I agree that marketing is biggest Wii U problem, there still some people thinking that Wii U gamepad is some addon for Wii.

I can sum it up better...

Limited network
lack of power
lack of 3rd party support

See how quick and easy that was? =P

They shoulda just forgot the gamepad and called it the wii hd woulda sold like hot cakes

Nintendo's main problem is that they don't cater to the market that buys 3rd party, by which I mean their system wasn't X86, it was also underpowered compared to PS4 & XBox One and it wasn't a significantly large enough step above PS3 and 360 to show current gen visuals off.

3rd party makes up the majority of console software sales, so to ignore that is to ignore the biggest potential, guaranteed sales base for your system.

Going after the casuals that bought the Wii was the biggest mistake Nintendo could have made, because those people were only hooked by the gimmick of motion controller gaming and they will probably be happy with the Wii if they still happen to play any video games. They were basically the one time buys, that bought the system, for Wii Sports and Mario Kart, hence the big sales of those games, in line with a huge chunk of the platform's sales.

Marketing is only part of why Wii U didn't take off. Obviously when you come out with a new platform you need to let people know that it's a new system, calling it Wii 2 would have been a better move, because at least the mass market consumers would have known it was the sequel and not just an add-on.

Really though the entire philosophy surrounding Wii U was a mistake for all but the die hard Nintendo gamers that come back every generation and a few others that were intrigued by the tablet control and some games they can't get on other consoles.

If Nintendo ever wants to become a big player in the home console market again they basically need a change of image, to broaden their own focus as far as the games they make, exclusives they get on the platform to appeal to the market that buys 3rd party, because if you can land those gamers then 3rd party will return.

They also basically need to take Sony's approach, building a system that comes out on top as far as console hardware performance, priced competitively, simple to develop games on, with hardware that will reduce in manufacturing costs quickly to allow you to make a profit, while still being able to keep a competitive price.

You make some good points. But I disagree with 1 part. The Wii didn't trounce the ps3 and 360. Both those consoles are still alive and well and 360 already passed it out in total software. PS3 gonna pass it out too. Both of those will sell around 180m plus combined and the Wii is at 100m. It's not like the ps4 where it outsells both the xbox and wii u combined. When all is said and done the Wii will have outsold the ps3 and 360 by less than 10%. So it stormed into a massive lead early on but trounced nobody.

And another thing. The ps4 and x1 are getting it's sales from pc, 360 and x1 players mostly. Part of your post suggested the Wii crowd have decided to buy them because they offer better value. The reality is the Wii crowd have quit console gaming and many of them attracted by mobile or ipads instead.

Nice speech. Especialy a nuclear fanboy thing. I only buy Nintendo system for Zelda games and if im lucky enough I'll buy another great game on Nintendo system both wiiu and 3ds.

That's the thing though. The Wii U, on a technically level at least, can't do anything that PS4 and XB1 can't already but twice as betterms so the innovative game pad has to be the main gimmick to woo people in. I also agree that many Nintendo fans can be quite elitist. Not as friendly as their main console of choice would assume but there's dicks in all camps anyways.

Bad branding
Bad advertisment.

That´s all.

I genuinely believe that the Wii U is selling poorly due to the bad taste the Wii left in most hardcore gamers/fans. Naming it the 'Wii U' is the worst thing they could have done. The casuals that made up 80% of wii sales didn't care/realise it's new it's a new console, and the hardcore gamers/fans wanted nothing to do with the 'Wii' branding.
But hey, I may be biased because I hated the Wii but love the Wii U. The name made me reluctant to buy the system. Glad I did though, this is what I wish the original Wii was back in 2006.

The Wii console needed a different shape. Different color. Don't care if it was purple or aquamarine and shaped like a pyramid. If you glance at the Wii U, it looks just like the black Wii they made towards the end of its life, complete with the little door in front of the console. SNES and NES were 2 completely different designs and it showed. You could tell instantly that it was not the NES. Nintendo needed to do that from day 1.

Its basic stuff. The PS2 never looked like the PS1. The PS3 never looked like the PS2. The PS4 never looked like the PS3. Same with Xbox and 360 and the X1. All of them look entirely different. Nintendo should have been the first ones to realize this.