Why an Apple game system would be bad news for Nintendo

The Apple rumor mill is always hyperactive, but one very persistent rumor is that Apple is going into the gaming business. Personally, I can't see them make a console any time soon, but gaming could very well be one of the cornerstones of the mythical Apple Television that everybody is expecting in the near future (or an extension of the existing AppleTV concept). After all, a large part of their iOS revenue stream comes from the thriving mobile games market, with literally millions of games being downloaded each day.

Apple could conquer the big screen if they put
their bright minds to it.

By moving further into the video game market Apple will be going head to head with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Nintendo already feels the effect of mobile gaming on a daily basis. Their huge financial losses are for a large part the result of Apple stealing away the casual gaming crowds. 

Why buy a clunky Nintendo handheld when your mobile offers great games for a lot less and lets you play them on a powerful device you already carry with you all the time? Nintendo's success is mostly dependent on the fickle casual gaming crowds: people who don't know much about video gaming, parents buying familiar-looking games for their kids etc.

Apple tried it before with the Pippin,
but the world wasn't ready yet.

Of course, Nintendo still have a hard core of dedicated fans who will buy any game featuring plumbers, but compared to the masses of video gaming enthusiasts Sony and Microsoft attract with their more mature game series Nintendo's fanclub is shrinking quite steadily. The evidence is in the fact that Nintendo failed to sell any 3DS consoles prior to its draconian price cuts. If they hadn't slashed the price of the handheld, the handful of Nintendo Ambassadors wouldn't have had the critical mass to save the 3DS from certain doom.

At this moment, Apple are one of the few companies who truly understand what people want and need. If they manage to bring their excellent product experience to the gaming world it could spell trouble for the Wii U. Plenty of disappointed Nintendo gamers will be more than happy to move to Apple after the Wii failed to impress all but the youngest gamers and the blindest N-fanboys. Sony and Microsoft will survive thanks to their core gaming support, but Nintendo may eventually suffer or even be pressured by its investors to start making games for iOS. 

Ah well… Samus will probably look pretty sweet on a Retina display.