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3DS Lead: Nintendo Is Not Competing With iPhone Games

by Phil Kollar on Mar 21, 2011 at 11:50 AM

Despite previous words from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime suggesting that Apple is the company's biggest concern, Nintendo 3DS project lead Hideki Konno has stated that the publisher is not worried about competing with the low cost and ethereal nature of most iOS games.

Speaking with Gamasutra, Konno said that Nintendo is more concerned with increasing game quality than matching the low or non-existent prices of the majority of iOS games. Konno explained that a cheaper pricing structure does not lend itself to the kind of games that Nintendo wants to focus on:

"I'd be really excited to see a great game at a really cheap price, but I just don't think that you could make a game that's immersive and as big as, let's say Call of Duty, or any other large title, and sell it at that price point; it's just not possible."

Konno reiterated that he doesn't think mobile games are "worthless," but he also doesn't think people mind paying a higher price for deeper games that the 3DS will offer:

"...as a game developer I've put my heart into what I create, and I'm hoping that what I'm putting out there is something that people will be engaged by and entertained by. And as a consumer, I want the same thing. If I go and I see a game that interests me and I think I want to play it, I don't mind the fact that I have to pay a reasonable price for it."

Has the rise of apps and iOS gaming made you less excited for Nintendo's next dedicated handheld device?