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Nintendo Learns From Apple's 'Disruptive Approach' With iPod

Friday, February 17th, 2006 at 4:00 PM - by Staff

Nintendo vice-president Reggie Fils-Aime recently wrote in a column for Brandweek that his company drew on Apple's success with the iPod as it prepared the DS handheld and the forthcoming Revolution console. Writing for GamesIndustry.biz, Rob Fahey explained that Mr. Fils-Aime views both companies have introduced "disruptive" products: "devices which interrupt the standard progression of escalating technology by being more low-tech than their competitors, but innovating in terms of usability, pricing and broad appeal."

Mr. Fahey explained further: "The iPod has often been criticised on the entirely true grounds that it is less powerful, boasts less functionality and supports less music formats than rival products from other companies, but that's not the point of the product." In contrast, he wrote, the DS "is vastly underpowered compared to the PSP, and the Revolution will boast a basic specification which will be dwarfed by both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3."

However, both companies assume "that mass market consumers won't care," looking instead at how the products reliably and simply perform their given tasks. Because of that, Mr. Fahey said that "in a peculiar way, Apple is almost an honourary player in the console wars - without actually having a console itself, the company deservedly shares mindspace, and poses a serious threat to, those who would use videogame systems as the back door into dominance of the home media market."

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:51 pm

Apple and Nintendo (my two favorite companies by the way) SHOULD unite!

Do something together please!!!

Both of your top-notch creative corporate brains push the tech envelope and together you can create what only you two can create together.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:08 pm

I know....

They can put the Revolution and Mac mini together and therefore you will automatically have great games on the Mac platform.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:39 pm

same here, they should both at least make a product together. that would kick ass!

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Mikuro said:

member since 15 Jun 2002 with 457 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:53 pm

I've always said that Nintendo is the Apple of the video game world (or perhaps that Apple is the Nintendo of the computer world).

I am sad, though, that they seem to be giving up the fight in terms of power. With the GameCube, they had it all. Despite popular belief, it's every bit as powerful as the PS2 and Xbox (in fact, cross-platform games usually look better on GameCube). The Revolution looks awesome, but...HD graphics look awesome, too. It's a pity that they're not trying to flat-out beat the pants of everyone else, because I think they really could.

Kind of like Apple....

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Mikuro said:

member since 15 Jun 2002 with 457 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:59 pm

I have to say, though, that the time for a partnership between the two has probably passed. If they had tried to merge the GameCube into their G3 iMacs, that would have been awesome. And a lot more practical, too, since the GameCube's processor was a lot closer to the G3's Apple used than anything will be this time around (even though both Sony and Microsoft are using PPC variants in their consoles).

I also don't see the gameplay dynamic that comes with Revolution's 3D freestyle controller transferring well to desktop PCs.

Even if Apple just built in GameCube compatibility, that would still be very cool, but...the time has passed. That also wouldn't work with the slot-loading drives Apple's so fond of.

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:17 pm

Apple "less powerful", Nintendo? Gosh, not anymore. Look at the Intel transition.

I think comparing Nintendo's upcoming console, which will have vastly less power than the PS3 or Xbox 360, with Apple's current situation is a bit of a stretch, and is a comparison Nintendo is making to feel better about themselves.

I like Nintendo, but they are starting to get the living crap kicked out of them in the home console market. They should not let the Revolution get blown away on graphics like it seems it will be. And they need to put a LOT more effort into online play, now that broadband is finally common.

Cutesy comparisons that ultimately hold little water are no substitute for Nintendo doing the things it should to remain competitive. Thank god for the DS, that's about the only thing keepin' them afloat right now.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Feb 18, 2006 12:24 pm

As many have said Ninttendo and Apple should unite to make the gaming experience better, Apple does the chips or procesors for Nintendo, and Nintendo allows Apple to download Nintendo games into the iPod. Something like that.

And if you notice both companies have so much in common, both at one time were the biggest and most powerful companies around, the most popular and now. Well they are not bought so well if we exclede the iPod and the DS. And they have the same enemy: Microsoft.

So I say a union between them wouldn't hurt.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:49 pm

Quote:
The iPod has often been criticised on the entirely true grounds that it is less powerful, boasts less functionality and supports less music formats than rival products from other companies

"Entirely true?"

Try again, Reggie. No part of your statement is true either now or in the past. I don't blame you for trying to gather some of the iPod's glow to your company but statements like that just make you look like a moron.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:56 am

"Try again, Reggie. No part of your statement is true either now or in the past. I don't blame you for trying to gather some of the iPod's glow to your company but statements like that just make you look like a moron."

Yeah, tell that to my 100g archos from several years ago.

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A guest said: (hide)

Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:47 pm

Guest wrote:
"Try again, Reggie. No part of your statement is true either now or in the past. I don't blame you for trying to gather some of the iPod's glow to your company but statements like that just make you look like a moron."

Yeah, tell that to my 100g archos from several years ago.

You mean the one that actually launched last year, cost $800, and all of two people bought?

Wow, I bet Apple is really sweatin' that one.

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:07 pm

Truley, I do Pitty Nintendo in the sense that they should never even let competitors strike a low at them as they have in the past...

Surely, as the DS continues to expand (I understand a camara is soon to be available) so will the new system. They believe it (CODE NAME REV) in conjunction with the GAME CUBE will, through the controller be a definite revolution.

Below is a sample of what the combo (GC + CNR) seems to be intending. Besides all comments a true application for the controller is what the link is referring to.

. . www.nintendoon.com . .

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