Nintendo Hangs Up on Super Mario Phone

[mjc0961]

See, I knew that at least Nintendo would be smart enough to not jump on the failure of a phone/portable gaming device combo. Sony and Microsoft are just shooting themselves in the foot with the stupid things. How many cell phones is one person generally going to have? One. Who is going to buy multiple phones just for games? Unless your name is maybe Donald Trump, Bill Gates, or Oprah and can afford to have more phones than common sense, you're only going to get one and that means smaller markets for both Sony and Microsoft to sell their games to.

Nintendo is smart to stay out of that crap and just stick with a great device centered around games first and other functions second instead of the other way around.

 

[David_G]

See, I knew that at least Nintendo would be smart enough to not jump on the failure of a phone/portable gaming device combo. Sony and Microsoft are just shooting themselves in the foot with the stupid things. How many cell phones is one person generally going to have? One. Who is going to buy multiple phones just for games? Unless your name is maybe Donald Trump, Bill Gates, or Oprah and can afford to have more phones than common sense, you're only going to get one and that means smaller markets for both Sony and Microsoft to sell their games to.

Nintendo is smart to stay out of that crap and just stick with a great device centered around games first and other functions second instead of the other way around.

Yeah, for some reason I don't think that Bill Gates will be a fan of the Sony phone.

 

[LitleWaffle]

Good for you Nintendo.

Now go make another mario game or something.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Sounds reasonable to me.

Yeah. This.

Frankly, I respect nintendo for this decision. They don't need to tread waters they can't handle, and a phone would probably complicate things for the company. The DS is a fine device with fun games, and works for them right now. Kudos, Nintendo.

Yay! They're not only greedy but they are smart

I suspect that with all the competition and the cost it takes to produce smart phones these days, Nintendo would have lost a lot of money everywhere (besides Japan). To tell you the truth, I was never enthusiastic for the idea in the first place.

Its good to seeing them stick to gaming.

 

[Mr. Fister]

I'm glad they're not going for the phone option. Implementing some sort of phone service would hurt their portable systems far too much. For one, it would severely compromise the structure, battery life, and capabilities of the DS. Instead of a sturdy pocket system with just a D-pad and some buttons that you could turn on and off, you'd have a clunky device with an awkward button setup that has to be kept on at all times, which automatically equals a shorter battery life. It'd also hurt the accessibility of their handhelds, something that has always proved advantageous for them. With a DS, all you have to do is a buy it at the store along with a game and you're good to go. With a phone, 9 times out of 10 you'll also have to sign a contract and select a provider, and could be a major deterrent if you're stuck with a provider that's expensive and/or has spotty coverage in your area.

Microsoft and Sony can toy around with the phone market as much as they want, but I'll be happy as long as Nintendo continues to make gaming their number one priority for all their handheld systems (and consoles).

 

[Snotnarok]

I can see their point but here's my view on it, most people only carry one device in their pocket and that's typically a phone...So if you want your games being played more maybe you should make your device that phone, or an option for it to be a phone.

 

[Yopaz]

Don't care much. I got a phone that's barely able to receive text messages and that's good enough for me. The best feature about it is that it can be used as a flashlight. I want my phones simple and cheap. Stick with the primary focus on games, Nintendo.

 

[Awexsome]

Stick with your guns Nintendo. Making some multi-function phone-gaming handheld wouldn't look too good for me since undoubtedly gaming would take a side-seat to promoting all of the said abomination's other features.

When it comes to handhelds I've still got my good ol' original DS Phat. Another quality thing about the Nintendo handhelds. You could drop them from a 3 story window and you could just wipe the dust off it and come out with a few scratches.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

/applaud

While it makes sense Sony and Microsoft (who already develop phones separate from their platforms) to work on a certain level of integration, it makes just as much sense for Nintendo not to waste the time and money.

Personally, if I want to game, I use a gaming device. I don't play on my phone. I usually keep one or two simple games (JewelQuest, Brick Breaker, Simon, PacMan etc) on my phone for when I'm bored and waiting on something away from home.

I'd rather see Nintendo keep doing what it does best: innovating the console and handheld market, not putting together gimmicks to jump on the bandwagon.