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Nintendo Taps Smartphone Apps for Console Boost

OSAKA – Nintendo Co. is trying to modify its game consoles so customers can use smartphone applications on them as it searches for a way to return to profitability, company sources said.

The game console and software maker has offered professional-use conversion software to application developers so they can produce smartphone games that can be played on Wii U, a struggling home video game console that helped widen the firm’s operating loss in fiscal 2012.

Nintendo hopes smartphone software will help spur console sales, which will in turn lead to an increase in popular game titles for them, the sources said.

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japantimes.co.jp
MultiConsoleGamer4761d ago

Talked about this a long time ago. It's a move that was in the works for quite some time.

iGAM3R-VIII4761d ago

True

Anyway, it is a good move but c'mon, I doubt anyone would use apps like news and productivity because it is mostly kids using the Wii U and who really wants to read the news while playing a game. Though games like Doodle Jump or Angry Birds could help and this also means the amount of games for the Wii U will rocket up, depending on how Nintendo get this to work

Thatguy-3104761d ago

Question why would I use smartphones apps on my console when it's more convenient to use it on my phone. If apps make it to consoles they should simply be apps to stream videos/music/movies. For example the whole Google map is pretty pointless.

jcnba284761d ago

That's like asking why would I use smartphone apps on my ipad when it's more convenient to use it on my phone..

Thatguy-3104760d ago (Edited 4760d ago )

@jcnba28
An ipad falls under portable devices. So it's essential for apps to work with it. That's basically the ecosystem it feeds off. Home consoles don't act the same way.

Knight_Crawler4761d ago

Can you imagine if Nintendo released a Pokemon Tablet and Smart phone game...this game would make Angry birds sales look like petty cash and would break download records.

GraveLord4761d ago

Smartphone games on Wii U? That's Nintendo's plan?
LOL

Khordchange4761d ago

wouldnt surprise me at all if nintendo decided to make their own smart phone/tablet after this gen, it would sell crazy good

Dj7FairyTail4761d ago

uh no they have dedicated gaming devices not multi media devices

Khordchange4760d ago

Nintendo also used to be a trading card company, nintendo also used to be a company that was never good at motion control devices. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they decided to go in the smartphone and tablet industry, with a classic nintendo twist of course.

gamer424760d ago

sometimes i think that after this generation nintendo will create some sort of combo handheld and home consoles. With everything they're doing, i think its a possibility. I think it'd be pretty cool if it happened.

Realplaya4761d ago

All there doing is offering different options. I bet if it pays off no one will be laughing when the other companies do the same thing. Fact is you have people that complain that smartphone games are pointless because there are no physical buttons. You have smart phone companies developing hardware that has physical buttons. You have Millions of people who use there tablets in there homes and they have access to Millions of apps that have similar uses such as those found on PC's Nintendo's only mistake is this wasn't ready from day 1.

bigbearsack4760d ago

can't hurt to have more options.

50°

U.S. patent examiner rejects Nintendo’s summoning characters patent as obvious: non-final ruling

The rejection is non-final (and even when such rejections are labeled as “final”, the process is far from over, given that there can be, at minimum, an appeal to the Federal Circuit).

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gamesfray.com
Relientk7747d ago (Edited 47d ago )

Good, as they should! A game mechanic like that shouldn't be locked behind a patent, and Nintendo didn't invent it either.

PRIMORDUS45d ago (Edited 45d ago )

Nintendo wants to keep wasting money on bullshit lawsuits, real smart in this economy. They should put that money aside for other game projects. On the other hand, I don't care if they waste it all either, and they are screwed in the future maybe that will teach them a lesson.

40°

Nintendo Completes Share Repurchase and Sets Price for Secondary Offering

Nintendo completed its share repurchase and set its secondary offering price at 8,347 yen ahead of March 16 delivery.

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4scarrsgaming.com
60°

Nintendo Suing U.S. Government Over Tariffs

Nintendo filed a lawsuit in the United States Court of International Trade.

Nintendo of America is suing the United States government over the sweeping tariffs President Donald Trump put in place last year, according to a complaint filed Friday in the U.S. Court of International Trade and obtained by Aftermath.

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aftermath.site
Deathdeliverer71d ago

Well dayum lol. Old agent orange pissing off every industry and nation.

0hMyGandhi71d ago

The fact that you have ANY disagrees will forever baffle me. And to the (apparent) MAGA contingent that exists on this website, enjoy your 8-9 dollar gas.

AuraAbjure70d ago (Edited 70d ago )

Yes, they had better be pissed after Trump told them the way they rip off the USA is over.

EveryPlatformGamer71d ago

LOL I read this on gaff, will they refund the money back to the gamers? highly unlikely. Didn't they just raise prices and pass it onto the gamers? Only Nintendo would send out the Ninjas to the US government.

-Foxtrot71d ago

That’s what I was thinking, imagine them winning hypothetically, getting a s**t load of money back which they would have lost if they hadn’t raised their prices and it’s business as normal.

It would just mean people paid more for no reason since they got the money back anyway.

Outside_ofthe_Box71d ago (Edited 71d ago )

A lot of companies partially passed the cost to consumers instead of all of it. They would still have to at least pay that back to gamers, but we know that won't happen. What's also sad is that prices won't come back down after the initial hike caused by tariffs.

People didn't understand the full repercussions of tariffs. That alone should have cost him the presidency if people knew it was a permanent price hike for consumers

Inverno71d ago

The people should sue these companies for having to over pay cause of these tariffs.

Eonjay71d ago

Naw they should sue the government for forcing the tax to begin with. No one reasonably expects these companies to absorb the taxes. Many smaller companies tried and were shut down or faced to increase prices to try to maintain their business. The tariffs effect everyone.

Inverno70d ago

I meant it mostly as a joke cause we all know the costs of these tariffs were passed onto the consumer. But it's seems no matter how vocal we are here in the states our "representatives" don't seem to care enough to represent us. And things are about to get worse.

Killer2020UK70d ago

The companies were doing what the law required then to do, the tariffs however were illegally implemented. Usually it's criminals we punish, you seem to have different ideas 🤷‍♂️

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