Mario and Pikachu, Jump to iPhone App Now!..Or not…
So, if you happen to be a nerd like me who loves Pokémon games and happen to own an apple product, you also must have wondered why Pokémon iPod app version never came out. Well that’s probably because Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, has declared that as long as he is in charge, the company will only make titles for its own product. However, Nintendo seems to be in a deep need of changing that decision and start releasing game products that would be compatible with other products, such as Smartphone or iPod, etc. According to the Bloomberg article, “Mario Pressured to Jump to IPhone as Nintendo Wii, 3DS Slum,” Nintendo had to cut price of its newly released Nintendo 3DS platform by 32 percent in the U.S, and 40 percent in Japan. Apparently, some companies are now targeting Nintendo, the giant and globally successful game company, for acquisition. Such a thought of Nintendo becoming a possible target for acquisition may have appeared bizarre few years ago when apple products and Smartphone had not been as prevalent as today. However, all the loyal stockholders of the company along with other experts agree to the fact that unless Nintendo either “buy its way to platform or develop something totally new,” the company’s future may not be so bright.
Why is this happening?
This is due to the phenomenon called information cascade of acceptance. While the iPod and other ‘smart’ devices are finding their way to spread in the public, Nintendo’s platform just lost the game. The reason for this loss is quite obvious when you consider what people normally look for in an appliance:
- Practicality (how useful is it?)
- Ease of access (place and time efficiency)
- Price (is it worth it)
Obviously there are millions of other reasons, but these are the boiled down result for the general public. With a Wi-Fi enabled iPod, you can check emails, text with other friends for free using the internet, get Facebook updates, listen to music, take pictures, watch Youtube, download documents, download and play games that are compatible with the product, and other things depending on your interests. The cost varies depending on which generation you purchase, but the cost is generally from $300 ~ $400. You could also buy a used, older generation, which can cost around $200.
However, with Nintendo device, you can play games and that’s mostly about it. Yes, there is Wi-Fi based games that lets you play online, but there are great limitations to its functional efficiency. Not all of your friends own a Nintendo device, but they do have iPod or iPhone, or some variations of them, and thus the only value Nintendo device mostly have is in its entertainment. The cost is around $150, which is cheaper than an iPod, but considering that you could have paid $50 and attain much more access to social network and entertainments, it may not be worth it. Especially, if you happen to own a ‘smart’ product already, you could pay a relatively entertaining game application for $2.99, rather than to pay a sum of money and buy Nintendo Video Games.
All of these reasoning may or may not be valid for everyone, but nonetheless the stock market clearly shows that the public is now ‘rejecting’ Nintendo. According to the article by Anthony John Agnello, “Apple and Nintendo: Will the Cold War Thaw?” the company trade has dropped from $80 to $18 just within four years. The Nintendo 3DS, the company’s newest device, was so unsuccessful that its projections for next fiscal year was cut from $1.3 billion to just above $260 million. This is a sad downfall and certainly is a tragedy for a Nintendo game fan like me. I would love to see the company stand back up again and release more games with legendary popularity. However, with current attitude of the company’s persistence in remaining within its own small platform, such an outcome does not look as promising.
Websites:
Bloomberg – Mario Pressured to Jump to IPhone as Nintendo Wii, 3DS Slump: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-10/mario-pressured-to-jump-to-iphone-as-nintendo-wii-3ds-slump.html
Anthony John Agnello – Apple and Nintendo: Will the Cold War Thaw?: http://www.investorplace.com/2011/08/apple-nintendo-video-games/
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