Nintendo’s Project Cafe is garnering much more attention than even Apple devices for gamers in the lead up to E3 next week, Nielsen found in a study on Friday. Although Nintendo has only acknowledged that a future system exists, 47 percent knew it was coming and 27 percent planned to buy one within half a year of it being available. Only 39 percent knew that Apple would have a new iPad, and 18 percent were willing to buy one shortly after it arrived.
Future game consoles also didn’t generate as much commitment, including an eventual Xbox 360 sequel (25 percent) or the Sony NGP/PlayStation Vita (13 percent). Demand for new iPod touch and iPhone devices was only slightly higher than the Vita at 16 percent and 15 percent respectively, although anticipation of a sequel to the just-launched 3DS was lower at 13 percent who would be ready to buy.
Nintendo did face obstacles in getting acceptance from multi-console gamers. Of those who already had a Wii and another system, slightly more were interested in replacing an existing PS3 or Xbox 360 with its eventual sequel rather than the Nintendo system. The number willing to jump in may depend on Project Cafe itself, which is much faster and rumored to return to gamepads but with large touchscreens and cameras.
The mobile interest should be a major cause og concern for Nintendo and Sony, both of whom have been losing sales quickly in the past few years as smart phones have become mainstream gaming platforms. Their usefulness beyond gaming, much more frequently updated hardware and cheaper games have been difficult for the DS series and 3DS to overturn. Both the 3DS and Vita are dependent on features that won’t be common on a phone or a tablet, such as glasses-free 3D or the Vita’s five-inch OLED screen
