Can't believe this is the Nintendo that had huge success with the Wii.
It's baffling how bad they've managed their success. The Wii has been dead since 2010. It's 2013 now - the Wii U has been released almost six months ago and the console is performing really bad WW. They didn't prepare well enough. They had enough time to do so.
What where they doing during 2010-2012? Just counting their money?
I've opined on this elsewhere, but I think it has a lot to do with the competition.
When Nintendo had next to no confidence that the Wii was going to succeed, they always said that they "weren't competing" with Microsoft and Sony. The truth is -- these guys are ALWAYS in competition with each other. Money is money. Microsoft, Sony, Apple, Google -- they're all taking it from each other when they complete a sale.
So as much as Nintendo might have wanted to believe they are a step removed from what the others are doing, and that they could prosper in this mid-generation role, providing more affordable fun for everyone, they have also had to have one eye on what the competition is doing. Unfortunately for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft haven't followed the same bell curve as Nintendo. Nintendo's audience were ready for next generation long before MS and Sony's audiences were. Those guys have seen their success and momentum come later, as a result of falling prices and new slim-line models. If Nintendo had released the Wii's successor in 2010, they still would have had to contend with the more affordable slim consoles, and they would have had to show their hand a full 3/4 years before the other guys. This years next-gen hype would have been even more damaging.
The problem is that Nintendo ceased working on software for the original Wii at around that time, and shifted to 3DS/Wii-U. They either haven't made progress, or they are reluctant to show it. I think it's the latter. They seem to be waiting on certain big titles, probably to try and steal exposure from next-gen console reveals when those arrive.
Firstly - I think its questionable as to how effective that will be, and secondly - every day that passes without us having more reasons to buy this console is damaging for its future. Thirdly? They have priced the machine at a level above PS360, and way above the level where Wii saw success. The unit sales 'winner' in every generation has always been the most affordable. The reason PS360 are doing so well at the moment is that they have rich back catalogues and - after 6 years - they are finally reaching the mass market pricepoints that the Wii previously occupied.
Their best hope is honestly this: publishers trying to push the new consoles shift resources to PS4/720, making PS360 less attractive for new buyers. The new consoles launch at a high price, and Wii U starts to look like a good deal. Developing for PS360/Wii-U becomes the new affordable end of the market for developers, a la Wii this generation.
That scenario only works for them if they have bold new games to sell themselves. They need to start showing them. Soon. Nobody else is going to step up and justify the existence of the console for them. They have to do it.