I know, but it's just great to hear him talking about having a core 'app store' that all their devices can play.
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Nintendo's next platform will run Android. Here's why.
- Thread starter Tadaima
- Start date
I know, but it's just great to hear him talking about having a core 'app store' that all their devices can play.
NeOak
Member
Exactly.
Nintendo is a company that takes many precautions. Plus, they did not rule out the porting of their smartphone games to their core platforms, which will be a sensible and highly strategic move by the company.
Point 2 discusses the availability of Nintendo-developed smartphone games on their platforms. I am sorry if this was confused with the porting of any Android software.
This does not mean direct access to the Android marketplace. Apps developed for Android can be easily-ported to Nintendo's platform and sold on their eShop. Also, those with experience of developing apps for Android now know how to write code for Nintendo's platforms, which is not something that exists today (unless you have used Unity).
We do not know a lot about the architecture DeNA is building, but we do know that they are intending to use their services across multiple platforms, which includes Android. Therefore, by using Android as the basis for their new operating system, the work is already partially (if not almost entirely) complete.
Point 3 is a technical advantage, while point 2 is a content-bolstering advantage that comes directly from point 3. Note that point 3 also mentions the advantage of sharing assets and libraries from the core business with those working on mobile.
That solves no issues though. Their goal is to bring you into their ecosystem and sell you hardware and software. Nintendo wants you to buy both.
What if one of the connectivity options allows you to stream your 4DS/NX games through the home console wirelessly? What if there are many benefits to owning both?
megatronium
Member
If I was a member, I PROMISE I wouldn't make threads like this 
Chopper Dave
Member
There are Nintendo fans who don't want Nintendo portables but are willing to buy consoles. These people exist and that is all there is to it. Who cares if you think they are weird? Nintendo's platform will look considerably worse to people who prefer consoles or dislike portables. A "console" running on Nintendo's handheld hardware through some HDMI dock is not what these people want either. The device being on par with WiiU would be best case scenario. I already have a WiiU. I want an upgrade to the stuff I already own to convince me to shell out another $300.
NeOak
Member
Oh great. More speculations.
Which is why they will make their own OS or use something more secure.
We know nothing.
And again, you think that because using an SDK that should mean they should work on developing on using that same OS.
I didn't say I was happy to buy more hardware, I said Mario Kart 8 sold me a WiiU even though I own a 3DS. As someone posted, half of Nintendo's profit comes from hardware, and that's this generation with Nintendo selling stuff at a loss for the first time ever (and WiiU being a massive bomba). Nintendo will do what's profitable for them, not what's cost-effective for me as a consumer :/ Just like every other company out there.
It solves a ton of issues. It lowers the barrier for people wanting premium Nintendo experiences(allowing them to sell more software), it frees up resources(allowing them to make more software), it gets them third party support for their console.
The bolded pretty much goes counter to Iwata's point about having to explain the hooks. Also sharing a library doesn't mean there won't be incentives for owning both.
Also streaming a handheld game to a console is completely counter-intuitive especially if they are running the same architecture. The home console should be able to run those games natively.
Jodast
Member
Some points against a Nintendo Android based OS.
1. Games will not necessarily increase by simply having Android as the OS. Most Android software uses Google's closed source APIs and services and those will NOT be on Nintendo's OS. So in effect, games will have to be ported to Nintendo's platform anyway.
2. The reason why Google's services will NOT be on Nintendo's Android fork is that Google's services are all or nothing. Want anything from Google on Nintendo's OS, even services to make things easier to port? Nintendo better be prepared to allow the Google Play store on their hardware. Now Nintendo has to compete against Google on their own hardware.
3. Nintendo could follow Amazon and recreate all of the missing APIs and services so apps can be easily ported, but then that becomes a nightmare. First, they're basically writing chunks of their own OS anyway and secondly, Nintendo would have to keep up with any changes Google make to their APIs and their is no evidence Nintendo would be effective at this. Amazon certainly struggle.
4. Any games that Nintendo develop for mobile platforms would be tied in to Google Play services and wouldn't even be initially compatible with their own Android version. Any idea of sharing code between mobile and handheld/console would be difficult at best.
5. Software support has more to do with hardware strength and sales than it does with the OS support. Developers won't flock to Nintendo hardware just for running Android, especially when as mentioned they would either have to strip Google services out of their games or hope Nintendo has comparable APIs available and the sales won't be there compared to just dumping stuff on the Google Play store anyway. Developers aren't exactly throwing their games at Amazon's app store.
6. Open Handset Alliance members aren't allowed to build non-Google approved devices. Basically, a lot of manufacturers would not be allowed to supply hardware, whether that is a SoC or individual components. AMD isn't a member so this may not be the biggest issue, but get ready for higher hardware prices or lower hardware quality because of all the maneuvering that has to be done for non-OHA components that AMD can't supply. Renesas components on Nintendo Android based hardware? Not happening.
7. The platform can be locked down and made hard to root, but the possibility is always there. Unlike most Android devices, which are released for about a year and then retired, we are looking at three to five year life cycles and significant interest in the hardware. Both the Wii U and 3DS have been hacked within a couple of years of release with a handful of people, how long would it realistically take thousands of Android hackers to do the same?
I do apologise if I cover points that have been discussed to death, it took quite a while to type this out.
1. Games will not necessarily increase by simply having Android as the OS. Most Android software uses Google's closed source APIs and services and those will NOT be on Nintendo's OS. So in effect, games will have to be ported to Nintendo's platform anyway.
2. The reason why Google's services will NOT be on Nintendo's Android fork is that Google's services are all or nothing. Want anything from Google on Nintendo's OS, even services to make things easier to port? Nintendo better be prepared to allow the Google Play store on their hardware. Now Nintendo has to compete against Google on their own hardware.
3. Nintendo could follow Amazon and recreate all of the missing APIs and services so apps can be easily ported, but then that becomes a nightmare. First, they're basically writing chunks of their own OS anyway and secondly, Nintendo would have to keep up with any changes Google make to their APIs and their is no evidence Nintendo would be effective at this. Amazon certainly struggle.
4. Any games that Nintendo develop for mobile platforms would be tied in to Google Play services and wouldn't even be initially compatible with their own Android version. Any idea of sharing code between mobile and handheld/console would be difficult at best.
5. Software support has more to do with hardware strength and sales than it does with the OS support. Developers won't flock to Nintendo hardware just for running Android, especially when as mentioned they would either have to strip Google services out of their games or hope Nintendo has comparable APIs available and the sales won't be there compared to just dumping stuff on the Google Play store anyway. Developers aren't exactly throwing their games at Amazon's app store.
6. Open Handset Alliance members aren't allowed to build non-Google approved devices. Basically, a lot of manufacturers would not be allowed to supply hardware, whether that is a SoC or individual components. AMD isn't a member so this may not be the biggest issue, but get ready for higher hardware prices or lower hardware quality because of all the maneuvering that has to be done for non-OHA components that AMD can't supply. Renesas components on Nintendo Android based hardware? Not happening.
7. The platform can be locked down and made hard to root, but the possibility is always there. Unlike most Android devices, which are released for about a year and then retired, we are looking at three to five year life cycles and significant interest in the hardware. Both the Wii U and 3DS have been hacked within a couple of years of release with a handful of people, how long would it realistically take thousands of Android hackers to do the same?
I do apologise if I cover points that have been discussed to death, it took quite a while to type this out.
If you want to counter the arguments in the OP, then present material that does so.
You are putting words into my mouth. I did not say Android is fast-moving. I said it is better-supported than Nintendo's own OSes.
You need to read my posts a little closer. I was pointing out the fact that those operating systems have been "hacked to hell and back" (to quote my post exactly), and yet the layers built on top of them have prevented PS4 and Xbox One from yet being hacked.
I work in software development. Forking a repo and starting on some code is something just about anybody can do.
You cannot retract code licensed as "open source" once you have licensed it as such. This is nothing to do with Apache. Android is open source, and continues to remain that way. Even if Google decide to close-source it, they cannot retract the code that is already out there.
I would really appreciate it if you were to quit with the condescending remarks and focus on the discussion.
I'm sure most of the people in this thread would appreciate if you would stop conveniently ignoring any good argument against your case.
When I think of connectivity I think of their long history prior to the Wii with the Super Game Boy, N64 Transfer Paks, GBA adapter and GBA to GC link cables. There are many ways they can go about doing that. Smart phones can even communicate with smart TVs and transfer gameplay to play on a big screen.
For video streaming, Nintendo has been doing well with it, like with the Wii U gamepad, just needs more improvements for that sort of thing.
They could also make a peripheral. But I don't think everything will be cross-buy. something like Smash could be cross-buy and something like a new Four Swords Adventures could be cross-buy.
Their next systems will be hardware and software aligned so that this is a possibility, something that they've always had difficulty with and had trouble capitalizing on will finally be much easier to do.
I have not knowingly ignored anything. There are more than 250 posts so I can't reply to everything, but I have tried to counter various points here and there from multiple posters. I'm sorry, but I have been trying to write decent responses in my posts at a good pace, but it takes some time.
It's almost 8am here in Tokyo and I have to work. But I'm glad to see there's discussion kicking off on both sides of the fence. I'll try to get a peek at it later
hopefully before the lock
I'm never afraid to eat crow. If Nintendo goes with an Android based OS, I'll PayPal $2.47 USD to OP
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
You're asking people to not make factual statements without any evidence when the title of your thread is a factual statement without any evidence?
Come on...
Why do so many people feel so inclined to make such controversial titles? I understand websites who want clicks which means money, but here on a forum where your goal should be promoting discussion? I don't get it.
Excellent post agreed on many points and laid out better than what I was thinking.
Essentially
Android = Google's OS built on AOSP - Nexus devices software and what is licensed to OEM's(Play Store, Gapps).
AOSP = Opensource variant you find on github which manufacturers use to build their own version of Android(Sense, TouchWiz etc), opensource project like Cyanogenmod.
shark sandwich
tenuously links anime, pedophile and incels
NX can play Ouya games, all but confirmed.
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
You are aware sony are legally obliged to quote those licenses even if there's very little of the original code left, right?
I know orbis partially uses bsd tech, ergo the license references they are bound to quote (though I did not know it was exactly freebsd). That does not make it a <you-name-it>bsd. To call it a <you-name-it>bsd there should be a certain level of interoperability with other <you-name-it>BSDs, and that fact has not been established (no, neither the screenshots nor the licence quotes prove it). Just like my linux-based STB is not a debian (or any other established linux flavor), my firefoxos phone is not an android, and my ps3 is not a freebsd station either (yes, ps3 os was also based on freebsd).
It'll be waived off by the OP with more nonsense.
Actually, I thought that was a really great post. It's exactly what I was hoping to read, and I look forward to reading more of them on my return.
It should convince you that no, Nintendo will NOT be using Android. But I'd like to see you vomit more gibberish.
NeOak
Member
You mean the speculations? OK. I have written posts that you did not reply.
You imply it the way you write it. You do not know what is behind the OS Nintendo uses, and you haven't cared to check the OSS licenses for that.
Android is "better supported" because if it weren't, it would lose the lead vs iOS in terms of features and other stuff. It is not supported to be a game console OS and if it was forked, you think Nintendo would just port the new Android when it is released like that?
They would be the same for a security focused embedded system as they are doing for the Wii U/3DS.
Yet you said that PS3/4 runs Linux. PS3 has its own Custom OS and PS4 is based on OpenBSD.
They have vulnerabilities, but unlike the past, there is no desire to break their security because homebrew is not really a driving force like it was for other consoles.
They do not use Linux, which is what Android is based on, for security reasons.
You do? Because your argument is based on "they are using the SDK, so they should use Android OS for everything else" and your personal interpretation of what Iwata said.
Your knowledge seem to be lacking in software engineering, embedded systems and security.
But since we are taking out here the credentials, ok: I'm an Electrical Engineer that has worked on embedded systems and software engineering.
Oh, you mean use AOSP, which is in a state of disrepair because it is just a kernel and what makes Android now is all the apps that Google developed which used to be part of AOSP?
This is why your argument does not make sense: DeNA is going to develop for Google Play services, which to have in a device requires a contract with Google. If Nintendo uses AOSP, those APIs are not available unless they pay Google and sign a contract for using Google Play services on your fantasy forked OS.
Sony has Android phones and developed Playstation Mobile for Android. They went FreeBSD for the PS4.
After you tried to present speculation as fact and ignored arguments against your opinion? That is more condescending.
I'm sorry to make you repeat all that
I don' remember when it was but i've evolved on that hybrid thingy, even if maybe some of your arguments are still valid, but i don't agree, clearly.
It's clear that an hybrid, whether that would be two consoles with same games or a same os and some games on both ala vita/ps3 etc.. would be more problems than solutions and i don't see that working. Cause in that scenario, the home part of the "dual system" is still dead like the wiiu, for me.
I've accepted, in my case, that a Nintendo home console has absolutely no utility, except for some Nintendo "anti portable" fans (But i don't think they are a market anyway, and that's presicly why the WiiU is tanking bad, cause there are not enough Nintendo fans not happy enough with a 3ds). Some games like Smash Bros are better on a tv screen, sure, but look at this.. Most smash Bros users are now on portable, that's a fact, and that's true for every damn Nintendo ip. They all have their most selling, most popular entry on portable. Without saying that the best selling Nintendo ips are portable only.
So, accepting that fact, i'm not suggesting an hyprid or even two consoles. I'm suggesting one only portable, and that's it. Except that poratble has two sku, like the 3ds, and the 3ds xl. Except, why not make two skus that actually target different people, wouldn't it be more efficient ? So you have that normal size portable, and then you have that gamepad form factor of the same exact console.
And i'll say it again, even if we don't agree. That means the portable will be stronger than the 3ds (why ? cause more powerfull, with still the same great ips but now with "console graphics", for pokemon, monster hunter etc..). But that time as it's also more of a home conosle for people who want it, there are possibilities for port of AAA games on it. Cause Ubi soft would be happy to sell some shity port of Assassin's Creed to kids on Nintendo platforms, but they couldn't on 3DS cause it wasn't worth the effort. Now, with a "wiiu capable" console, two sticks, and a nice common environment, they can actually do that.
Also that portable can have "console" nintendo games, Metroid, large scale zelda etc.. Who wouldn't want that.
basically i'm saying portable are so damn good now, and nitnendo can do such a fully capable portable, that it's ENOUGH. Just let people who don't like the ergonomic of a small portable play with a large couch compatible version, and that's it
lukeskymac
Member
It's slow and unsecure. That reason enough for you?
Zeyphersan
Banned
Will it? Will it really?
Man even the first line comes straight outta your ass, even without the "all but confirmed" part
Storm Kyleis
Member
Wrong.
As they stated cleary, they are never going to port console games to smart devices. The same applies the other way around, because the controls are different.
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2015/150317/03.html
This entire premise would be pointless if NX had the same control scheme of a smart device.
Gambit1977
Banned
I can't imagine any backwards compatibility with a completely different OS.
Jawmuncher
Member
I just don't see it. However I could see something similar to PSmobile (despite that rumored to be going offline). OS that could allow android or the ease of porting android fare.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Nintendo's next platform will run iOS. Here's why:
Iwata likes iOS as a unified platform, and has praised it repeatedly. There have been rumors of Apple wanting to enter the console business for years now, and partnering with Nintendo is the golden opportunity. Both sides benefit heavily from this.
It's all but confirmed, guys
Iwata likes iOS as a unified platform, and has praised it repeatedly. There have been rumors of Apple wanting to enter the console business for years now, and partnering with Nintendo is the golden opportunity. Both sides benefit heavily from this.
It's all but confirmed, guys
maquiladora
Member
OP is suggesting a device that can play both dedicated hardware games and mobile games. Not ports.
NeOak
Member
You heard it here first!
Loool it certainly will be fun to laugh more
I love android/aosp to bits but as a dedicated gaming OS I don't see it happening anytime soon. None should it happen.
There are no flaws with your argument. Actually, we do know iOS is less affected by piracy, so it makes sense! Also, DS Lite had a very Apple-ish design. Plus iOS is more popular than Android in Japan, and Nintendo is a Japanese company. Japan's biggest platforms (3DS and iOS) becoming one is just a matter of time. Good luck debunking this perfect theory.
But the issue of third parties still remain. The list of third parties willing to support a Nintendo home console is tiny, and still shrinking.
Sharing a library with the handheld and leveraging JP third party support is the best solution I can think of, what's the alternative?
If they do nothing to ensure third party support it's dead on arrival anyway.
Muscle Wizard
Banned
Here's why: it worked wonders for the OUYA
NeOak
Member
Actually they never said their mobile efforts wouldn't be on their dedicated system. 3DS and Wii U already have a touch screen and gyro.
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
I was mainly working from the material the other poster had provided. That article's premise of 'look at these screenshots which prove that..' irked me some. Particularly in the context of this thread where people claim NX will be running android to the point of app-level compatibility (i.e. being able to run android games), posters mentioning how ps4 is running freeBSD got me slightly riled up, I got to admit.
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