Sorry BP, if people don't care about mutant orange Reggie for 3 pages, I feel bringing up the A-Word in this thread again is more than justified.
I've been one of the few on the board predicting that after the Wii U this actually happens, but I see a joint venture where both have input.
Exactly.
As similar as people think Nintendo and Apple are in philosophies, they are simply not compatible on any level.
They run things very differently.
Apple is all about the free access to every part of their system while Nintendo is very controlling
Wait, WHA-
OK, never mind, I see Ace's statement has been covered.
I've been saying it for awhile now, but I feel like it's MUCH more likely that apple will partner with an existing player in the video game industry in order to create a digital platform for apps and itunes. The apple TV flopped horribly compared to the popularity of other apple products. I don't see apple having much interest at all in the development of high budget, expensive video games. Their bread and butter is in apps, media distribution, and cheap games. I don't think they'll stray too far from that.
If apple ever does enter the console scene, I see them trying to merge the capabilities of the apple tv with whatever console manufacturer they partner with. I also think that while a nintendo partnership is highly unlikely, it's more likely than a Sony and MS partnership since they're both more directly rival companies. However, a nintendo partnership would probably also entail having select nintendo games show up on iOS, which nintendo would probably never do. All in all, valve is probably the most sensible partner, but I have no idea how feasible it would be for a company of valve's size to spearhead a brand new console.
Agree with everything but the bolded. Another platform is another platform, plain and simple. If there's no risk to making content on a platform because it'd technically be THEIRS in an Apple partnership, there's no risk of diminishing the brand. And it'd make investors happy.
That and Nintendo value games - Apple thinks they are worth less than dogshit. The only way I see Nintendo and Apple merging/working together is if Nintendo gets to control the games that come out, and that means the pricing. I would praise god/allah/buddha/bgassassin himself if App Store games had their prices hiked by at least 5 times.
I don't know whether a price hike would happen, but valuation would change if top-tier Nintendo stuff was suddenly present.
And to say Apple thinks games are worthless is a bit of a reach. They just don't put a higher value on them than any other app, which isn't a surprise given that they make multimedia utilities, not fixed-function devices.
This is what I had to say about it in the other thread:
If anything were to come of an Apple/Nintendo partnership, everyone in the thread is forgetting one important thing:
Apple wouldn't impose their design logic into a marketplace they don't understand. Also, some of you are talking like it would be a hostile takeover where they force Nintendo to do things Apple's way within their current - and limited - game ecosystem (which is an overly-common misconception that comes from a total lack of understanding of how Apple operates).
It's interesting to think about something like this happening:
- Nintendo's hardware/UI design teams get rolled into the Apple business, allowing improvements to things within iOS hardware/software (like scrapping Game Center for something Nintendo designs with hardware built to accommodate it, such as enabling SpotPass as a feature in iOS, Miis associated with Apple IDs and therefore added to iOS, etc.)
- Taking the Apple TV project and giving the "hobby" to Nintendo to do something AMAZING with it in the home console space, because WHY NOT, right? You could have a regular Apple TV and then a Nintendo gaming machine with Apple TV functions on top of gaming
- With internal development from Nintendo and 3rd-parties being managed by Apple instead (with industry guidance from Nintendo, of course), Nintendo gets more platforms to make content for and can go to a full-digital distribution, as they have no reason to be concerned about retailers with Apple having a good hold on its retail channels
- also, hardware margins become a non-issue, and with the device being just another wing of the Apple TV market, Nintendo can push for the 5-year life cycle you see in traditional consoles with possibilities for modest spec changes like internal storage and whatnot occurring in yearly intervals
There's other advantages here, but simply put, it'd let Nintendo keep being Nintendo under the guise of a strong brand and letting Apple find another track into home and mobile multimedia domination.
Truthfully, I still see it being unlikely, but having SpotPass on my iPhone, for instance, is a cool prospect.
Still, the more likely scenario would that Apple basically bakes iTunes Store syncing and iCloud into WiiU, and I doubt anyone would have an objection to that. Just another wing of their digital business that benefits both parties.
A certain site that you Go to for Nintendo news is reporting a rumour.
Square Enix may have worked some sort of deal with Nintendo to share a character that hasn't been seen in a long time for a game project....
I would love for the relationship between Nintendo and Square-Enix to warm to the point where they throw some true AAA exclusives our way. Damn, that'd be good..
It reminds me of what Iwata said about "filling in gaps" in their lineups where they don't have resources.
Basically, I always interpreted that quote as Nintendo bankrolling 3rd-party IPs that other companies haven't touched that Nintendo feels assured there would be a market for, one that Nintendo doesn't typically sell in. And due to Nintendo merely bankrolling them and letting these 3rd-parties use their resources to make them, Nintendo just takes a profit cut and everybody wins. Nintendo makes money, 3rd-parties make money and establish a user base for their content, with sequel or new IP money going completely into the 3rd-party's pocket.
I could see that being their strategy.