Topic: Why can't Nintendo make their own mobile phone instead of releasing games on IOS & Android?

If Nintendo wants to attract the casual market to their hardware, they're going to need to bite the bullet and transition in this way eventually. Making a device that functions as both a mobile device AND a handheld console could do very well for them. They don't really have to be a games only company, in fact if they want to be successful they probably shouldn't, expanding their business to provide the more general entertainment and social communication the mobile market craves is not at all outside of their MO, and by adding in their traditional approach to handheld gaming they can easily set themselves apart from the competition and earn themselves a place in the mobile market.

@Bolt_Strike: I don't think a lot of people are going to give up their Android or iOS device for a Nintendo device. Android and iOS already have lots of apps and lots of users. Nintendo would be starting at zero. Windows Phones jumped into the game late and they haven't seen a lot of success. Nintendo would be in worst position than Windows Phone. I don't think it is smart for Nintendo to join the Mobile Hardware market.

Microsoft isn't exactly well known for their games though, whereas Nintendo is. So if Nintendo can build enough of a following on mobile, they'd have enough of a base to branch off with their own hardware and provide a competitive advantage against Android and iOS. It'd be best to approach it gradually and build their reputation in the mobile space. Start with apps and make them successful and transition their handhelds from being a separate market from mobile into a niche market of the mobile market (by giving their handhelds a better control scheme and interface that can accommodate both traditional handheld and mobile styles of play, more and higher quality apps, etc.). Then once that's successful, they can work towards implementing full mobile features like phone service. Nintendo wouldn't be starting at zero that way, they'd be drawing from their existing userbase while attracting new users in the mobile space, and that would give them enough of a base to compete against the likes of Android and iOS.

@Bolt_Strike: Microsoft is better know in the technology area than Nintendo. Microsoft is a brand that is instantly recognized. Nintendo has an image of being for children. I just don't see the point of Nintendo jumping into the mobile hardware market when they have been able to succeed with the 3DS even with tough competition from the mobile market. I think trying to break into the mobile market would actually hurt their brand and hurt their chances of success in other markets.

The 3DS has been successful in spite of the mobile market yes, but the market is shrinking. The more the mobile market permeates the industry and the mainstream, the less people are going to want a dedicated handheld like the 3DS. Handheld consoles are a gradually sinking ship, if Nintendo doesn't want to go down along with it they have to start thinking about how they can work with the mobile market, not against it. So if they want to be more than a mobile app developer, they need to start transitioning to mobile hardware.

Negative, for all concerned. Nintendo wouldn't want to be seen as a company promoting easier mobile phone access for young kids, and I wouldn't want to be seen holding a 3DS XL to my ear when answering a call.

@Bolt_Strike: I think Nintendo's current plans will actually re-enforce their portable system sales and draw in mew players. I don't think becoming another name is a sea of different smart phones will be the answer and I don't see a point where Nintendo can actually compete against Apple and Google in that market. The other companies handle way more than Nintendo could hope to.

It would be really fun to play nintendo games on IOS and Andriod

@Socar: Hang on, let me get this straight... You want Nintendo to spend tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of a mobile phone that would have to compete with the likes of Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft etc etc simply because you think it would be safer than making mobile games???

Do you not remember how utterly badly that went for Sony when they tried to make a PlayStation phone??

And by the way, if people who play on mobile phones didn't want to buy a console because it's easier and cheaper to play on the phone, then why is the Xbox One and PS4 selling so incredibly well? And why is the 3DS still selling well, nearing 60 millions sold?

Mobile gaming is for that 5 minutes when you are on the bus, not for actually spending hours playing like Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox games are.

Thing is, if Nintendo wants to remain a hardware developer (which they like doing because it gives them control on how they design their games), they're pretty much going to have to spend more on their hardware to remain in business, because their current hardware isn't offering enough to attract the mainstream. Either their hardware has to up their specs to Microsoft and Sony's level or they have to make devices that can do more than just gaming, the market for low end gaming centric devices is disappearing.

@Socar: It would be so good to be able to play on the mobile phone. I used this site to do it and it turned out ok.,.
http://nintendonext.se/

People have been saying that for years and it hasn't really happened yet. I also find it amusing that people continue to say this while at the same time talking up VR. Because at this point VR is a very high end piece of hardware which is only really useful for games. At least for the medium term.

I'd also point out that what was a "low-end" spec when the Wii U and 3DS launched is far less than what a "low-end" spec is now. So whatever the NX is it will almost certainly be far better in terms of specs. And even if it's not what other options do you have? If none of the next-gen home consoles did Blu-Ray playback and Netflix do you really think people would not buy them? Are people really going to buy an Apple TV instead? And if a portable doesn't have all of the apps you can whine but... are there any other ways to play a decent fighting game while waiting for a bus other than owning a 3DS or Vita?

With the exception of the DS, handheld sales have been declining for generations. It's been slower than people have expected, but it's definitely happening. The GB and GBC both sold over 100 million, then the GBA only sold 80 million, now the 3DS is hovering around 50 million. At this rate Nintendo handhelds will be seeing Wii U levels of sales around 10th or 11th gen. And with the rise of the mobile market, I don't see this trend reversing anytime soon, mobile is going to steal more and more of their audience. Nintendo's hardware strategy simply isn't sustainable, so they need to start preparing for that eventuality.

False. There's lots of other applications for the technology, including exercise, video communication, education, design, and tourism.

Except the industry's expectations for specs are constantly rising, so Nintendo is continually behind the curve. There's simply not enough demand for a console that's going to be leapfrogged a year into the generation.

Simple, they'd buy a PC, which can not only play games but also do movies, music, apps, internet browsing, etc. And they have higher specs.

This is a good reason why Nintendo should make their own mobile device. Their perspective on handheld gaming would allow them to design one that combines handheld and mobile design so they can accommodate both.

To me this looks like this could be a Portable system with Mobile features. If this is real lol

They don't have to. Cross platform and the NNID is becoming a bigger thing, so they don't have to create a phone as long as they use the current ones well. That's why I wouldn't mind Pokemon TCG on Android. Miimoto is a decent app, and it gives you prizes like Club Nintendo, so that doesn't really need to have another phone.

They could already put an amiibo app on your phone if it has NFC, but they are already doing that to the fullest on their own hardware, otherwise they'd have to create a whole new set of cards for an exclusive Android app, and that's not how Nintendo usually does things.
I haven't seen one good use out of NFC, and I'm talking more than Apple Pay or the like... Headphone NFC is decent, but it's ultimately not that important.

Not sure if it's been posted, but it looks like did at least consider the idea...

In 2001:

http://www.google.com/patents/US7069044

^ So they had thought about the idea......way ahead.

Come to think of it, wasn't the GBA suppose to have phone compatibility?

In 2001 we didn't have established smart phones with dedicated fan bases. And doing a smart phone today you need a certain baseline to even be considered a purchase by consumers. Slapping nintendo games and a few apps really doesn't cut it today.

1) They make crappy hardware (Wii U GamePad)
2) They'd have to build up an install base first
3) It would cannibalise (put the nail in their coffin?) their consoles and handhelds

I think this thread had its run, lets just let it rest in peace.