Microsoft Developing Games For Nintendo DS 53
DerekJones writes "This week, evidence surfaced confirming that Microsoft is indeed developing games for the DS. It came in the form of two job listings on the official Web site for Rare Ltd., the Britain-based developer of Conker: Live and Reloaded for the Xbox and Perfect Dark Zero for the Xbox 360. Given that Nintendo's handhelds are its main source of revenue, Microsoft creating new content for the DS would be giving ammunition to its archrival in the current- and next-generation console wars."
Archrival? Hardly. (Score:2, Insightful)
Are You Experienced? (Score:5, Insightful)
At the moment, Nintendo is the leader in the portable market. The road is littered with machines made by Nintendo's competitors that failed. Microsoft, at the moment, knows nothing about portable consoles, and has no experience. If they were to try right now to produce a handheld X-Box, the attempt might be successful, but it would more likely end in miserable failure. By working with Nintendo, they are gaining experience regarding how running a portable console works. And they're making a profit while they're doing it. In 2-3 years, they'll know quite a bit about how and why GameBoy and the DS are successful. Then, if they feel like it, they can use their knowledge to produce their own handheld. Combine the knowledge they'll have gained with Microsoft's resources and ability to tie into the X-Box and PC market, and they stand a good chance of succeeding where Sega, Atari, and many others have failed.
This is not that big of a deal (Score:3, Insightful)
However, it now appears that Microsoft may be crazy like a fox. This week, evidence surfaced confirming that the company is indeed developing games for the DS.
One word: No. Microsoft is not crazy. Considering that Microsoft is not in the handheld business producing games on a handheld system of a competitor does not hurt them any. This only can add a little bit of profit for them if the game does well.
Additionally, Microsoft gets to choose which handheld they want to support. Since Microsoft seems to be gearing up for a direct confrontation between the Xbox 360 and the PS3, they obviously do not want to support Sony. Since Nintendo has a lower market share in the console division, Microsoft wouldn't feel as threatened by them.
Also, Rare developed a fair share of games for the Nintendo 64. While not all of these were the IP of Rare, I could easilly see a few DS rehashes of Conker's bad fur day and Perfect Dark on the DS. They've still got the code for the 64 versions of those games and a little bit of reworking could get them two games that are likely to do well. Considering their recent dry spell and their lack of any other exciting titles coming out (the next Perfect Dark doesn't look very good at the moment) they need to put something out the door to make some money.
I think this works out well for everyone involved. Rare gets to produce some games that have the potential to sell well. Nintendo gets some games that might sell more DS systems. Gamers get some more games that have the potential to be worth buying.
Re:An FU to Sony (Score:1, Insightful)
Seeing what Rare has since put out, I can't say that Nintendo made a bad decision.
Procedure: (Score:2, Insightful)
2) Nintendo again has no competitor in the handheld market
3) Microsoft enters the handheld market
The DS is becomming Unstopable (Score:1, Insightful)
"Few could have imagined it, but the DS is becoming the most significant new console in Japan since the PS2. What started as a rumbling -- with great novelty games such as Wario and XX/YY -- has recently turned into a full-scale dual-screen uprising led by Electroplankton and Nintendogs. For the past month or so, the DS has been outselling all other hardware (including the PS2 and PSP) and its software is performing equally well. To date, there are around 2.5 million DS owners in Japan."
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/629/629905p1.html [gamespy.com]
In a lot of ways the DS may be a sign of things to come with the Nintendo Revolution. To start off games that are developed for it are nearly imposible to port to other platforms and yet it can still have games from other platforms ported to it; it is a platform where the Best Ideas seem to be surviving, not just the games that have the largest budget; and it provides simple methods to interact with games that are easy to pick up and understand. In general everything Iwata or Myiamoto have said about the Revolution is also true of the Nintendo DS.
Nintendo may (or may not) succeed at changing the current direction of videogames (and develop new markets); but regardless of the outcome I think that most people will agree that the attempt is needed and that the industry will benefit.
I have seen several people write that if Nintendo fails with their Revolution that we could soon see a colapse in the market. I don't know whether this is true or not but I suspect that if gamers reject inovation in place of bland generic videogames we may see an outcome that is similar to what the movie industry is facing; the focus on 'Big Budget Blockbusters' that are essentially pretty garbage (for example Starwars Episodes 1-3) is what is shrinking the demand, and thus the box office tallies, for movies.
Isn't this how they got Apple? (Score:3, Insightful)
This whole thing reminds me of how M$ originally got Apple. They come along offering to make software for their hardware just to get a good peek inside and then take all the info they need and then use it to make a competing product.