Starting Tuesday, September 13, Apple lovers and Mario lovers will come together in a confluence that is the first of its kind in the world. The beloved Mario character from Nintendo is now coming to the iPhone 7 and all older devices that upgrade to the brand new iOS 10 operating system from Apple. Dubbed Super Mario Run, the game offers some very cool features for iPhone 7 owners.
What’s significant about this announcement is that for the first time, Nintendo is allowing one of its games to be played on a non-Nintendo device. iPhone owners will be thrilled to know that the game can be played with one hand. How? Because this Mario is different from his former avatars in that he will keep moving to the right, called infinite run. All you need to do is control his jumping, which you can do in two ways. A single tap will make Mario jump, but a tap-and-hold will make him jump even higher.
Super Mario Run also has a new mode called Toad Rally, which allows you to compete with other players and beat their top scores. The game environment still has the old, favorite elements like enemy gorillas, gold coins for Mario to collect and add to his score, the familiar brick walls and shrubbery that are the hallmark of the Mario Bros. of years gone by. Mario’s iconic blue coveralls and red cap are still the same, but those familiar with the Super Mario Bros. game of the 80s will love the superior look and feel of the character on their brand new iPhone 7.
Apple Watch 2, on the other hand, gets another very popular game, Pokemon Go, which Apple users have been clamoring for, for some time now. The creators, Niantic, have already released version for Android, iOS and now watchOS 3 for Apple Watch series 2.
The biggest change for Nintendo is that it is now offering its software for other devices. The move will help them exploit synergies with other device makers, while they themselves keep experimenting with hardware. I’m talking about the Nintendo NX, a “hybrid” gaming console that can be played hand-held, on a stand with controllers or hooked up to your TV like a regular console game.
The Nintendo NX is a future-friendly product that acts as a tablet when playing in hand-held mode. You can also remove the controllers from either side of the screen and stand the screen up to go two-player mode. The product is codenamed NX but may launch under a different name when it is released in March 2017, but some sources say it may well be released at the Tokyo Games Show that starts on September 15, 2016. The NX is also expected to come with NVIDIA’s new Tegra X2 processor (not yet released.)
But Nintendo is playing its cards very close to its chest, so we’re not absolutely certain about the design aspects or even the release date. What we do know is what Nintendo says:
“We have the core technology…. We want to release something that can be played for long periods, carries value, and is affordable. We want parents to feel at ease.”
And there it is. Just because it is intended to be the future of hybrid gaming, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be affordable. Nintendo is well aware that there is a much broader market for its products than hardcore gamers, and that’s the market they’re essentially after. Of course, they’ll want to keep avid gamers engaged as well, and the NX will definitely do that with its higher-end models.
Now that they’re released Mario into the wide and open world of mobile operating systems, it’s very likely that we’ll see an Android version of Super Mario Run very soon. The game’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto as much as said this at the iPhone 7 launch when he mentioned that the game would come to iOS “first.”
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