I agree that the Zelda reveal was disappointing. It seems work has only just began on the graphics of the game, and they wanted people to focus entirely on the controls at this E3. It seems they've taken great pains to develop the controls from the ground up for this game, and want to get plenty of reaction in case they need to change something. I imagine in regards to the overall design of the game-story, structure etc-they're very confident about what they've got, and they don't see any point in revealing that just yet. I am disappointed we haven't heard any news about big changes to the game structure-dungeon/overworld relation and pacing, orchestrated music/voice acting etc. But we do know the controls are almost completely in place and that they do work well. We're also very keen to know more-which is exactly what Nintendo want. We need to be interested in their products to have any intention of buying them.
With regards to 3DS, it's all about that 3D magic. Impressive as that Kid Icarus trailer was, none of us can really understand just how amazing 3DS is until we see it in the flesh. Nintendo emphasised this at E3. It excited the journalists, who've then reported that the device works brilliantly. Now the buzz is spreading-and more and more people will want to experience it for themselves. The only way to find out what 3DS is all about is to see it yourself. This is a concerted effort by Nintendo to drum up hype-and it's working spectacularly.
With regards to 3DS software, the most important thing Nintendo needed to do was establish that 3rd parties were onboard and that the 3D effect works. As I said earlier, they can't establish the 3D effect without hands on impressions, and they are all over the net now. There's also been a sad trend of third parties being negative about Nintendo and their systems recently, and a montage of developers from high profile companies praising 3DS was nothing short of spectacular. Iwata was genuinely grateful for their support, and it's one of the big talking points about 3DS-3rd parties are on board, and they are on board in a big way.
As for vitality sensor, is E3 really the time for it? Previous peripherals and Wii series titles have not gone down well at all at E3. Nintendo can have a separate press conference detailing the vitality sensor and the news will still be big. As shown with Kinect, Wii Music, Wii Fit and even Wii Sports Resort, E3 is still not the right place to reveal mass market casual properties and get good press. Nintendo don't want vitality sensor to be dismissed by the gaming media as it was last year,nor do they want 3DS to overshadow it. When they're ready, Nintendo will show it and accompanying software.
On a personal note, I loved the conference but was disappointed by the lack of Xenoblade and Last Story. But your original post highlights what was so good about Nintendo's show-they had amazing products,and we want more. Not just more products, but more about what Nintendo have already unveiled. They've created enormously high levels of anticipation for 3DS and their software, and they did that by giving us information, but without overloading us. In the aftermath of E3, many question marks remain about Nintendo's future products, and anticipation is high. We'll have to wait for answers, and keep track of Nintendo in order to do so.
It's a masterful display by Nintendo, really. They've captured plenty of interest, and they aren't going to let go of that easily.
