Nintendo: We must 'differentiate' to survive against smartphones, tablets

Nintendo continues to not view Apple's range of devices as a threat to its DS line of portable hardware. Speaking to UK newspaper The Independent, company president Satoru Iwata said competition from the iPad and iPhone has not had a major effect on the success of Nintendo's portable devices.

"I don't think this is a central factor, I think it's much more about our lack of ability to release software in a timely matter that will motivate people to go out and buy our gaming hardware," Iwata said.

Nintendo must offer unique experiences only possible on its hardware to succeed against smartphones and tablets, Iwata said.

"But obviously smartphones and tablets have changed the environment that we operate in and we can no longer offer some kinds of games experiences that couldn't also easily be offered on a smartphone, so we need to differentiate and offer something exclusive," he said. "I think if we can offer exclusive entertainment that cannot be replicated on other devices then we'll have the chance to survive."

This is not the first time Nintendo has pledged its commitment to stay away from smartphones. Last July, Nintendo spokesperson Yashuhiro Minagawa explained that the company's strategy to develop games only for first-party hardware "hasn't changed and won't change."