I disagree! Wii U had major software problems through year one, and that's the year where expectations for your console are set. The launch appears to be amazing with close to 40 games, but as you look closer, you find:
- At launch, Nintendo's biggest game was New SMB U - key series, but the NSMB games were very formulaic by this point.
- The Third Party support was mostly last year's hardcore leftovers, with a handful of current games. Anyone with a PS3 or Xbox 360 had little reason to buy Wii U....Zombi U?
- Then, after launch, things really go south. Lego City Undercover is your biggest game for 4-5 months? Terrible.
- Eventually Nintendo gives us...Pikmin 3? I LOOOOVE Pikmin, but who thought GameCube sequels would create console sales?
- Finally at Christmas we got Super Mario 3D World and Wind Waker Remake - more GameCube-like software, plus Wii Fit U and Wii Sports Club, which I'd call "too little too late".
- Third parties had all pretty much jumped ship by the end of year one.
As for Xbox One, I can't speak too much about the year 1 software in practical terms, but I will say the system unveiling was more about TV than games. That was a mistake.
Edit: Hardware does still matter, I think weird hardware choices were a huge hurdle for Wii U...but if Nintendo had offered a brand-new ambitious Mario or Zelda game in the first six months like they with Switch? I think it would have gone a little different.
