Nintendo will have to port its games to other platforms – and it will likely happen inside two years, claim analysts.
"Nintendo has to deal with the change and let Mario games be played on non-Nintendo devices," said Nanako Imazu, an analyst for the brokerage firm CLSA in Tokyo, in an interview with the New York Times. "I think it will take at least couple of years to see that."
Unlike its '90s console rival Sega, Nintendo has so far resisted porting its games to other platforms, instead opting to push its own hardware – including the Nintendo 3DS and upcoming Wii U.
The Wii U's success or failure is crucial, according to analysts – with Ninty likely to have a year to push the console before the next PlayStation and Xbox consoles arrive on the scene.
David Gibson, a Tokyo-based analyst for Australian bank Macquarie, reckons the Wii U will have to fail in order to force a change at the top that will enable Nintendo to port its games to other platforms – and we won't know whether the console can be considered a success for a couple of years yet.
Come on, Nintendo – the people want to play Super Mario Bros on their iPhones with the iCade 8-Bitty. Make it happen.
