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Comment by jzelinskie | Hacker News Reader

I'm fairly certain that Nintendo is simply scared to release their IP on a platform that they do not control. The last (and only) time they did was the Phillips CDI which they now entirely cease to acknowledge. That and the fact that their IP drives the sales of their hardware.

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It's almost as if Nintendo and Apple have very similar cultures that cause them to always act as iconoclasts, choosing formats and channels different from their competition, and betting big on innovation. It's remarkable how both the original Wii and iPhone were both released within a year of each other. What I don't understand is why both companies like to use the same distinctive off-white color. Maybe it makes their products look like porcelain, something classical and timeless.

Well it's clearly a strategy which has worked for them, and they stick to what they know works.

A pure white color is notoriously hard to manufacture well, even with expensive equipment, or so I've heard.

Yeah, I have always chuckled at the irony that the apple followers criticize Nintendo for not releasing its IP on other platforms. Because, of course, I can install OS X on my custom computer and Safari on my Android.

The strategy of Nintendo makes as much sense as Apple's, and anyway, I have always though that it is far more likely for Nintendo to launch an Android smartphone where you could play their games (And only there).

CDI may have been the last time they released their IP on a platform they do not control, but they have done this more than once. An example would be Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600.

Nintendo also released PC software, e.g. Mario Teaches Typing. And they've released a Pokédex for iOS.

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