The Only Time Nintendo Was Truly Afraid Was When Mobile Gaming Threatened Handheld Consoles
According to Krysta Yang, a former senior manager in Nintendo’s PR department, the company experienced real fear only once—when mobile gaming started becoming hugely successful.
This fear arose during a period when smartphones began capturing the attention of younger audiences, effectively pulling focus away from portable gaming consoles. Yang specifically recalled a meeting where a video was shown of a three-year-old child playing on an iPad. In that moment, everyone in the room sensed that the handheld gaming market, as it had existed, might be coming to an end.
A Turning Point in Gaming Strategy
This moment likely influenced the development of a hybrid console like the Nintendo Switch, which combined both handheld and home console features. The Switch went on to become a worldwide success, selling over 140 million units.
Krysta Yang discussed this during a podcast episode she hosted, where guest Shuhei Yoshida also shared his memories of that time. He said that the PSP and Nintendo DS were part of what he called the “one happy generation of portable gaming.”
Yoshida pointed out that Sony eventually left the handheld market after the disappointing performance of the PlayStation Vita. In contrast, Nintendo successfully reinvented itself. The Switch concept proved to be a winning formula, with its latest model still achieving strong sales today.
