Nintendo Directs are absolutely fantastic.

[TM25]

Mummelmann said:

Gonna have to disagree with the OP, the ones I have seen have been awkward and also plagued by a lack of truly exciting news. Part of the problem is their attempts at dangling carrots before the Directs, hyping up incoming announcements, we shall never forget Cranky.

I respect that Iwata is probably the only gaming industry icon that presents anything in such an intimate form but the execution is a bit clumsy, the format seems awkward and there simply isn't enough meat to pack into the Directs, at a yearly electronics and/or gaming convention, it's different since there are so many different players on the scene to show their stuff, no one company on its own is likely to have enough gunpowder to make big blasts several times a year.

It seems like a very Japanese idea to me, and it also appears not to be having the desired effect, given that the desired effect is more exposure and subsequently increased sales. It's not what the doctor ordered and Nintendo still needs to solve the Western market puzzle.

While these criticisms are true to a varying degree, they aren't unique to the Nintendo Direct medium.  There is just as much potential if not more at a live conference when everything and anything can go wrong.  I would agree that E3 generates more hype amongst the gaming community for sure but all that really leads to is untempered and unrealistic expectations, this is true for the directs but I feel like it isn't as bad.  

The most memorable moments last year from the traditional conference seem to be the mechanical faults, dead air, a pissing contest and Square Enix rebranding a game.

My opinion is that I want games info not PR or a corporate pissing contest so on that basis alone, these directs are a prefered medium for me.