Nintendo DS game sales being decimated by iOS and Android, claims analytics expert Flurry

curtisrshideler | 14:15 - 11 November 2011

I only miss my DS because I loved to play Metroid Prime, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart, Final Fantasy 3, Lego games, and a few other random titles.

After selling it and getting an iPhone, I can now play NOVA, Sega Racing, Final Fantasy 3, Lego Harry Potter, as well as many platforming titles... all on the same device without different game cartridges! AND I could play these games on my phone, ipod, OR ipad!

Sure, I'd consider purchasing another Mario or Metroid game someday... If it was available for iOS or maybe even my home PC or Mac...(I have ROMs of the games I own, trust me!) But I will never be purchasing Nintendo hardware again. It was fun while it lasted Nintendo... And I would love to relive those old memories again on my phone (other than emulated copies). But until they offer their classic titles on my handheld, I will allow other companies to provide me with new classics.

PopCap, Chair, Gameloft, Sega, Capcom... They are all getting the money I would have gladly given Nintendo had they decided to jump on board the iOS train. I can't even imagine how much they would be making if they had even just been porting old titles. $2-5 per classic title like Super Mario Brothers or Zelda or Excite Bike... could really add up with all of us 20-40 year old consumers now using iPhones! Just think. Nintendo might actually be able to break even. Or at least supplement poor DS sales.

Etharius | 16:34 - 11 November 2011

While I don't think phones will ever replace handhelds (I have an iPhone, PSP & DS) Nintendo in particular needs to look at its digital distribution model.

Firstly, games should be purchased direct and not by topping up a wallet. Shantae at £10.80 requires a £20 investment because you can only add money in £10 increments. The same game is £1.99 on iOS, plus you get a demo of the first level for free. Why buy the DS version at all?

Nintendo's complacency extends to the 3DS hardware as well - instead of looking at the sort of games third parties might want to publish, they never looked up from their own stable - so no second analogue nub, making the system a washout for shooters, and a D-Pad so incompetent that top-tier games such as Blazblue and Street Fighter are virtually unplayable. Check out the 3DS vs PSP review here:
http://www.uk-anime.net/stuff/Blazblue_Continuum_Shift_II_(PSP_(slash)_3DS).html

How the hell can a 6 year old system make a modern console look obsolete?

Nintendo need look no further than a mirror when their stock starts plummeting like a stone.

link6616 | 06:39 - 12 November 2011

I'm curious about how much of an actual sale drop that decrease from 70% of the market has been...

I mean, people simply buy so many more iOS titles, and it's on a device owned by more people... Which means using just percentages it might not mean a loss of sales for nintendo. (I know they have lost sales as iOS/Android got more popular... but it might not be as much as it seems when using percentages like this)

rickoshay | 16:44 - 23 November 2011

Strange there's a drop. I think with the iOS glamour finally fading (with Android finally taking over) people are thinking less about their iPhone as a gaming device. It's great for games like Hot Spring Story, Cut the Rope and Angry Birds (and it's infinite copies) but for a in depth full game...Doesn't cut it.

Physical controls beat awful non-tactile touch screen controls by a mile. The accuracy you need for twitch games and such you cannot replicate on a touch screen.

I can understand why the MOBILE (let's not forget that iOS is NOT the dominant mobile or smartphone platform anymore...) market is taking share away from the dedicated handhelds...more than children are getting iPod touches or android phones and playing games on them due to them being cheap. But let's be honest - they are not an amazing gaming device. To say they are is just silly.

(For the record I've had android, windows phones and currently have an iPhone 4. I also have a 3DS as well, had a Gameboy, Atari Lynx, GBA, DS (orginal) and DS lite).

rickoshay | 16:46 - 23 November 2011

And Gameloft deserve no-ones money for the utter tripe they release across all platforms (including DSiWare).

Awful company, rubbish soul-less and un-original games...I'd rather give my money to homeless people rather than that joke of a company.

broen | 20:20 - 7 December 2011

I must just chime in, I do think the iOS platform is brilliant. But even the really robust experiences on iOS pale just a bit when compared to really good console games (portable or otherwise.)

The gap is closing more every day, but I still love my DS,3DS, and PSP for real mobile gaming.

kaly | 19:32 - 25 February 2012

ahhhhyhyoy