Nintendo and PDP have teamed-up to release Nintendo-themed cases for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. They won’t be available until October, but in the mean time, they can be seen after the break.
(via mynintendonews.com)
With the rise of the iPhone and iPad and other multi-functional devices that can play games there are plenty of people predicting the demise of things like the 3DS and the Vita. Here’s what Avni Yerli, the managing director of Crytek has said in regards to this:
I can see that the multifunctions that devices like tablets offer is a big advantage of them. And I think people want one mobile device that can do multiple things. Considering this, I think those handhelds are lacking in that area and they are losing ground, actually. I think they have to be more innovative.
I can already predict the comments on this article too. People have a lot of, what I believe to be valid opinions that some of the magic is lost when playing a game on something like an iPhone. The experience feels disposable and a bit thin. But people also confuse what things should be like with what things will be like.
There have always been compromises when moving forward with technology, and I don’t think resisting the adoption of phones as gaming platforms is going to do any good. That’s not to say Nintendo should develop a clone of Angry Birds, but they do stick to a lot of old ideas like not really accommodating for independent developers, and I think that’ll hurt them.
Masamitsu Ohki, a fund manager at Tokyo-based Stats Investment Management Co. has said that:
Smartphones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry. Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new.
And I always find this interesting debate. I realise there is plenty of contention about where the iPhone and other smartphones are “real” gaming platforms, but at the end of the day, they can play games, so they are gaming platforms. At the same time though, I don’t see how touch screens could provide the same level of accuracy as analog sticks and buttons, which seems to limit the depth that any of these games can provide.
I think it’d be fascinating if Nintendo developed an iPhone title. Even if it was a small one, like a reworking of the augmented reality games included with the 3DS. The iPhone can handle augmented reality just fine, so it’d be interesting to see how that sort of experience, in addition to Nintendo’s branding would sell.
But, Satoru Iwata has said that “Nintendo will only make titles for its own products as long as he’s in charge,” so I wouldn’t expect any deviation from Nintendo’s current way of doing things anytime soon.