So I watched that HipHopGamer episode about Nintendo not having a press conference for the first time now. And it's really interesting in hindsight. Enlightening, even. Because contrary to what people believed back when they announced they wouldn't have a big press conference, it actually doesn't look like they try to keep a low profile. At all.
At this point, it appears they're taking what the Nintendo Direct concept was all about in the first place to the next level: Talking directly to the consumer, or potential future consumers. Which is actually pretty damn clever in light of things. They don't seem to try to impress the media, they don't seem to try to please 3rd party publishers, they seem to be about their customers. We get all the information first, unfiltered, through open networks. At least that's what it looks like. At the same time, this approach gives them a ton of control.
This only works if they manage to impress us, of course (which shouldn't be all that hard as expectations are fucking low) - because they expect us to spread the word. That's obviously risky, but it also feels honest. It feels like the polar opposite of the Xbox One reveal, and even the PS4 reveal was tightly scripted and very one-directional. It's subliminal messaging. Risky but brillant - if they manage to pull it off.