10 things Nintendo must fix before battling Apple
Satoru Iwata has declared war on Steve Jobs, but he'd better shore up a few of Nintendo's most annoying quirks first if he wants to take his best shot.
- Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Two interesting things happened to Nintendo over the last few days. First, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, never afraid of bold statements, reportedly told his executives to consider the battle with Sony and Microsoft already won and has targeted Apple as the "enemy of the future."
The second? Nintendo released its Black Wii.
I find the first interesting because Nintendo and Apple, the reigning forces in family-targeted entertainment, seem to finally be eyeing each other. The second is interesting because I fielded a question to Nintendo about what Wii users should do with already downloaded games should they choose to purchase a new Black Wii, but Nintendo had no response. That's because, with both the Wii and the DSi, downloaded games can't be transferred to new systems at all, not even via SD card. This makes a system replacement or upgrade, such as to a DSi XL, rather unappealing to folks with any downloaded content.
Yes, the Wii is fun. So is the Nintendo DS. We love a lot of what both products represent. And yet, both have some serious issues that could stand in the way of a Nintendo-Apple showdown for the future of casual-gaming supremacy.
If Nintendo's really going to take on Apple, it has better fix these things first. Click on the gallery below for our list.
