Topic: Borrow from Apple

Now keep note i made the same thread for the Wiiware forum.

Do you think if the DSiWare acted like the Apple App Store, would it benefit it?

Here are my Pros and Cons

Pros:
More volume of games and apps
Fair Prices and Lite Versions
More games can be online
Expandable Storage
Potential for updates

Cons
Games might be missed due to the high volume and lack of advertise

That's the only con i can think of.

What do you guys think?

I don't get this. Your pro's list is rather vague.
How are the prices unfair? Aside from Platchen, most games aren't too pricey. And some say it's worth the price, anyway, though I haven't played it to testify.
How would more games be online? It's up to the developer if he wants to put his game online.

Also, there already is potential for updates (I've downloaded a Dr. Mario update, for one, and the VC has one or two updates, too). And SD card allows for expandable storage.

With Apple, pretty much anyone can get a dev kit, and it's supposedly super easy to use, so they get tons of stuff. I believe Nintendo has said that they don't want to go that route to avoid shovelware. Also, Apple doesn't sit on apps/games to create an arbitrary release schedule where there's a little something every week. We know with wiiware that Nintendo likes to only release 1 or maybe 2 games a week. So far they've been doing this with DSi as well in NA. If they went with Apple's model we would see a lot more games/apps on it quickly.

When it comes to fair prices, something like the Animal Crossing clock or calculator would be free on the Iphone. I think for the games on DSi the prices are fair, but that was sort of bogus. On the other hand the DSi is much cheaper than an ipod touch. An ipod touch/iphone is small enough and has enough memory to actually be useful as a pda/web browser/music player/video player/phone all in one, so the price fits in my opinion. It's not designed to have gaming be it's primary function though, so I'm hoping the games on DSiWare offer more than what you can get on Apple.

I would like to see them go more towards this model - if it ain't broke, don't fix it after all. They really need to focus on bringing great games to the DSiWare though, because so far, I have an iphone, and I don't see any reason to spend the extra money to buy a DSi over a Lite. I'm still waiting a bit though to see what they do with the online games. They'd need to bring some really awesome downloadable games or a VC for it to be worth it in my opinion.

With the Apple App Store
They have games from Free - $10. Unlike the current DSiware price system we currently have, It's either Free, $2.00, $5.00 or $8.00 and up
*Yes the App store have games that are priced greater than $10 but anything passed $10 will be consider a retail game for the DSi. Which is why i said Free - $10

Now for the online part, with the high volume of games, there will be high percentage of games coming out with online option.
Now as for the updates, out of the almost 300 Wiiware games, the only one i hear is Dr.Mario and a few VC titles. With the Apple App store, every week there is an update for any App you downloaded. I just feel that we should be getting more for our buck or bucks, heck even Free games get updates. Also it's not only Apple that is doing it, but also 360, and since we have expandable storage, what is stopping NIntendo?

The DSi sold a million (I'm guessing with this number, but i know it's huge) So why not give the proper experience for each person, that the iphone and 360 are doing. (Sorry PS3 i dont hear too much news from you)

By the way, what did the Dr.Mario update do? Because i have that game, but it never asked or told me it got an update.

So i hope this cleared up some stuff for you Adam, if it didn't please comment again, after all it's a discussion

i just looked it up (because I didn't know either) and apparently this is our answer:
"The optional update refines the way the leaderboards ar...
... lol

Thank you theblackdragon

no prob, MDee

Oh, whoops, ignore my post. I thought this was on the WiiWare board. I know nothing of the DSiWare shop -- I don't own that hardware. Pardonnez moi.

What game do you you want to see come to the DSiWare? That is on another platform? For me it's Baseball Superstars 2009 made from gamevil, which is currently on iPhone. They even have a RPG coming up. I"m sure if people start harrassing compainies to bring software to the DSiWare it would happen. The games are only like 5MB - the highest i saw 40MB

Honestly, in my eyes, Apple's download store systems is decades ahead of Nintendo's. And it's easy to see this with DSiWare.
WiiWare the advantage of Virtual Console which makes almost every game worth the download, but with DSiWare, you are essentially getting a very very stripped down Apple store service.
Crappy games, but so very few.

I'm well aware Reggie said they wanted to go a different route and have quality software over a lot of software, but there's two problems with this statement.

1. Reggie is a liar. Like 90% of the software that's on DSiWare right now is utter crap. Just mini demos that you buy.
2. Apple's App store actually has some REALLY good games.

THEN there's the prices. Nintendo has prices at free, $2, $5 and $8.
Apple's range from free to 10 bucks, however a lot of games get their prices slashed, or even go on sale. You'll never see that on DSiWare.

THEN there's the storage. Minimum 8GB vs 256MB... Durr. lol

ALSO There's price... Which makes me sad.
The DSi costs 199 bucks Canadian, and the Ipod Touch 8GB costs $239, which is only $40 more.. It's really not that far apart.

DSi's main advantage is however NIntendo, and physical games. They're just WAY better then anything on Apples app store. RIGHT NOW.
However, Apple's system can store more games. Those games can be updated. It plays music and movies. Web surfing is easier. It's technically way more powerful, and has a FAR FAR FAR FAAAAAAAAAAAAR superior online store.
If the next generations of Ipods ever get a direction pad and a couple buttons... Nintendo is seriously in trouble.

Nintendo will always have the advantage of being Nintendo, with Nintendo products.. But the main selling point of the DSi is the DSiWare (crappy camera is crappy) and if an MP3 player's online store is a million times better then the main selling point then something is wrong.
Nintendo really needs to up it's game for DSiWare, and, as I'm sure everyone is expecting this, Nintendo will HAVE to make Virtual Console available for the DSiWare if it doesn't want that system to be a joke.

Hardy83 I totally agree with you 95%. where did the 5% go? The one advantage Nintendo has is the ability to expand their storage. Right now the DSi can takeup to 32GB of a SDHC. Apple can't upgrade itself on the fly. Without releasing a newer versoin.

If Nintendo Played it smart, they would release that they have the ultimate system, with offers touch abilities and a D_Pad, that isn't on the screen like the iPhone

Now back to business. If Nintendo started acting like the apple, would they dominate?

More games can be online
Sorry, what?!

@Adam: Plattchen wasn't that expensive to those who liked it, although I see what you mean, since newbies to the game aren't gonna spend all those points on it.

Right, while I'd love to believe everyone saying it's worth it, $15 is too much to ask for a game that you can't try before you buy. Fortunately, World of Goo had a PC demo, so I was able to avoid that purchase.

I agree that this would be a better method of release. Not necessarily letting just ANYBODY make a game, but having the better pricing structure and "release them if they're ready" setup would be good. The same applies to the VC, as I've recently asserted elsewhere on this site. Delays in releases just because they can don't do anybody any good.

The only reason why i like games for the iPhone and iPod Touch, is the updates. Developers give more than what the game cost. Also they are more likely to listen to the gamers, and update the game for a better experience. I bought a game that cost $2.99, and they added more levels better graphics and online play. All of that for $3.00. Now isn't that giving it to the gamers

Talk about awkward controls. The iPhone/iPod Touch is only a second-rate gaming device, as far as I'm concerned. I certainly haven't been all that impressed. Not worth my money.

If YOU remember, FFCC: My Life as a King was a WiiWare LAUNCH TITLE!

Unless I misunderstand what you meant by "burst to," that statement is incorrect. FFIV on DS is a full gig according to Squenix.

Your entire post was very difficult to read because of the strange and illogical spacing. From the looks of it, I'd like to assume it wasn't your fault, and was due to some tech error. That probably also accounts for the double-post.

I agree that a Nintendo Channel for DSi could be a good thing, but I somewhat doubt it could handle the video streaming necessary for it to happen.