Reality check: The NX MUST be successful.

[StuOhQ]

Of their past 4 consoles, 3 have performed poorly. That's really bad news. If they have a fourth failure, no one will want to back nintendo consoles. 

They had? Both the N64 and GC were more profitable than their competition in HW and HW+SW. For a firm that is all that matters.

Everyone seems to neglect the fact that Nintendo made good money on every GCN and N64 sold. Many financial journals were quick to point out that Nintendo made more money on the Gamecube than Sony made on the PS2. Nintendo was sitting on mad loot before they even launched the Wii. That's why they turned down Microsoft's billion dollar offer for Xbox 2nd party exclusitivity. 

The NX can be a failure without ending Nintendo as we know it, so long as it's a profitable failure like the N64 and GCN.