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[Voost Kain]

mulling over the potential of launching its very own gaming smartphone to compete with Razer and Xiaomi.
In an article by a Taiwanese tech news website, Nintendo is said to be considering developing a smartphone dedicated for playing video games.

The DigiTimes said a source familiar with the matter revealed that Nintendo is “either strengthening their presence in the market or planning to enter it.”
“There have been speculations about Nintendo planning to launch a gaming handset that can integrate with its Switch consoles, the Japan-based vendor has yet to respond to such speculations,” the article noted.

If this is true, then Nintendo will be going head-to-head with tech companies such as Razer and Xiaomi, which both already have offerings available and are now preparing to launch sequels to their gaming smartphones.

Interesting if True, especially since the Switch started out with needing a phone app for chat anyway.

An exclusive Nintendo store and being able to switch gameplay from Switch or Phone is pretty convenient. Especially if you are more of a dock user. Decent specs would attract android gamers as well since it would have Google play by default as well.

It is definitely the direction they have been gradually going in since arpind 2016.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Surely I can’t be the only one who thinks this is a terrible idea.

 

[Gormless Noodle]

I'll buy it if true. Gimme gimme gimme gimme.

 

[greyshark]

I could maybe see an app that had switch integration with your existing smartphone, but I don’t think I’d buy a phone from Nintendo.

 

[CeeJay]

A games console needs physical controls, a phone with physical game controls is not something that many people want.

Regardless of whether the phone has the permanent physical controls or is some kind of attachment, there is no elegant way that anyone has come up with so far to integrate the two without compromises on both sides.

 

[Verdanth]

I could maybe see an app that had switch integration with your existing smartphone, but I don’t think I’d buy a phone from Nintendo.

This.

 

[Three]

It worked for Apple I guess

 

[InterMusketeer]

The only Nintendo phone I'd want, would be one that plays all Switch games and has its own Joy-cons that connect to it.

I don't know what other kind of integration they could do, but it probably wouldn't be that exciting.

 

[Deft Beck]

That mockup doesn't look very ergonomic.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I don’t believe it, just because of how stupid it would be.

 

[cryptoadam]

Not happening. Someone is getting their rumors mixed up or being played. Nintendo is not that stupid.

 

[Hendrick's]

Game & Phone

 

[LordRaptor]

That mockup is particularly fucking stupid given that the Switch already has detachable joycons.
Like, a phone with 'rails' at the top and bottom to clip switch joycons to is what this device would look like. Not a shit iPhone skin.

 

[MisterBrimstone]

No way this is happening. No way.

I'll glady eat my fucking words if something like this happens within 5 years.

 

[Hissing Sid]

My thumbs are cramping up just looking at the pic.

 

[Voost Kain]

More outlets reporting on rumor now, may be a thing.

 

[michaelius]

Phone will full Switch library could be interesting - but there's a lot of things that can go wrong with form factor.

 

[The Scrivener]

My thumbs are cramping up just looking at the pic.

FIngers cramp up, and then you drop your phone. Classic.

 

[ShirAhava]

Makes a lot more sense than what it is now (as far attracting new gamers some people wont buy a dedicated gaming device no matter what you do )

Always thought the Xperia Play was ahead of its time this should be interesting!

 

[Shifty]

Those mockups look cool, but also unusable. Form over function, as it were.

There are cases that already exist to turn an iPhone into a Game Boy, so it's not out of the realms of possibility:

 

[Zannegan]

According to SlashGear, the idea originates from a "footnote" in a digitimes article about the upcoming razer smartphone (which actually has been rumored). The digitimes article calls the idea of a Nintendo phone "speculation" rather than a "rumor" and offers no information as to who is doing this speculation and whether they are in a position to know anything. They don't even mention having a source, secret or otherwise. It's just something to the effect of "it as been rumored that..."

Calling it a rumor is a hard stretch IMO.

 

[kraspkibble]

this could be awesome!

 

[epicnemesis]

More outlets reporting on rumor now, may be a thing.

This doesn’t mean anything. That’s just how shit propagates on the internet these days, no fact checking required. Just blogs referencing each other as sources.

This would be really dumb. No one is switching from their iPhone or galaxy to a Nintendo phone. Not to mention it would have to have a more open android base (to actually run the phone apps everyone wants) which means it will be rooted in weeks and piracy will run rampant.

 

[Breakage]

Personally think Nintendo would be better off doing a modern version of the GBA SP (obviously under a different name). When it comes to portable consoles, I think simplicity is best. A slim powerful single-screen clamshell handheld with a button setup that mirrors today's standard controllers would find a market, especially if it's coming from Nintendo. With today's tech, they could even add rumble.
The idea of a Nintendo smartphone is misguided. I don't think people will be ditching their high-end iPhones and Android phones for an entry level phone from Nintendo.

 

[daveonezero]

I could see it if they kept a slightly smaller form factor. Added a sim slot and it could be put in the existing dock.

It would be just paired with joy cons and not attach directly but have some sort of grip/battery pack. In this configuration it would basically be a smaller screen switch.

That mock-up is stupid looking.

 

[Hissing Sid]

FIngers cramp up, and then you drop your phone. Classic.

Just try holding your phone as though it has a d-pad and buttons at the bottom. Fucking awful.

 

[Zannegan]

I just don't see how a Nintendo-branded phone succeeds, unless it's basically a Switch-mini with a huge battery that's aimed primarily at kids getting their first cell phone. It would basically have to be an Android variant to get enough of the apps worth having, and at that point why not release at least some of your games across all Android devices?

What Nintendo should be doing is creating their own retro-focused storefront for Switch/PC/Android (side-loaded a la Fortnight), and then tying this into their subscription service. Sure, any games released for Android would be pirated to hell and back, but then, their old titles already are. And many more people would pay to have legit software licenses that they can play across their console, phone, or PC with cloud-saves. Basically, they need to put together what virtual console should have evolved into with the launch of the Wii U.

Once they had such a storefront in place, I could see mobile hardware (including actual phones and Switches/Successors with a mobile chip built-in) becoming a viable product for them.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Just try holding your phone as though it has a d-pad and buttons at the bottom. Fucking awful.

Wobbly gameplay confirmed.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Makes a lot more sense than what it is now (as far attracting new gamers some people wont buy a dedicated gaming device no matter what you do )

Always thought the Xperia Play was ahead of its time this should be interesting!

The Xperia Play was doing everything PERFECT until they announced the HW specs, repackaging the previous year’s chipset (grrrr, disappointing given the price) and I got the phone in my hands and it took 4-6 software updates for it to get cold booting in less than 7-8 minutes...

That phone had amazing potential and it made it even worse that they managed to f-it up...

 

[DiscoJer]

I never knew why Sony didn't do this with the PSP or Vita, instead of that stupid PS Mobile thing

 

[Pallas]

I’m going to take a wait and see approach on this, I’m intrigued but so many things can go wrong with this.

 

[Panajev2001a]

I never knew why Sony didn't do this with the PSP or Vita, instead of that stupid PS Mobile thing

They had Xperia Play (phones are unnecessarily thin, let’s use that to give a decent battery, camera, and really good gaming controls... although I wish they had been physical mini sticks) and PS Mobile also led to Unity for indies of sorts... I think they just bit off more than they could chew, but it was a worthwhile attempt, just wished they had proper resources to spend on it and sustain it (developers will not invest on a platform where the commitment of the platform holder is shaky...).

 

[PSFan]

Why would they bother with the Famicom version? Wouldn't prospective consumers want the model with four buttons instead of the one with two? Since the SFC one would be able to play the games for the Famicom model but not vice versa since the Famicom one is missing two buttons. Also, how would they do the L and R shoulder buttons?

 

[jdforge]

I honestly don’t think I’d buy a phone from Nintendo. I also don’t see why they’d even attempt this.

 

[FStubbs]

They had Xperia Play (phones are unnecessarily thin, let’s use that to give a decent battery, camera, and really good gaming controls... although I wish they had been physical mini sticks) and PS Mobile also led to Unity for indies of sorts... I think they just bit off more than they could chew, but it was a worthwhile attempt, just wished they had proper resources to spend on it and sustain it (developers will not invest on a platform where the commitment of the platform holder is shaky...).

Xperia Play failed due to weak specs and even less support from the gaming division than the Vita. Iirc it wasn't even a gaming division project and that was why it was never called the "Playstation phone".

 

[Hudo]

If Nintendo made a Smartphone, I'd be even willing to put up with Android, if they were to choose that as their OS.

 

[DESTROYA]

No thanks.