Is the iPhone App Store a threat to DS?
by Kyle Orland 
{ Jun 6th 2008 at 3:45PM }
With the impending launch of the iPhone App Store promising to finally (officially) bring games to Apple's all-in-one portable, a Forbes editorial is again floating the idea that Nintendo's DS may be facing a threat to its market-leading portable perch. The editorial notes that the iPhone combines the touch-screen and microphone of the wildly popular Nintendo DS with the motion-sensitivity of the wildly popular Wii. Add in the support of Sega, EA and Ubisoft, along with the ability to download games wirelessly through the App Store, and you have the makings of a portable gaming game-changer.The piece makes some good points, but we think we're going to join with The Motley Fool, MacWorld and ZDNet in the ranks of those skeptical that the iPhone is going to take the gaming world by storm. The reasons for our skepticism include the iPhone's high price point, limited on-board storage space and the lack of major announced titles (Super Monkey Ball and Spore will only get you so far).
The MacWorld writer probably summed it up best: "The iPhone, at its heart, is not a gaming machine. Not in the way that the DS is, where every design consideration is given to one task, and one task only: playing games." Hey, since we're already talking about wild speculation, there's always a chance Apple and Nintendo could just merge and make the upcoming "battle" moot.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
baby sea tuna @ Jun 6th 2008 3:55PM
I would like to be able to have an all-in-one portable device that did EVERYTHING, including games...but at this point I still don't think I want an iPhone. Never say never though...
Kye - M-Kart Wii 0817-4620-2062 @ Jun 6th 2008 4:25PM
I agree.
At one time I was adamant that having separate devices was the way to go but now I want it all in one.
However I don't think the iPhone could take me (or most people) away from a DS though.
shawn @ Jun 6th 2008 4:05PM
a phone is not gonna hurt the ds,no way
googoogachoo @ Jun 6th 2008 3:56PM
the DS sells very well to people of all ages. The DS appeals to kids just as well as it does to adults in it for one or two games.
No way in hell the iphone ever reaches as wide of a consumer base.
&rew @ Jun 6th 2008 3:56PM
If the DS is overthrown by the iPhone then I will either eat my hat or light my iPhone on fire, either is good since I don't have a hat or an iPhone
BigD145 @ Jun 6th 2008 3:58PM
Does the iPhone have two screens? Is it's single screen larger than the DS's two put together? Does the iPhone have shoulder buttons? No? I'm not worried.
Jomolungma @ Jun 6th 2008 4:57PM
The absence of ANY useful buttons for gaming is a major issue for the iPhone, IMO. Any screen real estate taken up by digital buttons would only reduce the gaming space, and the two DS screens create more gaming space than the one iPhone screen.
However, I have to ask Kyle what he means by iPhone's "limited on-board storage." I haven't checked lately, but doesn't that thing have at least 8GB of storage space on it, with potentially more being announced soon? At XBLA's old size limit of 120MB per game, that would still leave you room for a lot of XBLA-quality titles for the thing - and some of those games are actually good. If he was referring to some other form of storage, what would that be?
Nate @ Jun 6th 2008 5:05PM
Sounds like you're describing the PSP.....
And the iPhone's screen IS bigger than both of the DS screens put together, so is the PSP's.
DS: 484 x 256
PSP: 480 x 272
iPhone: 480 x 320
The big problem with the iPhone is what others have mentioned - no physical buttons. Even the DS has buttons.
PojoMofo @ Jun 6th 2008 3:58PM
no
Phil Ringsmuth @ Jun 6th 2008 3:58PM
Um, I think the DS is what they like to call "affordable"...?
Gewurztraminer says: R.O.B. is the last Cylon! @ Jun 6th 2008 4:01PM
iPhone = $600
DS = not $600
Problem solved, good job Nintendo.
john @ Jun 6th 2008 5:32PM
It's actually $400 (and could be even cheaper by next week), but it's a good point. It will most likely see it's share of DS type games. Brain Training, Sudoku, Digital Pets, etc, etc. I think it poses more of a threat to other cell phones games, which are pretty weak as it is. I would expect to see Digital Chocolate, Game Loft and other large mobile game companies devote significant resources to the iPhone.
It will also be interesting to see if the iPhone will push touch-only games a bit further than the DS has. That is if this whole "gaming on an Apple" thing dies like it always does.
OTAM @ Jun 6th 2008 6:37PM
Basically.
Dirty @ Jun 6th 2008 4:02PM
Well they both print money
Naota @ Jun 6th 2008 4:04PM
I realized after putting Skype on my PSP that it is essentially an iPhone without touch or cellular reception and a bias towards games.
PojoMofo @ Jun 6th 2008 4:06PM
lame
Nate @ Jun 6th 2008 5:06PM
Lack of cellular reception makes it a poor-ass phone. Stick 3G in a PSP and you might get somewhere.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Jun 8th 2008 4:27AM
If anything, Naota, I think the iPhone's App Store is going to severely affect the PSP more than the DS. The PSP has the PC Store and since that has been EXTREMELY underwhelming lately, the App Store could easily beat out the PSP right now.
Sony is almost fully neglecting to take the PSP in any direction whatsoever and because of that it wasn't even mentioned in this article once when it has much more relevance to the situation than the money printer.
CJLopez @ Jun 6th 2008 4:05PM
Iphone games will have more stylus, like Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword is on the DS, that the player controls he whole action with the little pen
PojoMofo @ Jun 6th 2008 4:08PM
I have controlled a lot of action with my little pen...
CJLopez @ Jun 6th 2008 4:09PM
Damn it, pressed the "add your comment" button too fast
The lack of button will be a pretty hugh issue on games for the iphone for fellas who like the button pressing action, as for the new possible games this can bring, will love it an turn into iphanboys....
See what i did there????
CJLopez @ Jun 6th 2008 4:10PM
@PojoMofo:
LOOOOOOL!!!!!
I can assure you I also had, xDDDDDDDDD
Sean @ Jun 6th 2008 8:49PM
The problem is the iphone is capacitive sensitive.. meaning you CAN'T use a stylus. So every iphone game would have to be playable with your fat fingers.
giantenemycrab @ Jun 6th 2008 4:11PM
Uh, no.
deaftly @ Jun 6th 2008 4:19PM
Its def not a threat to the DS or PSP but its going to be nice to finally have a phone with some kick ass games on it for once.
D_Average @ Jun 6th 2008 4:26PM
At its current price no, but I expect that to drop rapidly in the next 5 years. So "Yes" the Iphone is a threat. The 25+ crowd will opt for the Iphone instead of the DS.
CJLopez @ Jun 6th 2008 4:59PM
In the next 5 years i'm pretty sure we will be playing on news designed more powerfull nintendo and sony handehelds (and maybe MS too, who knows, look at their recent actions)
Buckshot @ Jun 6th 2008 4:25PM
Helio Ocean > iphone
roach @ Jun 6th 2008 6:27PM
stupidest comment on this post. congrats.
Buckshot @ Jun 7th 2008 1:27AM
rofl, enjoy gay marriage appleboy
Bigfoot @ Jun 6th 2008 4:25PM
Of course not.
Martez @ Jun 6th 2008 4:26PM
I doubt it, but everyone was laughing at the idea of the DS beating the PSP back in the day, so who knows. If Apple managed to swoop in like that it'd be pretty epic.
Needs a price drop, though. Even without the gaming, that stupid thing is too damn expensive.
potato @ Jun 6th 2008 4:44PM
As an iPhone owner... the app store won't do much to the DS, seriously.
For one thing, one item is $400, the other is $130-ish, the targets are clearly different. One is for cell phone users who might want to play the odd game while killing time, the other is a more dedicated mobile gaming rig.
Not to mention... controlling games on iPhone will be a total bitch. That cool racing game video you saw? Total crap controls. The NES/SNES emulators? Sorry, but an on-screen touch-sensitive dpad SUCKS.
*Maybe* if Apple bought out the iControlPad guys they'd have a chance, but as it is, iPhone games will be marginally more popular than iPod games, and not much more.
brokenscope @ Jun 6th 2008 4:37PM
How much does an iPhone cost up front?
How much does it cost per month?
How well does it survive the abuse inflicted by someone under the age of 10?
How many buttons?
....
NATO_Duke @ Jun 6th 2008 4:41PM
I dont think the under 10 age group is the market they are trying to tap.
I couldn't imagine the iPhone harming the DS market at all, but it will be a nice alternative for us to have games to play on it. Sometimes you want something when you didn't expect it. I don't carry a psp and ds with me everywhere.So, since you always have your cell - you will have a use for the games.
Farseer (GDI) @ Jun 6th 2008 4:39PM
Wow, I hadn't even thought about that. Holy crap... think about all the kids who own iPhones... They're all totally going to throw their DSs by the wayside.
SeriousKriss @ Jun 6th 2008 4:41PM
It's just a ridiculous headline to get attention. The iPhone can't be a threat to the DS because the DS has already succeeded, and isn't likely to get surpassed by a 400$ device with a handful of games.
Jomolungma @ Jun 6th 2008 5:03PM
I'm sure the article focuses on the iPhone as a "future" threat to the DS platform, in whatever form the DS platform takes over the next few years. If Apple cuts the price on the iPhone, or allows carrier subsidies to get the thing down to $199 or less, and Apple reaches it's target market saturation, it would be a pretty compelling platform for developers. Once that happens, Nintendo might be in trouble because they'd now have to fight harder to get developers to dedicate resources to DS games. It's not a guarantee, and the iPhone would have to overcome a lot of hurdles (most significant, IMO, is Japanese market saturation), but it's conceivable. I'll just be happy if this "possibility" spurs Nintendo into a redesign of the DS within the next two years.
keith @ Jun 6th 2008 4:51PM
3G baby!
im allready in line
nes, genisis, n64, gba, turbo graphix, ps 1 games all in my pocket
deaftly @ Jun 6th 2008 5:08PM
have you used the emu's on it, terrible just terrible controls, nothing will replace buttons when it comes to that.
keith @ Jun 6th 2008 5:12PM
they make a case that goes over top the iphone that has buttons
BSTKiller @ Jun 6th 2008 5:02PM
Once the Mac Mini based Apple TV console launches in Spring 2009 and integrates its games with the iPhone/iPod Touch and iTunes...alot of use will be eating our hats.
I do not welcome it but at 30% margin on games Apple WILL do this.
required @ Jun 6th 2008 5:02PM
The iPhone/iPodTouch are not a threat to the Nintendo DS nor are they a threat to the Sony PSP.
required @ Jun 6th 2008 5:05PM
One thing I'd like to know is why anyone would compare these anyways. It's like asking if the microwave is a threat to the refrigerator.
al @ Jun 7th 2008 4:42AM
LOL - microwave fridge. Best comment yet. As for the price comments when did everyone get so cheap? Everytime I see a.new thingie out there I am shocked how inexpensive it is.
Jomolungma @ Jun 6th 2008 5:11PM
As a general response to all of those thinking that the cost of the iPhone is a major impediment to this possibility, it's fairly probable that on Monday Apple will announce that carriers will be allowed to subsidize the cost of the iPhone. If Apple allows carriers to get the price of the iPhone below $200, I think the price talk becomes moot because of all of the added features you'd get with the iPhone over the DS (phone, iPod, Internet, etc.)
It would probably be a pretty significant challenger to the PSP almost immediately (assuming a decent games library develops) and perhaps eat in to some of the DS market share in the US. Japan is probably not an issue for Nintendo or Sony because I don't think Apple will be able to get a sizeable market share over there for the foreseeable future and the games that will be available on the iPhone probably won't be centered on Japanese gaming tastes.
There are a lot of hurdles in the way, but it's certainly conceivable that the iPhone, even accidentally, could become a player in the mobile gaming space pretty quickly. Apple almost never allows this, but if they did allow 3d party device manufacturers to design some kind of attachable control device to the thing, maybe one that folded up neatly and fit into your pocket, it might actually be enjoyable to play games on it.
Anticrawl @ Jun 6th 2008 5:17PM
No?
Seriously is there need for any length of comment on this post longer than the two letter "N O?"
BPM [MKWii: 2578 3585 8392] @ Jun 6th 2008 5:34PM
Not this crap again...
HAY GUYS! iPHONE HAS A TOUCH SCREEN! JUST LIKE DS! THEY ARE COMPETING.
Uh, no. Yeah, whoo. iPhone/iPod Touch is getting games. Great. Just don't expect much out of it. The phone game market has never shown to me to be a viable place for really involving games you'd get on PCs or game systems. It's been mostly a place for simple games (puzzle games or card games) or ports of older arcade games.
Sure, the iPhone has some nice hardware behind it. But, competition for the DS? No way.
Now, if Nintendo announced that the next version of the DS would double as a cellphone... Well, that'd be a different case.
Henry @ Jun 6th 2008 5:42PM
Apple iPhone has the potential to grap portions of the market from DS/PSP. Another point is that if Apple has some success here they will be followed by others. Smartphones powered by Windows Mobile should be able to handle games for instance.
The iPhone is definitely a threat. Countering it by releasing a new "DS" won't change that.
KrazyIan @ Jun 6th 2008 5:42PM
The most important quote so far is this one: "The iPhone, at its heart, is not a gaming machine. Not in the way that the DS is, where every design consideration is given to one task, and one task only: playing games."
The DS was designed from the ground to play games. Any device that also happens to play games was not. It's that simple.
Unlike functionality like cameras and mp3 playing, games require a level of control that the entire device must be designed around.
Yeah, the iPhone will play solitaire, but I doubt we'll see anything like Metroid Prime Hunters on there.