The Wii U has been out for over a year now and there's still people out there who don't know it exists or don't know that it is in fact, one of the next gen consoles.Knowing the difficult position the console is in, you might start to think that the Wii U will quickly be forgotten and left in the dust of the Xbox One and Playstation 4 launches, but Nintendo's President, Satoru Iwata, is much more optimistic stating that the new consoles will re-energise the industry as a whole.
This came out of a Q&A on the Nintendo website, during which the Nintendo President also expressed his confidence in the Nintendo fan base, stating that while the Wii U competition goes after the hardcore gaming market, Nintendo's console will stay relevant thanks to its specific category of video games:
“We are targeting those who bought Wii and would be interested in the Wii U offerings. That is slightly different than what other companies are aiming for. In the sense that we attract consumers interested in this category of video games,” Iwata said. “This year, what Nintendo is promoting is, conversely, to stand out in the game industry for individuality. I believe we have become a unique value.”
While I don't doubt that Nintendo has a wealth of franchises that will always appeal to fans, the Wii U hasn't been doing great. That said, sales have picked up recently with the release of Zelda Wind Waker HD and there's quite a few good looking games coming out for the system in the coming months, but Nintendo might have shot itself in the foot a bit by releasing the Wii mini in the US.
Kitguru Says: I'm glad that there is still optimism left at Nintendo and maybe Iwata's right and the PS4 and Xbox One will make interest in consoles peak again but I don't think releasing a Wii mini was the best move considering that there's still confusion surrounding the Wii U.