This game has been announced for 3 years with both versions annouced. So no one is being suckered into nothing. 

Just been looking at the US pre-order figures that were posted yesterday. It's already been leaping up the charts over the past couple of weeks. It'll be interesting to see what impact this Direct has had in a week's time.

Putting it on 3DS at all was a dumb move.

Releasing the 3DS version first was the moronic icing on the imbecile cake.

It was not for at least a month :)

But tbh I have alot of poblems with Smash 3ds  about content, unlockables, lasting appeal etc etc.  Smash WiiU seems to fix all that (3ds was rushed?)

like mario kart.
i was wowed by 3ds version. but after wii U version the 3DS´s looked like a piece of shit.
samething, but happened in 2 months.

A smart move was to integrate the 2 versions. mewtwo, 3ds as controler, trading content. also if you have the 3DS´s too, you can play on the queue of the bank. i want both now.

I want both now, Nintendo. good move.

Brilliant move! Wish GameFreak can do the same with handheld Pokemon and a Pokemon stadium.

Truth be told if they hadn't staggered the releases I probably would have skipped the 3DS version - so I guess Nintendo have been very clever in eliciting more money from me.

The userbase of the 3DS is a nice thing for Nintendo to have, but I don't think it has much to do with the discussion at hand. By it's very nature, the 3DS version would never have been able to have all of the features the Wii U version has. So install base doesn't really matter. Nintendo made the best games they could with the consoles they have on the market.

I think the staggered release was appropriate. I think Nintendo probably wanted the 3DS version to come out even earlier in the year, like July or August, in order to give the game some additional breathing room. It really only has six or seven weeks before it's superior counterpart is on the market. But, it is what it is.

I think ultimately the Wii U version will sell as well, if not better than the 3DS version, because of the quality of the title, and also because Smash Bros is very much a "play with everyone on the TV in the living room" game. You can kind of already see that in the sales of the 3DS version. A lot of people are clearly holding off and waiting for the console version. I didn't think there would be a lot of double dipping and I don't think there will be come November/ December either. Amiibo being Wii U-only at the moment also cements that.

Smash Bros 3DS has sold through to... roughly 6% of the 3DS base at this time? That's really good, but I think the percentage of Wii U owners and new buyers of the Wii U getting Smash Bros will be significantly greater than that. I think it will sell more consoles and be owned by more Wii U owners than Mario Kart 8.

The 3DS version seems a bit  useless after the recent Direct to be honest... :/

Yes of course, this way it will allow consumers to buy both copies of the game.