Opinion: Forbes comparing Apples to oranges with iPhone replacing DS theory
by at June 19, 2008 9:13 pm
Sections: Cell-Phones, DS & DSi & DSi XL, Features, Handhelds, Handhelds-Other, Opinions, Originals, PCs, PCs-Other, Smartphones, Windows
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Caulfield wrote:
The iPhone could never replace a good old fashion handheld gaming system like the Nintendo DS. Let’s face it, cellular phones are still a new gadget for the local communities to use to communicate with families and friends. It was already bad enough that as soon as you purchase one brand of phone to use with your service that you realize its already out of date and you probably can’t find batteries for it anymore.
Some of us are barely capable of talking on the cell while driving at the same time with or without a hands-free device. I know, I’m the one in their rear-view mirrors raging behind the wheel. Text messaging came along next as well as the deterioration of the English language with text talk. I have only one game on my cellphone and it is unplayed. The screen is too small to see and the buttons even smaller, which is aggravating when you have large fingers and are pressing direction buttons positioned around the often larger “Menu” or “Select” button.
Honestly, do we need any more distractions than our phone’s ability to play a game? It’s bad enough paying attention to the road and where we’re walking without being distracted by a game on my phone. Taking a look at the Nintendo DS. How can it even compare? The screens on the DS are much larger that those of a cellphone, wider and can take more beating (even with constant pecking with a plastic stylus). People (yeah, that includes kids) are more careful with a cellphone than they are with their DS. Tap the heck out of a game on your phone’s screen and it takes almost $40 to repair the little thin plastic screen. Who wants to read phone numbers through scratches, chips and streaks? If they do manage to make a phone that’s durable and can withstand violent tappings of the pen to move around in a game like Space Invaders that would be great, but what quality do we sacrifice in the process?
Sure we may pay less than $10 per game, but what do we have to give up in its place? Compact size, cost or usability as a phone? Face it. The screens on a regular cellphone are tiny and the screens on the current iPhones are only slightly larger but the phone itself is a little larger so the compact size is teetering. The face of an iPhone is practically all screen (see picture). The other downside would be, that phone will most likely cost more than the Nintendo DS just to have the ability to play these on the phone without locking up every time someone calls you.
I’m not saying that its a bad idea, but it isn’t the greatest one either. I’m just confused as to how Forbes would even think that the iPhone would even surpass the Nintendo DS. That really is comparing apples to oranges. And I’m not alone in finding this article ridiculous as a few Forbes readers left comments questioning this writer’s research abilities.
“What the heck is wrong with the person that wrote that article who in their right minds would believe that apple could take over the Nintendo DS thats being driven by the worlds most powerful gaming company …” wrote 555eden33.
Bapcha made a valid point when he wrote, “By the time Apple or Microsoft invents a Wii-Heavy [as opposed to Wii-Lite], Nintendo would have figured out a better way to attack the gaming market. In other words, Apple, MSFT and Sony are playing catchup – with Nintendo to develop “look – I seem like Wii” products – while Ninteno will do the next greatest thing to dominate gaming.”
Read [Forbes] Via [Game Daily]
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