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Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat (not sure whether your goose is fat enough? There's an app for that). Historically, the Christmas season has always been the busiest time in video game retail, though 2011's holiday season boasts one of the most frenzied release schedules we've seen in years.
This year stands to be especially interesting because the Nintendo 3DS will be undergoing its first trial by fire. Nintendo's new handheld, which launched in North America in March of 2011, had a tumultuous start. A lack of decent software, combined with a high asking price ($250 USD), led to buyer apathy and low sales. Nintendo caved in and dropped the 3DS's price tag to $169.99. It also brewed up the "Ambassador Program," which entitles early 3DS adopters to 10 free emulated NES game downloads, and 10 free Game Boy Advance downloads (available by the end of the year).
The 3DS's ho-hum launch lineup, its high price and its lack of readiness (the handheld launched without Internet support or its digital marketplace, the eShop) have been cited as reasons for its slow start, but another reason gets slung around frequently: competition from smartphones, particularly the iPhone and other iOS devices. "People play games on their phones now," quoth the Nintendo 3DS doomsayers. "There's no need for specialized devices like the 3DS. Nintendo has had it, at least as far as the 3DS is concerned."
There is some truth to this. Think about the times you most frequently pull out your iPhone and start fiddling about with Doodle Jump or Angry Birds. You're probably on a short bus trip, or waiting in line at the bank, or at the grocery store. The iPhone's game library is ideal for quick mouthfuls of gaming: when we're on the go, we don't want to lug around a dedicated handheld system like we used to. iPhone games boot up faster, are easier to get into, and siphon less battery power than the 3DS's fare.
In fact, one of Jobs' most impressive legacies is arguably the way he transformed the handheld gaming scene without actively trying to. If you don't think this is remarkable, consider how many companies have challenged Nintendo on the portable field of battle. There's Atari, Sega, Sony, and Nokia, just to name a few. None of them came close to touching the massive sales Nintendo's handhelds have enjoyed through the decades since the first Game & Watch unit hit Japan in 1980. The iOS platform marks the first time a portable game platform has made Nintendo sweat.
But it's also far, far too early to declare the Nintendo 3DS a goner. Nintendo has realized its mistakes. It knows Apple and the iPhone have made changes to gaming and e-commerce that can't be ignored. More importantly, the handheld's long-term success is almost assured thanks to a strong holiday line-up, including games like Super Mario 3D Land, Star Fox 64 3D, and Mario Kart 7. Earlier in the month, Nintendo distributed a press release declaring that the 3DS had already sold 1.65 million units worldwide--and those numbers were in before the holiday rush began. Christmas will bolster interest in the 3DS, same as the original DS was saved by its first lucrative Christmas.
And, when you get down to it, the Nintendo 3DS and most iOS games offer very different types of gaming. The iPhone's strength is in easy-to-play distractions, which is why Doodle Jump remains one of the best-selling games for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Nintendo DS line of systems (and its direct competitors, like the Sony PSP) attract gamers who are more interested in deeper gaming on the go, such as Mario titles, or Monster Hunter.
The ongoing saga of Nintendo vs. Apple is not about the games. It's about system portability, convenience, and, most importantly, competing for gamers' time. Once the holiday comes and goes, we'll see that there's no complete replacement for Nintendo's franchises--but given other advantages that iOS devices have over the 3DS, Nintendo will consistently have to be clever and innovative in order to hold its ground against its competition.
Which means the company will have to work extra-hard to keep interest in the 3DS burning. There's nothing wrong with that.
via : slidetoplay