4 ms·

Sony and Nintendo stores are still closed I see lol

socalgal2 10mo ago
Sony and Nintendo only sell games. They don't gate access to banks, investments, health insurance, auto insurance, news, movies, social media, car control apps, appliance apps, grocery stores, e-commerce, etc... That's not to say Sony and Nintendo shouldn't be opened too but their impact is much smaller (game devs) than Apple (nearly all businesses)
- websiteapi 10mo ago
  Apple didn’t start that way though. Better to open it up now no? Also, a better law would be making the web first class, not adding more stores, with other gatekeepers…
  - ghurtado 10mo ago
    > Also, a better law would be No, the better law is the one that exists. Yours doesn't.
    - websiteapi 10mo ago
      Laws aren’t inherently good though… we will see what this does for Japan, I guess.
    - bloppe 10mo ago
      Are you implying that laws should never be changed?
- dangus 10mo ago
  It should be pointed out that they have way less of a monopoly on the market and way more gaming alternatives exist than Apple and Google. Apple, Google. Two app stores that are basically necessary for existing in the modern world with a smartphone, which include apps covering Japanese government services. In the gaming space, you’ve got PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop, Steam, Epic Game Store, GOG, a bazillion publisher storefronts, Apple and Google (again), Itch.io, physical media for the big 3 consoles at dozens of brick and mortar retailers, or even installing games directly with no store at all (Minecraft originated from its own online purchase portal).
  - ffsm8 10mo ago
    > include apps covering Japanese government services. These exist? Honestly asking, I've never been there myself so my only contact to their government is via social media, and the Japanese people can't stop talking about how you need to go there in person for everything and how absolutely nothing official is digital
    - dangus 10mo ago
      Train ticket apps
    - kalleboo 10mo ago
      Japan has a government ID card (MyNumber) with a digital certificate which can be scanned using NFC on your phone to log into do taxes online, check on your medical insurance details (like what charges have been made and your prescriptions), and pension information. It can also be scanned via NFC to apply for financial services like credit cards/bank accounts online. https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1476359069 https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1476359069 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.go.cas.mpa https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.go.cas.mpa
- charcircuit 10mo ago
  The switch eshop has youtube which I would count as social media.
  - redserk 10mo ago
    This does not change that: - The Switch is primarily a gaming device for entertainment purposes. - The eShop overwhelmingly focuses on providing games for said entertainment purposes. - It can be assumed that the overwhelming majority of people do not use the Switch, or expect to use the Switch, for general lifestyle purposes. (That said, I wish we lived in a world where the eShop wasn't the only way to get digital games on the Switch, but phones have evolved to impact a large segment of the economy in many ways)
    - websiteapi 10mo ago
      It’s sad how arbitrary people define things. Just make all types of digital stores support alternatives. Why are you even arguing about it lol… there’s no excuse to begin with.
- al_borland 10mo ago
  I just got a PS5 and there are bunch of media apps available. I was looking at moving my AppleTV to a different TV and just using the PS5 on that screen. On Apple platforms, for most of the things mentioned, web apps are an option and don't have any restrictions. This was Apple's original plan, but the people fought for local apps. Now companies fight for space on people's home screens. If they get an app on the device they can get more info and send notifications and things, which they apparently love. A lot of apps these days are glorified web apps. There are also the ones that exist for a one-time setup, which then sit on people's phones for years. It's kind of a mess the way companies use apps.
- cocoa19 10mo ago
  If anything, that’s their excuse for keeping it locked. “Mr hacker man can trick you to download an app and take all of grandmas money from the bank”, “North Korean hackers can tap into your baby cameras unless we gate the app installation process and charge 30%.”, etc.
heavyset_go 10mo ago
Open those, too
benchloftbrunch 10mo ago
No doubt Nintendo was involved in the lobbying effort for this. Back in the 80s they successfully pushed to amend Japanese copyright law to ban game rentals.

Sony and Nintendo only sell games. They don't gate access to banks, investments, health insurance, auto insurance, news, movies, social media, car control apps, appliance apps, grocery stores, e-commerce, etc... That's not to say Sony and Nintendo shouldn't be opened too but their impact is much smaller (game devs) than Apple (nearly all businesses)

websiteapi 10mo ago
Apple didn’t start that way though. Better to open it up now no? Also, a better law would be making the web first class, not adding more stores, with other gatekeepers…
- ghurtado 10mo ago
  > Also, a better law would be No, the better law is the one that exists. Yours doesn't.
  - websiteapi 10mo ago
    Laws aren’t inherently good though… we will see what this does for Japan, I guess.
  - bloppe 10mo ago
    Are you implying that laws should never be changed?
dangus 10mo ago
It should be pointed out that they have way less of a monopoly on the market and way more gaming alternatives exist than Apple and Google. Apple, Google. Two app stores that are basically necessary for existing in the modern world with a smartphone, which include apps covering Japanese government services. In the gaming space, you’ve got PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop, Steam, Epic Game Store, GOG, a bazillion publisher storefronts, Apple and Google (again), Itch.io, physical media for the big 3 consoles at dozens of brick and mortar retailers, or even installing games directly with no store at all (Minecraft originated from its own online purchase portal).
- ffsm8 10mo ago
  > include apps covering Japanese government services. These exist? Honestly asking, I've never been there myself so my only contact to their government is via social media, and the Japanese people can't stop talking about how you need to go there in person for everything and how absolutely nothing official is digital
  - dangus 10mo ago
    Train ticket apps
  - kalleboo 10mo ago
    Japan has a government ID card (MyNumber) with a digital certificate which can be scanned using NFC on your phone to log into do taxes online, check on your medical insurance details (like what charges have been made and your prescriptions), and pension information. It can also be scanned via NFC to apply for financial services like credit cards/bank accounts online. https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1476359069 https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id1476359069 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.go.cas.mpa https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.go.cas.mpa
charcircuit 10mo ago
The switch eshop has youtube which I would count as social media.
- redserk 10mo ago
  This does not change that: - The Switch is primarily a gaming device for entertainment purposes. - The eShop overwhelmingly focuses on providing games for said entertainment purposes. - It can be assumed that the overwhelming majority of people do not use the Switch, or expect to use the Switch, for general lifestyle purposes. (That said, I wish we lived in a world where the eShop wasn't the only way to get digital games on the Switch, but phones have evolved to impact a large segment of the economy in many ways)
  - websiteapi 10mo ago
    It’s sad how arbitrary people define things. Just make all types of digital stores support alternatives. Why are you even arguing about it lol… there’s no excuse to begin with.
al_borland 10mo ago
I just got a PS5 and there are bunch of media apps available. I was looking at moving my AppleTV to a different TV and just using the PS5 on that screen. On Apple platforms, for most of the things mentioned, web apps are an option and don't have any restrictions. This was Apple's original plan, but the people fought for local apps. Now companies fight for space on people's home screens. If they get an app on the device they can get more info and send notifications and things, which they apparently love. A lot of apps these days are glorified web apps. There are also the ones that exist for a one-time setup, which then sit on people's phones for years. It's kind of a mess the way companies use apps.
cocoa19 10mo ago
If anything, that’s their excuse for keeping it locked. “Mr hacker man can trick you to download an app and take all of grandmas money from the bank”, “North Korean hackers can tap into your baby cameras unless we gate the app installation process and charge 30%.”, etc.

heavyset_go 10mo ago

Open those, too

benchloftbrunch 10mo ago

No doubt Nintendo was involved in the lobbying effort for this. Back in the 80s they successfully pushed to amend Japanese copyright law to ban game rentals.