Despite Nintendo's claims, Apple is a competitor

Apple and Nintendo aren’t competitors—at least that’s the story Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, is sticking to in his recent interview with the Wall Street Journal. According to Iawata, the two companies cater to very different markets, and thus any direct comparisons make him “uncomfortable.” Despite his comments, though, the two are not only in direct competition, but the iPhone OS devices may be the future of the portable gaming market.

While there have been cell phones with games for many years, there has rarely been a device that has been able to do both functionalities well. In the past, mobile ports of popular games have been terrible at best, meaning that individuals who wanted both functionalities had to carry around multiple devices. But no one wants to carry around numerous pieces of tech—if someone already has to carry around a phone, that person would much rather do gaming on that device if the capabilities were there.

Nintendo certainly has developed a new core demographic on the success of its Wii console. The company’s once core demographic—the individuals who grew up on Nintendo’s 8-bit systems, upgraded to 16-bit and eventually replaced that with 64-bit—are now in their 30s and feeling the pressures of societal norms. After all, a 35-year-old who carries around a dedicated gaming device isn’t always taken seriously. With the shrinking amount of free time that 30-somethings enjoy, whipping out a DS between meetings to play a deep, immersive RPG just isn’t an option. The cell phone is accepted by society, however, and can offer stealth gaming time.

Nintendo’s new core demographic is made primarily of young people who have been roped in by the success of the Wii. Unfortunately, if you are a Nintendo fan, the company ended up screwing the pooch with regard to Wii/DS integration and tie-ins. Add to this the fact that cell phones are being carried by younger and younger individuals, and it seems that kids are more likely to play a game on a phone than a dedicated gaming device.

Kids also have parents doing the purchasing. If a parent is already buying a phone, they might as well get one that plays games adequately, plays music, and is a fashion statement to boot. Savings from significantly cheaper games are another strong selling point for the iPhone, despite the monthly fees.

If you throw in Nintendo’s quickly aging properties, it’s hard to see how the two companies aren’t in competition. Apple may be the future of portable gaming after all.