Nintendo Okie

Have you ever noticed how Nintendo and Apple have a lot in common?  This epiphany hit me right before the DSi came out.  I was discussing the name DSi with a friend and I mentioned how it sounds like a backwards Apple product, because of the lower case i.  I then began to think of other similarities.  They both make very sleek, simple hardware.  The Wii and DS Lite were only available in white when they first launched while white seems to be the only color for Apple products.  For some reason Nintendo products have a strong functionality with AAC file formats, which is a default file extension for Apple software.

Both companies have similar business strategies as well.  Both Apple and Nintendo define themselves as being pioneers with their hardware.  Now that I think about it, they both seem to get away with making less than stellar products at times.   Think of the Wii.  Now I am not saying that it is a bad product, but in an age where gaming focuses on graphical presentation, the Wii doesn’t live up to the expectations of the masses.  Just think about all the Wii HD rumors you hear.  You don’t hear these kind of rumors about the PS3 or 360.  What still boggles my mind is how the weakest of the three consoles is the most popular.

I remember when I first bought an mp3 player I spent a lot of time researching several different products.  The iPod, of course, was one of them.  Keep in mind this was ten years ago, but I quickly came to the conclusion that iPods were overpriced garbage.  I found numerous reviews that ranted about how fragile and unreliable the product was.  I was shocked.  For double the price of other mp3 players, how could the most popular product on the market be so flawed?  I ended up buying a Dell mp3 player instead.  Unfortunately that player was destroyed by humidity on a trip to New Orleans, but the replacement I received as a warranty claim is sitting beside me now, fully functional.  For those of you that listen to the podcast, you know that I have an iPhone now.  This isn’t because I am unhappy with my old mp3 player.  It is so old, and far unsupported by Dell, that it will not work with my copy of Windows 7.

Both the iPod and Wii seem to fly off the shelves because they are the “in” thing to do.  No, that can’t be right can it?  I realize that advertising is powerful but it can’t be the sole reason for the popularity of these products.  The Wii opened gaming to people intimidated by a controller with 22 different buttons on it.  It created a simpler gateway for families to gather and enjoy games together.  The iPod nearly single handedly launched the digital distribution revolution with its iTunes functionality.  These are the reasons for their popularity right?

Here is another similarity that might give you goose bumps.  Both companies are releasing a new product that is an old product in a bigger shell, Nintendo with the DSi XL and Apple with the iPad.  Not only that but these products have less functionality than their more petite siblings.  The DSi XL, while having plenty of room for the required hardware, does not support Game Boy Advanced games as the original DS does.  The iPad does not have a built in camera like the iPhone does.  These seem to be missed opportunities to me.  I guess if Apple or Nintendo add as much functionality as possible into their products, they would have to find better reasons to release new and improved versions after twelve months.

I have heard rumors before that Apple and Nintendo are going to announce some sort of partnership.  As interesting as that might be, I don’t think it will ever happen.  Both companies are very set in their ways and any sort of merger would probably just upset the balance.  The truth is that they don’t need each other’s help.  Last I checked, Nintendo and Apple are making quite a bit of money.  They have been around for a while now and neither one is going anywhere soon.  In preparing for this article, I have started thinking of Nintendo as the Japanese counterpart for Apple, and vice versa.  I feel very confident in saying that there won’t be an i tacked onto the next Nintendo product.  Well, not in the front anyway.