Opinion: Nintendo v Apple in handheld war

Introducing in the red corner, from Kyoto, Japan, aged 121, having sold 470 million consoles and 2.7 billion games, manufacturer of the DS, he is the reigning King of the Videogame Ring...

Nin-ten-do!

And his opponent, in the blue corner, from Cupertino, USA, aged 34, having sold 260 million iPods, 50 million iPhones, 35 million iPod touches, one million iPads and four billion iTunes apps, he is the #1 contender...

Ap-ple!

Not so long ago, Apple's elegantly crafted and brilliantly white products were exclusively the preserve of graphic designers, website developers and other rich folk.

Then the iPod hit, an atom bomb dropped onto the cities of Consumer Electronics Ville and Digital Music Land.

Almost nine years have passed since that initial explosion and via the iPhone OS, Apple, has, perhaps by accident, recently become a viable player in the highly competitive world of portable video gaming.

Thanks to the one-two combination of multi-touch screen and accelerometer, plus bite- (Tyson, eat your ear out) size nature and pricing of games, the iPhone has established itself quickly in the handheld ring upon the launch of the App Store in 2008.

Like any prize-fighter worth his salt though, Nintendo, as the incumbent champion of this weight division isn’t ready to concede defeat quite yet, slip away gracefully and open a pub in Northampton.

No siree, Steve.

After finally conceding that the iPhone and iPod touch aren’t merely figments of the imagination of 85 million sales, and that they are now, alongside the iPad, “the enemy of the future”, Nintendo’s president is prepping a counter-punch to the Cupertino clan.

By at least acknowledging the threat that these iDevices potentially pose, the Japanese games’ giant has reached the next stage of its rehabilitation: The response.

If you were wondering what finally precipitated this acknowledgement, look no further than Ninty’s recent earnings call.

For the first time in six years profits are down at Mario HQ and a swift riposte in the handheld gaming arena is needed.

Attempting to kill two birds with one stone then, the 3DS, due to be unveiled next month at E3, may answer both the criticism recently levelled at Nintendo for failing to innovate in the portable sphere and combat the increasing piracy of DS software.

What's more important in the medium term however is whether Nintendo will try to actively target the teen and older demographic that Apple now owns when it comes to portable gaming.

If not, like many heavyweights before, it will have lost the bout long before the bell for the final round is rung.