Nintendo's Reggie on competing with Apple, Zynga, and others for time

tinycartridge:

Forbes has an interesting article on what Nintendo views as its competition — not other platforms like the Xbox 360 or PS3 but anything that takes time away from gaming:

Content. Ask Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime what gives Nintendo an edge and he’ll talk about content. And Nintendo needs all the edge it can get. Competitors are everywhere.

“It’s all about time,” Fils-Aime said during a stop by Forbes’ San Francisco offices Thursday. “I compete with Zynga, I compete with surfing the net, I compete with the newspaper.”

Oh, and then there’s Apple. … “Do I think that in the near term they can hurt us more than Microsoft?” Fils-Aime says. “Absolutely.”

Here’s where Nintendo has an edge, Fils-Aime says. The iPod and iPhone are great for casual games like Angry Birds that provide a welcome distraction. Games on the Nintendo DS, by contrast, can consume.

Fils-Aime admits he’s spent 150 hours playing Nintendo’s Dragon Quest.

Yes, this. This is the argument I’ve tried to make when people compare Nintendo to Apple and Zynga. I have some fun games on my iPhone but the ones I buy for $30 to play on my Nintendo DSi are EXPERIENCES. I spend a lot more time with them, they offer much more to do, and I remember them much better. Nintendo isn’t going anywhere and I’m excited to see them taking such a proactive, wise approach to competing with threats like Apple and Zynga.