Nintendo intends to maintain a steady stream of releases for Switch

[zorg1000]

Nuvendil said:

zorg1000 said:

Software sells hardware is certainly a true statement but there is alot more to it than just that.

Software output, marketing/advertising, hardware concept, brand/image & price are extremely important in selling a device.

Software output-Wii U frequently had multiple month long droughts between major releases while Switch has had a major 1st/2nd party exclusive basically every month along with a ton of smaller $15-20 indie titles to fill in short gaps.

Marketing/Advertising-Wii U was almost exclusively marketed towards families on childrens networks while Switch is aimed at multiple demographics and advertised all over the place.

Hardware concept-The gamepad really added nothing new or exciting and could only be taken a room or two away from the console which made it come off as a gimmick while the ability to seamlessy transition from home to handheld play is a desirable feature and well executed.

Brand/image-Wii U gamepad had the appearance of a cheap educational children's tablet and was commonly mistaken as an expensive Wii add-on while Switch looks like a sleek and modern device with its own brand.

Price-You may be thinking, "Wii U & Switch both cost $299, how is that good for one but bad for the other?" Well this one relies on the other 4 points. If a device has a steady flow of desirable software, is well marketed, has interesting special features and an attractive form factor than $299 is a solid price but if all those things are lacking than it will be deemed too high.

Let's also not forget that Nintendo's brand had decayed substantially by the time the Wii U launched as had the Wii brand.  Nintendo had all but stopped marketing during the second half of the seventh gen, allowing their image to go completely out of their hands.  And thus despite closing out the Wii with cult clasic Pandora's Tower, a high-production value RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy in The Last Story, and a well received Zelda game, the Wii was almost universally mocked as a super-casual dust collector and Nintendo as a hyper-casual company for children and soccer mom's.  Basically, if you don't write the narrative about your brand, others will.  And that's exactly what happened.  

So Nintendo walked into the Wii U with a gutted brand.

Also, another thing about price:  as a home console, it is easily outclassed at 299.  But as a portable device, you *cannot* match it for that price off the shelf.  You will spend markedly more to get a comparable experience.  So it's actually a good value from that perspective.  And the switching aspect adds value.  

Agreed, i didnt go much into that aspect but i would put that in the brand/image category.