This Forbes article argues that gaming on the iPhone could ‘kill’ the DS. The so-called argument amounts to a] the iPhone and iPod Touch have touch and motion-sensing controls and b] it’s Apple. That’s it. Sure, spore will release for the iPhone . . . as well as every other bleeding platform. Before we talking about the iPhone ‘killing’ the DS, let’s at least see an argument that it will even be competitive and not another N-Gage.
I see a couple of problems with this prediction:
- The DS is well established, to the tune of 73+ million units worldwide, 23 million in the U.S. No publisher or developer is going to turn their back on that at this time.
- The iPod Touch is US$299. I know iPods sell well, but I don’t see that at that price, it gaining the kind of market dominance to overtake the DS. More to the point, Apple has a history of short hardware release cycles and obsoleting its previous models.
- Specs are failed indicators of market dominance.
The iPhone and iPod Touch will be nice for gaming. They will probably have some success, but as we have seen with the PSP, it takes more than great graphics and multimedia abilities to outsell the DS. The DS has an end-of-life: it’s not the last handheld game device we’ll need. But I don’t think it’s on its deathbed just because the media-darling Apple is in play. I guess I was expecting an argument a little more savvy about the market from Forbes.
For what it’s worth, the Nintendo DS was originally released in 2004, which makes this its 4th year. The GBA was released in 2001, replaced by the DS in its 4th year. So, I think it’s reasonable to expect a new Nintendo handheld console in the next 1-2 years, with backward compatibility more than likely. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised [though not expecting] an announcement at E3.
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4 comments ↓
i would love to see the ds continue selling at a cheaper price even after the next generation comes out, ala ps3 and ps2. with wireless gaming, i could see myself getting a spare for visitors (already have one for me and one for the GF). catching up with friends who also have ds is a blast (unfortunately doesn`t happen enough, am living out in the countryside).
don`t know if we will see a “ds2″ or more of a “ds1.5″. how much graphical power do you want or need when the screen is so small and you are sitting on a bus/train? phantom hourglass pushed the system to its limits, but what else did? maybe ninja gaiden, or TWEWY maybe, the final fantasy remakes … a lot of other stuff doesn`t need to. having a blast with layton. beautiful art and very simple. ouendan was brilliant.
slightly slimmer, slightly more powerful, definitely BC, maybe with some memory and maybe a motion detector … and you can bet they won`t raise the price from where it is now. based on the ds`s broader appeal and success even at the present price point, they may hold off on the next machine, instead of 1-2 years, it could be 2-3.
IMO, the next generation of the DS will tell a lot about Nintendo. How significantly will they upgrade its processing power? What kind of multimedia support will they add? Will we see a double-screen? Or a new handheld with motion-sensing as well as touch and mic? With gamecube or better graphics? [Storage will be critical, too, I think.]
You’re possibly right, Clayton, about the DS not getting replaced for 2-3 years. For one, consider the DSVision site which still hasn’t gone live.
consoles always get replaced just as developers figure out how to make games for them. and then the whole cycle begins again. its a little frustrating. i think the ps2 was a good example of this … some damn good games came out before the ps3 came online.
a couple of 3rd party games that top phantom hourglass on the ds would be nice …
Even though the PS3 didn’t release until 6 years after the PS2 released, it seemed shorter in a way. I think the poor internet connectivity and other things made it difficult to expect the PS2 to last longer, although it certainly has thanks to its price and its huge, also inexpensive library.
I think the 360 and PS3 are legitimate 7-year consoles, maybe even longer, especially watching at how well the PS2 has continued to sell.
In fact, if the consoles are designed well enough, it allows Sony, Microsoft and even Nintendo to move towards a service model, using the Internet to enhance and access new services. Considering that only Nintendo made money on its console from day 1, I’m not sure the need to release new consoles is so urgent.
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