I think Nintendo has 2 issues.
1) Repeatedly trying to re-invent the wheel just so that they can call it their own.
I think the Wii was the first time they tried this, and it was so successful, that it only made sense to try and upend the table again with the WiiU. It probably would have been better (imo) to make a Wii2 instead, with better or the same motion controls (the same only so the controllers would be compatible), but with better graphics. Instead, they tried something new, which failed, and now the Switch is what the WiiU should have been. Instead of having a screen on the controller, the system has a screen for when you want to take it outside. This makes it more of a traditional machine which is good for gamers and designers.
That's not re-inventing that we're complaining about, though. The Wii motion controls were major selling point for all of us. [That] was exciting. Let's talk about what's not exciting:
1. Gamecube: Opting for proprietary mini-discs while the rest of the market uses standard DVDs. Consequently, Gamecube discs have far less storage and are more expensive for third parties. Why not just go with the standard everyone else is happy with?
2. Gamecube: Going with 59 Mb memory cards as the standard (and ONLY available Nintendo branded) memory card while [everyone else] has game save storage space into the megabytes. Why not just go with what has been proven to work with that generation for the past year?
3. Wii: Going with "friend codes" that are unique to each and every game that supports online play. Want to play with your friends? Prepare to enter a GUID using a pointer for every friend code EVERY TIME you get a new game. This is majorly off-putting to everyone who has played online on PC, Xbox, or Playstation. NO ONE has EVER chosen to do online play like this before. NO ONE. Nintendo came up with this all on their own. Why not just go with the standard that has already been in place for more than a decade???
4. Wii: Games are FINALLY on DVDs. No DVD movie playback. Why not include a hugely popular feature all other competitors offer??? I mean, F--K, I know people who don't even f--king game who bought 3 or more Wii's just to hook them to TVs and run Netflix. Seriously. Japan of all nations dictates you to make a smaller console, AND YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO DENY US DVD PLAYBACK!!!!11!1
5. Wii: Everyone else is offering 100+ GB storage solutions. Nintendo believes 8 GB is enough. Doh.
6. Wii U: Everyone else is offering 100+ GB storage solutions. Nintendo believes 32 GB is enough. Doh.
7. Switch: Everyone else is offering 100+ GB storage solutions. Nintendo believes 32 GB is enough. Doh.
8. Wii U:
Code friends. No friend list. No party chat. No subscription service. No monthly free games for subscribers. Why not go with the hugely popular standard demonstrated by their competition a generation ago? Oh, that's right. There's only 32 GB to work with. Doh.
When Nintendo does something, they make sure and do it themselves and make sure to only do what their narrow vision requires. One the minimum is satisfied, they trim anything that might be of use to anyone outside Nintendo and make sure they aren't paying an extra penny anywhere along the way while still asking a premium price for the damn thing. I give you: Nintendo re-inventing the wheel.