Honestly, in the last decade or so, what Nintendo consoles have done as well as they'd like?
The Wii did pretty badly. Yeah, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Zelda games sold well. Then you had your fanbase type games, such as AC and their backwards compatibility. But a lot of games that were meant to use the Wii's motion-sensing tech just did not do so well, such as Sonic and the Secret Rings (absolutely awful.)
I never saw much in the DSi, either. It did pave the way for the 3DS, which is my second favorite handheld ever next to the Gameboy Color (sentimental reasons.) It didn't sell too hot, either. It played all the same games as the DS and the DS Lite, and while it had some downloadables, those were available already on the Wii. But I don't think any of these things are the real problem here.
The problem seems to be that Nintendo doesn't change where fans think they need to. Their online is average at best, in comparison. But it's definitely more sound than the Playstation Network, with it's almost yearly hacks, and it's awesome that they keep it so affordable unlike Xbox Live. Yet to gamers, it just doesn't have what it needs to totally succeed in today's market. Miiverse was a great start- but they won't let you actually use it for its intended purposes. They wanted us to meet and communicate and play together. But nope, no friend codes. Don't actually play together, just do it in theory.
They're trying. Trying so hard. It just isn't working. But please understand why. It's simple; they want to stay loyal as a family console. For that thought, that idea, it works. All of these features work well for an great family experience. Kids can play Animal Crossing or Pokemon with their distant cousins. They can talk to other players without worrying about their personal information being obtained. For that, I respect them. I respect the crap out of Nintendo because, let's face it, kids have absolutely no place playing games with the adults on Xbox Live who can't seem to watch their language and the people on PC titles who seem to do nothing but talk nasty and pick fights.
Unfortunately for Nintendo, it's beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The people who review these consoles are also the people who rage on Battlefield's multiplayer. They're the ones who give out all their money to play World of Warcraft (which I do occasionally play) but spend most of their time complaining about the game's changes, and all the new players. Gamers lately don't seem to play for story or character as much; a consistent multiplayer title will almost always do better than a deep, well thought-out story. So, when the multiplayer isn't on the same level as other big home consoles, that beauty they could be admiring will be easily forgotten.
If we stand back and look at the big picture, these games are the ones we love and grew up with. But we have to remember that they're intended for children and families. While it sucks that we don't get the things we want, we have to remember that time and time again, we do actually get the things we want. We get preordering content such as specially embellished strategy guides, collector's figures, and so much more that is in no way meant for a family to put on their coffee tables when guests come over.
But the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS are actually great consoles. Their graphics are, in my constant opinion, great. Not all of their games are for everyone. I don't play Cooking Mama, and every now and again I may play Nintendogs or download a Virtual Console game. But if you buy your console and you can find just a few titles that are so great, it's been months and you still can't put them down, I think the console's done its job.
And, if the console can entertain adults and children alike without needing consistent language, 'mature' references and listening to rude, raging people online constantly, it's a winning, 10/10 console in my book.
