Does Nintendo suck at making "Core gamer" consoles?

[Chrkeller]

Soundwave said:

They could have made Wind Waker as the second Zelda on the system.

Making it as the first Zelda game at a time where the GameCube badly needed a system seller was extremely irresponsible.

Miyamoto hated the Wind Waker art style too, the Zelda team hid what they were doing from him and when he first saw it he "cringed" and then stated it would hurt the sales of the game.

And he was 100% right.

If you want to do that fine, make it the 2nd Zelda on the system (2nd Zelda games tend to be more experimental), but you can't be serious and do shit like that as the main Zelda. You have a responsibility to sell systems, that's an example of what happens when you let the inmates run the asylum. You end up with a system that can't even outsell the XBox, which was Microsoft's 1st attempt at a console.

Possibly, but I'm guessing that is an oversell.  The GameCube was purple with a handle.  Couldn't play DVDs and Sony had a strangle hold on third party.  I don't think a realistic zelda would have changed much.  Xbox had halo which helped a lot out of the gates.  I think Nintendo going small proprietary disks hurt more than cel-shading.  

Nintendo also launched without a Mario or Zelda game.  Instead it launched with Luigi's Mansion, which I love, but it wasn't halo.  Lots of issues with the GC.  I just don't think Wind waker was one of them.