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TheMisterManGuy on 10 May 2018
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couchmonkey said:

DS certainly did have some of Nintendo's most creative output. Maybe not moreso than N64 or NES, though. I'd also be careful about giving too much credit to 3rd parties on DS; yes they had great hardcore output, but I wouldn'ta
gue that they sold more systems than the first party games.

As for the failure of Wii U and 3DS, Nintendo did not continue the DS and Wii strategy with those two systems, so we cannot attribute the failure to the "DS" strategy:

- market expanding software dried up, there were a few sequels to the big winners like Wii Sports, but nothing new
- Iwata even said in an investor meeting that they were not using blue ocean or disruption anymore
- software strategy was distinctly N64 and GameCube flavoured: 3D Zelda remakes, Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, 2D and 3D Mario battling it out even tho the sales were at least 3:1 in 2D favour on Wii and DS...
- Nintendo tried to lean heavily on third parties for launch games (they literally mentioned it in early Wii U discussions, but also apparent in the crappy 3DS lineup)
- Wii U rearranged gameplay style from "easy motion multiplayer" to "hardcore stationary oneplayer" plus a couple of ho hum multiplayer party games.

I think what was ultimately the Wii U and to a lesser extent the 3DS' failure was that Nintendo didn't focus on new or unique experiences for those consoles. Wii U in particular was especially bad with this. It felt like Nintendo was coasting too much on their past successes, failing to realise the entire gaming landscape was changing. Brain Training and Puppy Taming aren't going to wow people twice, 3D or otherwise, especially when similar experiences can now be found elsewhere on smartphones. It often felt like they were pandering too much to the Nintendo base and nostalgia that they didn't realize that there was a broader market to explore outside their bubble. I think Iwata knew Nintendo had lost its way during this era when they were conceiving the Switch, and wanted to re-focus the company back to fresh, and unique ideas only they can offer. 

The Switch is a return to form in that regard, with unique and innovative ideas not just for Mario and Zelda, but also new creations that only the Switch can really give justice to. 1-2 Switch, ARMS, Snipperclips, Nintendo Labo, you won't find stuff like this on any iOS or Android device. I'm hoping the Switch can mark another return to the creative and weird Nintendo i missed from the DS days.