud and
streamed when I want to play them. The controller could also be used as an
authentication device, so I could play my games on my friend's iPad simply by
linking the controller.

Proper distributed graphics processing may still be a few years away, but
getting it right in the cloud is the key to normalizing the graphics
experience across all devices. Add the controller into the mix, and any device
that can handle web video instantly becomes capable of a AAA games experience.

Steam seems to be the one who's getting closest to this, and Nvidia and Sony
have certainly done some interesting things with distributed graphics
processing, but I don't think anyone's quite figured it out yet.

Is YC looking for distributed graphics processing startups?

------
Pxtl
I'm honestly surprised they took this long. I assume they'll still resist
porting their core games - the Pokemon and Mario flagship games will still
stay exclusive, but I'm betting Pokemon Shuffle is what they're eying up to
port to consoles.

Personally, I'm a bit disappointed. I know the F2P thing is where the money
is, but I've always liked that Nintendo kept the traditional approach of "just
sell really good games".

~~~
jwcooper
They've been driving towards this for a little while now. There are a few F2P
games on the 3DS already.

I'm guessing those games did fairly well (some were fun, and fairly priced)
and Nintendo is realizing the potential of using their IP on a massive
audience.

------
towelguy
Didn't Nintendo have a javascript game engine for web based games?

Found it:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Web_Framework](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Web_Framework)

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mcphage
Given both iOS and Android support hardware controllers... and given how
closely Nintendo ties in their games with their controllers... and given that
you can get good margins off of hardware, a Nintendo-branded controller for
mobile devices, that is required (or highly recommended) might give them the
best of both worlds; they could continue selling hardware, continue
controlling how the games get played, and still release them for mobile
devices.

And given how consoles generally (start) selling at small margins, they might
be able to make more money off of selling controllers at a higher
markup—especially if they sell people a new one every two years (when they
upgrade their phone), rather than every 6+ years (when a new console comes
out).

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mswiss
I know nintendo probably won't be developing anything in house for this since
it seems like they're giving out their ip, but if they made an mmo
android/iphone pokemon game i would shut up and let them take my money.

~~~
Jimmy
I seem to recall an interview with someone on the Pokemon team who said that
he didn't want to make a Pokemon MMO because he honestly thought it would ruin
too many lives, although that story could just be apocraphyl.

~~~
emsy
Wow that's sensible and I really didn't expect that reasoning! If you look at
IndieDB you can see that he's probably right because there are numerous
unofficial Pokemon MMOs in the top lists. People crave for this!

------
ilaksh
I already have a ton of awesome old Nintendo games on my phone and tablet.

Anyway my tablet is what I use for games and coding and everything so good for
Nintendo on joining the 2010s.

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MollyR
What would be really interesting is if Nintendo created a
Gameboy/3ds/Whatever-branded phone.

I loved the sony experia play, except for the lack of sticks, and I really
loved the form factor of the psp go. I would love to see nintendo attempt it,
with their great first party titles, or even just ports.

I think it would be funny too since nintendo has been taking a page from apple
lately.

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sergiotapia
This is great news. I'm particularly excited because the founders of RARE -
arguably the key players in Nintendo 64 golden age of gaming - opened up a
studio for mobile games recently.

[http://www.p4rgaming.com/exclusive-interview-with-tim-and-
ch...](http://www.p4rgaming.com/exclusive-interview-with-tim-and-chris-
stamper/)

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ikeboy
XKCD extension changing smartphone to Pokédex is super relevant now.

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jlebrech
there's a huge gaping whole in the market for a phone with real controls.

also the gameboy brand hasn't been used for a while, I predict a gameboy nx
"phone".

~~~
danbee
Remember the Nokia N-gage?
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Gage_(device)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Gage_\(device\))

~~~
mathgeek
Sometimes I miss my N-Gage. Not in comparison to modern phones, but mostly for
what it let you do at the time.

~~~
jlebrech
In a market where people buy a $600 iphone, i'm sure something of the ngage's
price point would break the bank.

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cheshire137
Can we just not link to wsj.com? We can't read the articles.

