Also, I dunno... I think having a console on-par with Microsoft and Sony's current gen for 300 bucks isn't really that bad of an investment. It's still gonna have good online, and the games will be pretty- and it won't be as much of a price commitment as the other two current gen consoles- the 360 less so. And it will just have good, solid games made by Nintendo, and hopefully good third party stuff too.
Whether we like it or not, everyone has to admit that Nintendo makes a specific type of gaming experience- they make damn good games that are about high quality and imagination. That's the truth.That's why I buy them. That's why I continue to buy them, and that's why I enjoyed the Wii so much- they committed and worked with an idea, and they exploited it to the max. They sold that console on that idea. But really, games like Mario, Zelda, Monster Hunter, Xenoblade, and Dragon Quest, even- they simply work better on a Nintendo console because that's where developers get to let imagination, color, and vivacity come to life. (Mind you, some games are dark and gritty on Nintendo consoles, but they too are unique, like Madworld and No More Heroes).
I believe that the Wii U is going to drive a very different concept into people- I think the Wii U's gimmick is really going to be the internet. How Nintendo deals with DLC and virtual purchases and implementing this crazy internet into our gaming experience. The tablet kind of enforces that, because it's a tool for both playing and communicating your commands in ways that you can't with just face buttons and analog sticks. I mean, for more traditional games I think it will be more of a single-player gameplay enhancer, like being a world map or a use as a place to control your character's actions (but for HD level graphics). But loading out, issuing commands, and communicating with other players is going to be perfect for this system, and that's why I think we've heard rumors of MMO's on this console. I think it will just work for hotkeying and commune like in World of Warcraft, and I think it could greatly enhance games like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (in its more traditional GC-esque form), Monster Hunter, and even Pokemon. Because players don't really play in the same room anymore- I think Nintendo's beginning to realize that- but I think that they'll continue to use Wiimotes for local co-op, still. I think the tablet will be used in congruence with Wiimotes for local play, actually, as we've seen with games like Find Mii, etc.
But the additional abilities of being a NFC, app download (specifically ebooks and board games, smart move), and some independent functions for the controller also make it widely appealing to households as a family device. I think that's how the Wii U may be an attempt to satiate both the casual and hardcore.
In other words, I think that the Wii U has plenty going for it, in concept. A lot of game developers are going to want to work on the system for what it can do for gaming- even more will if the device proves more powerful than current gen offerings, but even if that's not true, it will still have developers. Because without the Wii, a lot of cool games wouldn't have seen the light of day- and that will be the same with this console.
And Nintendo will keep standards high with their own titles. I think that's the fantastic thing about Nintendo, really- they partly maintain a high quality for their system with their own releases and show people how good it can really be. That's why I think Pikmin 3 might come out later than launch to make way for a Nintendo title that really showcases the Wii U's possibility... OR it will do so itself, if it can. Which it could.
So... I guess what I'm saying is... uh... Nintendo's cool? That, and "relax, everybody". I think we're forgetting that nothing about the actual content and fantastic experience is going to change with this new console- and nothing's going to change with the developers we see jumping on board with the system- be they new or old, they will exist. They will continue to create games that work on Nintendo consoles- games like Mutant Mudds and Mighty Switch Force and Xenoblade Chronicles and Ivy the Kiwi and Zelda and Mario. I mean, it takes some thinking, but when you really take Nintendo's words to heart- "it's all about the play experience," you have to think back at how they choose what they think they can work with the best. We all know how Nintendo made the Wii a successful device- motion control and casual appeal. But when you think of why the Gamecube was swell, it was because Nintedo loved working with the improved graphics- and they expanded on such ideas as having a handheld device like the GBA attach and enhance. The N64 was all about taking games into 3D and implementing all those different controller options- rumble packs, memory, gameboy cartridges. So I think we're just seeing a system that catches itself up with what's out there currently and will show us how Nintendo quality and innovation apply to what they've created- a controller that's going to be a great home device for the family as well as an asset to online gaming and control methods.
That blog post practically wrote itself.