You can almost picture the CEO of Nintendo as Michael Corleone in the third installment of the Godfather films. Just when you think Nintendo has washed its hands of an idea, they get pulled back in. Despite months (years?) of denials about the future of the DS, it does appear that Nintendo is ready to roll out an all out assault on the iPhone and other handheld wireless devices. The final confirmation for many is requests from Nintendo to third party developers to begin creating non-gaming applications for the new Double Screen system. What those applications end up being remains to be seen, but with a huge built in audience of very young, very savvy kids, teens and adults, you can bet the good folks over at Apple are taking this threat seriously.

Much has been made over the past few years about Nintendo “copying” Apple’s many wireless products and applications, but the gaming giant has chaffed when direct comparisons have been made. Now, it is clearly only a matter of time until the two products begin an all out war against each other, and the winner could determine who rules the hand held electronics market for decades to come.

What possible new apps could Nintendo have up their sleeve? Expect them to start with the basics, such as a simple organizer and address book. Kids these days lead incredibly regimented lives, so it might be useful for them to know if they have a play date at 3:15 or if they are headed to soccer practice. Also, don’t be surprised to see Nintendo develop their own platform specific web browser instead of using Opera.

The only real pitfall here for Nintendo is entering into a market that is already over saturated with new products in a time where the economy is less than stellar. Hopefully, the brain trust at Nintendo will know how to navigate this treacherous sea.

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