Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo is currently in the process of constructing a more smartphone-friendly presence for Nintendo. Last week, in an Investor Q&A session, Iwata described how it is “embarrassing” that the Nintendo website is not optimized …
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo is currently in the process of constructing a more smartphone-friendly presence for Nintendo. Last week, in an Investor Q&A session, Iwata described how it is “embarrassing” that the Nintendo website is not optimized for smartphones, and there are plans underway to improve that by the end of the year.
Iwata also directed attention to the new Play.Nintendo website, for a demonstration of what smartphone users can expect from Nintendo’s smartphone-friendly face-lift.
Featuring large blocks with attention grabbing visuals and wording, the Play.Nintendo website looked great on my tablet when I loaded it up. It’s clear the site was built for both young gamers and their parents, but the layout certainly hints at what Nintendo has planned for future website layouts, and possibly apps.
Regarding apps, Iwata also discussed a new smartphone app that will utilize Nintendo’s iconic Mii avatars. The app was originally supposed to release in 2014, but Iwata said that, “We hope to release next year,” as Nintendo continues to polish the user-based experience. Iwata pointed to the success of the Miis as a marketing tool, even spawning an entire game based around them: Tomodachi Life.
No details beyond the inclusion of the Mii avatars were discussed, leaving us to speculate what it could possibly mean for gamers.
It would be awesome if the 3DS Street-Pass functionality was added into the app, allowing Mii’s to “meet” by being in close proximity to other app users and 3DS players. Friends list integration and messaging would be a great way to poke in and say hello to friends who are currently playing Pokemon while you’re on a lunch break at work. The possibilities are excitingly endless.
What about you? What would you want to see in Nintendo’s smartphone app?
