Nintendo To Take On Apple With DSi App Store

Dave Allen writes "Despite Nintendo publicly claiming no direct competition with the iPhone or iPod Touch with its new DSi console, reports have been leaked about the Big N actively encouraging developers to begin work on small form gaming and non-gaming applications for the DSi's download service. This is the first step toward Nintendo putting together a direct App Store rival, and could be the marketing hook it's been desperately searching for to convince gamers to upgrade their DS." It seems only fair that since the iPhone is now a gaming platform, the DS is becoming a PDA. And, if the only difference between them is a 3G wireless connection, the rivalry can only get more fierce.

Comments

Re:Only difference?

[xenolion]

I see the gba games on download coming dont you?

Re:In other words...

[cthulu_mt]

I work with (not for) Nintendo Marketing and can say that they take games on cellphones and mp3 players very seriously.

Despite claims?

[CannonballHead]

DESPITE claims? That implies that it goes against their complains of not being "direct competition." The DSi is still not going to be a phone or an mp3 player, which are what the iPhone and iPod are, respectively. So it's still true, this isn't direct competition. Oh no, a small hand-held PDA-like device that plays games and can connect to the internet. Apple is doomed. Nintendo is lying by claiming they aren't directly competing with Apple...

Oh boy

[Anonymous Coward]

Now my daughters will have a new way to put their Dad in the poor house. Thank you Nintendo for bringing the joy of gaming to children everywhere and a new line item on millions of families budgets!

Seriously - this is great news, as the DS has always been one of the coolest little gadgets and it's potential is incredible beyond gaming.

Typical selective tech reporting

[Nephroth]

This is a minor gripe of mine, media doesn't really understand technology so they get some rough approximation of how things work and run with it

The DS plays games, the iPhone can play games, they are both immensely popular and have touch screens, therefore they must be competitive products.

If you look, you'll find similarly misinformed articles that act as though the iPhone was the first device to have a touch screen, or the first to have an application portal, or the first to play games. Misunderstandings like this are all over the internet and are a clear example of news outlets attempting to get some manner of readership by simply talking about something popular. It doesn't do justice to the devices in question, and it helps to perpetuate the general level of misinformation that most people have about devices that are rapidly becoming an important part of their lives.