Nintendo Offering Conversion Software to Mobile App Devs?

[JMcEntegart]

Could smartphone apps give the Wii U the boost it needs?

Nintendo Offering Conversion Software to Mobile App Devs? : Read more

 

[InvalidError]

Slap an Android JRE on the Wii-U.
That would make the Wii-U compatible with most Android apps that do not require any phone/tablet-specific hardware or use of NDK. Touch can be emulated using Wiimotes and a button.
If Nintendo wants to get mindshare, they have to offer things no other console manufacturer currently plans to offer. The ability to run Android apps could be one of those.

 

[koga73]

As someone who owns a Wii U the tablet is great but the problem is the system only supports up to 2 tablets and currently there are no games that utilize both. My real problem with the Wii U is the Wiimotes. It's just now how I want to play games. While it's great for motion I'd much rather use a standard controller. Unfortunatly not enough games are compatible with controllers other than the Wiimote. There also aren't many games out specific to the Wii U.

 

[linkgx1]

Shouldn't Nintendo have done this before? I mean seriously, they half-assed something things. They had a GREAT oppurtunity to jump on the tableto craze...but meh.

 

[kinggraves]

Nintendo's trying to widen it's indie standing by bringing in mobile ports. Not a bad idea actually. They didn't do it sooner because the immediate priority was to speed up the Wii U's menu load times, which they did.
I think people are missing the aim here. The WiiU gamepad does not have multitouch, and does have physical controls. Games designed around multitouch would not work well, but games designed for physical controls would. Mobile games using physical controls is actually an emerging trend pioneered by everything from Moga Pro to NVidia Shield. If they get it out quickly, this could be the most on top of things Nintendo has been for years. This doesn't compete with Apple, it competes with Ouya. Considering the platform I've heard this converts is iOS, there's a lot more games that could be converted than for competing Android solutions. Mobile games nearly always go to Apple first and Droid second.

 

[ddpruitt]

This could make things interesting. Either going Android or iOS would open up a new market, a market that Sony and MS wouldn't have. They could also use this as a stepping stone for smaller cheaper games on the Wii market.

 

[dalethepcman]

[quotemsg=10767705,0,125865]Slap an Android JRE on the Wii-U.
That would make the Wii-U compatible with most Android apps that do not require any phone/tablet-specific hardware or use of NDK. Touch can be emulated using Wiimotes and a button.
If Nintendo wants to get mindshare, they have to offer things no other console manufacturer currently plans to offer. The ability to run Android apps could be one of those.[/quotemsg]

This would be about the only thing Nintendo can do to save this console. Bribing developers to start designing for another mobile platform, especially one that has so few users is not a viable solution. This method puts Nintendo up against the Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Blackberry markets, all of which are substantially larger. Taking the BB approach of running android app's could be a saving grace, but I don't see Nintendo going this route.

 

[AidanRoberts]

Awesome. I can't wait. Wii and Android? I'm all tingly