Reggie: Apple can hurt us more than MS

The boss of Nintendo America has confessed that tech rival Apple could hurt” Nintendo’s success in the near-term and admitted that he fears the likes of iPhone far more than he does Microsoft, Xbox 360 or Windows Phone 7.

Do I think that in the near term [Apple] can hurt us more than Microsoft?” Reggie Fils-Aime told Forbes. Absolutely.”

Reggie goes on to admit that in these days of mass-market gaming Nintendo faces competition from more places than ever.

It’s all about time,” he added. I compete with Zynga, I compete with surfing the net, I compete with the newspaper.”

Analysts have been questioning the potential threat posed to Nintendo by Apple’s gaming rise for many years now, but Nintendo itself has always dismissed any talk of an intense competition between the pair.

Nonetheless, Nintendo has already hinted at some new digital initiatives that it hopes will allow the upcoming 3DS to tap into the growing bite-sized app game market, and analysts believe that the new 3D device could help reverse the tide back in Nintendo’s favour.