[FlamingCobra]

Apparently Big N is going to get into the mobile market. According to some articles, Nintendo is slated to introduce its own tablet and begin putting games on smartphones. Personally I think this is a good move. What does Hard-Light have to say?

[CKid]

Hasn't Nintendo always been moblie with its 3DS, Gameboy, etc?

[Mobius]

Not surprised, not surprised at all. Mobile apps and games have a lot of potential and are still progressing; I'm afraid they may pose a serious threat to portable consoles in the near future. Nintendo is simply adapting.

For example, I'm playing Final Fantasy III on my phone (actually it's a remake of the original FFIII) and both in terms of gameplay and graphics it's comparable to a PSP or 3DS game. Who knows what's going to happen in the next couple years.

By the way, going mobile doesn't mean reducing net income. The games themselves are cheap, but most of them have in-app purchases leading players to spend money over time. I think I already spent 40€ (approx. 60$) playing Jurassic Park Builder, which is a lot considering that I haven't bought a tangible product... I'm simply adding stuff to a game I downloaded which may be deleted at any time.

OK, I admit I'm into mobile gaming, please don't kill me. 

[StarSlayer]

Their mobile game platforms are the only ones generating solid revenue while the WiiU has so far turned out to be a dud.  It's possible they might move quite a bit of there resources out of consoles and invest fully in handhelds, especially since their home market has been seeing a shift towards portable gaming.

[yuezhi]

Is it to early to say Nintendo is finished?

[Scourge of Ages]

The articles linked in the OP indicate that N is not likely putting full games on mobiles, but demos (probably bare-bones ones) and ads on mobile. Possibly some smaller games and other apps, to attempt to convert mobile gamers into Nintendo gamers who will buy actual systems.

[Klaustrophobia]

Is it to early to say Nintendo is finished?

yes

[Mobius]

Is it to early to say Nintendo is finished?

yes

Why would Nintendo be finished?

[The E]

Because they're losing ground in the big console market.

The Wii-U, by all accounts, is a console marketed at a demographic that isn't as large as Nintendo hoped (They tried to repeat the Wii's success model, market the console to people who are not core gamers, and use first party titles to keep up appearances), and saddled down with a lack of third party support.

The 3DS and its derivatives are the moneymakers for them at the moment, and THAT market is getting undercut by the smartphone and tablet market out there. Releasing versions of their games on those platforms, but not committing fully to them, is them trying to have their cake and eat it. They want to tap into the Android/iOS market, but they still want to do their main development on their own homebrew platform.

Nintendo isn't finished, no. Not by a long shot. But there's going to be quite a few changes in the way they go about their business, I think.

[Luis Dias]

Sooner will Sony get "finished" rather than Nintendo. While it is true that they are hurting, at least they are profitable, which is something that Sony hasn't been quite able to say since 2008.

[The E]

Indeed. Given that Sony's credit rating has just been downgraded, they have a lot riding on making the PS4 as profitable as possible as soon as possible (There's a reason why both the Xbone and the PS4 are basically standard x86 designs: Neither company can actually afford the R&D costs of a bespoke processor and chipset design right now).

[swashmebuckle]

Nintendo has more than enough money in the bank to last them through the Poképocalypse.

[Mikes]

Because they're losing ground in the big console market.

Yeah, no one needs a Wii-U ... except, Bayonetta 2 ... wah

[Mongoose]

Interestingly, the Wii U is the only current console I'm interested in owning.

[BloodEagle]

Even if Nintendo managed to empty their reserves and botch their credit, they'd still have the option of licensing their many valuable IPs.  In other words, they aren't going anywhere any time soon.

[StarSlayer]

I wouldn't say Nintendo is any immediate risk of collapse, they should still be sitting on quite a bit of cash, but it is possible they may refocus heavily on portable gaming.  That's currently where they are making their most revenue and its trending heavily in Japan. 

[FlamingCobra]

I think I read once that Iwata said that even if the Wii U is a total failure, they could "take another hit... or two... or three." (or something along those lines) So yeah, they're probably sitting on a mountain of cash.

[Luis Dias]

I think they are well allowed to make mistakes. It's not the first time they did so it will not be the end of them at all.

[Mongoose]

And while the Wii U is off to a pretty awful start, it's not cooked yet.  Smash Bros. and Mario Kart have historically been big system-movers, and I've seen more than a few people saying they're waiting on the release of one or both before finally buying.

[ssmit132]

And while the Wii U is off to a pretty awful start, it's not cooked yet.  Smash Bros. and Mario Kart have historically been big system-movers, and I've seen more than a few people saying they're waiting on the release of one or both before finally buying.

That's true for me. Heck, the main reason I got the original Wii was because of Mario Kart and Smash Bros.