Nintendo has been aggressively expanding its gaming devices to do more than simply play games. The DSi is Nintendo’s latest attempt at eating away at some of Apple’s iPhone and App Store market share. Considering the sizable DS footprint Nintendo has, this plan could put a dent in Apple’s app strategy.

Nintendo is one of the most recognizable brands across the world as a video game giant. However, the company has subtly been trying to break into the mobile multimedia arena for some time with Nintendo’s handheld device such as the DS. Nintendo released software that has enhanced the capabilities of the DS over the years such as handwriting recognition and Internet browsing features.

With the release of the DSi, many have started to speculate that the company is gearing up to compete with Apple from the software and hardware side. The DSi has two cameras built in as well as enhanced multimedia capabilities for photo and music. According to Develop, Nintendo held a top secret developer’s conference in London to talk about the types of applications the company is interested in seeing developed.

The company wants developers to create small handheld applications that can provide value to the DSi. These applications can then be purchased via the DS Shop and DSi Ware. This is Nintendo’s app strategy to take on existing models that are out there.

Apparently, Nintendo is keeping a close eye on Apple’s App Store. The company is also well aware of the fact that the Apple App Store has over 25,000 different games and software available to the consumer. Nintendo is also looking at different ways to implement the touch screen, microphone and camera together to bring new experiences to the consumers. With over 100 million Nintendo DSs sold worldwide, this strategy could give Apple something to worry about.

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Entry was posted on Saturday, April 4th, 2009 at 6:39 pm under Media players, Technology.

Read more entries by Mike Ferro.
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