Next generation mobile games

                            Next generation mobile games

Nintendo is currently one of the biggest question marks in the world of gaming. We’re likely to see the next-gen NX system for the first time later this year, and that could lead to an early demise for the Wii U. The company’s first mobile game is set for release next month, and there are already four more titles lined up for smartphones. Even better, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima finally expressed interest in modern virtual reality hardware. With so many balls in the air, everyone in the industry is lining up to see how many Nintendo will be able to catch.

Last week, word started circulating that dev kits for the NX have already begun to ship. The rumor mill has the device pegged for a holiday 2016 release, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nintendo wait it out until sometime in 2017. Either way, a four or five year lifespan is pretty short these days. The Wii lasted around six years before being replaced, and the Xbox 360 was able to pull off a whopping eight years. But thanks to the Wii U’s lack of traction, pulling the plug early is starting to seem pretty appealing. Virtual Boy Earlier this week, Kimishima briefly mentioned VR. He referred to the latest implementations as “interesting,” but made it clear that Nintendo isn’t launching a VR product any time in the near future. VR development is clearly on the table, but don’t take that to mean the NX is VR-focused. Since Nintendo is still so closely tied to children and families, it makes sense the Kyoto-based company is sitting out these early rounds. Virtual reality headsets are still extremely expensive to make, and the widespread sticker shock of the Oculus Rift confirmed Nintendo is better off waiting for a family-friendly price range. To me, Nintendo’s smartphone games seem much more important to the long-term health of the company. It’s obvious that the mobile market has shifted away from dedicated devices, and the smartphone is where most of the money is. Japan was on the phone gaming tip long before the west took over, but it’s only recently that Nintendo has begun to accept the dominance of devices running iOS and Android. Of course, Nintendo isn’t getting out of the mobile hardware business all together. After all, the NX is rumored to be pulling double duty as a traditional console and a handheld. If Nintendo can ship something in the $200 price range while raking in that sweet free-to-play cash from the app store, there might just be a future in which Nintendo has its cake and eats it too.

Mario Mobile

An affordable console-handheld hybrid offers both traditional Nintendo fans and phone-less children the dedicated Pokemon and Smash Bros. machine they so desperately crave. Inexpensive and free-to-play phone games could hit the same kind of casual gamer demographic that the Wii tapped into so successfully. By diversifying, Nintendo is reducing the impact of any one single failure. And considering that the 3DS and Wii U didn’t fair very well during Q4 of 2015, this strategy goes a long way towards calming the nerves of anxious shareholders.