I couldn't even read menus and text well on MGS4 on my regular tv and it looked nothing special on regular tube tv. I hope Nintendo takes feedback from you and others from this thread and makes some realistic Mario models like this. That would surely help. 

Do it "Playstation Style" (which really isn't anything new since Nintendo has done it since the SNES days): Bundle every big system seller with the console as soon as they're released. Even take a loss on the game if necessary. Heck, even bundle it digitally to reduce the losses.

That's right, kids.  Killer Instinct was once a Nintendo bundled title!

People keep saying "ditch the controller". Fuck that. I LOVE the controller. Sometimes, I use it instead of the TV. I play Call of Duty on the controller almost exclusively. If anything, I want a BETTER controller. Keep everything the same except improve the range, give it a sharper screen, and better battery life. The controller is a keeper and having it packed with every console may be the thing that gives the Wii U a fighting chance.

Rename it. General public doesn't understand there is a difference. Make them realise it's not just another Wii model, like the DSXL was another DS.

And goddammit, ADVERTISE. That one thing would have helped them immensely, this year.

Strength Upgrade:

1) No 8GB bundle, just one 320GB bundle.

2) 3GB of 2133MHz RAM instead of 2GB of 1600 MHz.

3) Quad core CPU instead of 3 core.

-The things I just listed would easily remove its current bottlenecks and allow it to be around a third as strong as the Xbox One instead of about a sixth.  These extra bells and whistes would cost only about an extra $50.

Marketing/Release Changes:

1) Make it glossy Black instead of White.

2) Release it in 2011 to get a 2 year headstart on the competition or force them to release unfinished hardware.  

3) Call is something simple like "Nintendo HD."  This thing simply isn't a Wii, and people should know it.

4) A standardized and fully functional online network to compete with PSN/LIVE

-This system would then be easily differentiated from the Wii and looked at as a great new thing to transition to from the Wii.

Overall the changes I made would for better (In my opinion) or worse drastically change the positioning of the Wii U:

- It would be out a full 2 years before its competitors, with a console easily 2-3 times stronger than current gen offerings with a slick tablet screen for controlling all of your media to boot.  

-Releasing at $399 in 2011 wouldn't be insane next to the $300  PS3 considering its extra grunt.  Then in 2013 a smooth price drop to $300 would position it perfectly between the PS4 and PS3 price/power.  

-Once the price drop happens nintendo could advertise the Wii U's tablet-controller as a universal remote for your DVR that would essentialy make the Xbox One's features seem "Me Too!"

-Third parties would happy to bring full/new games to the console and program them to take advange of the addiquite RAM and Storage.  The fact is the current Wii U doesn't have enough RAM to make much of a difference to third parties over current gen, and the 8GB version makes it impossible for them to release big patches or DLC easily.

It's fun to think of what you would do differently. I think Wii U is OK, but if I was in charge of Nintendo 3 or 4 years ago (and with the knowledge we have now) I would have done the following:

- Name is Wii2. People like numbers. XBox shy'd away from XBox 2 because Sony was making a PS3 and 3>2, but at this stage with PS4 and XB1, Wii2 would be fine. And it would follow the style of iPad 2, which is a good comparison.

-(A little) more power. 1 or 2 more gig of ram, an extra core and a few hundred more flops. Nothing crazy, but about 50% of the power of PS4 is a good target. Strong enough that you can play the same games, but cheep enough that you can make money and undercut on price. Also enough power that you could really brag it up at launch vs PS360.

-Much smaller gamepad. I like the touch screen, but I would have gone with a smaller model. Basically a pro controller with a screen about the size of a large smartphone. I would also make it so that it could be held vertically like a Wii remote and used in the same way, possibly with the option of a nun-chuck attachment for certain games. When held vertically it would be designed so you could tap the touchscreen with your thumb for different options in different games. This would also be the only control option. The extra power in the system would allow the use of 4 at a time. The dedicated screen would be good enough for vita-ish off screen play, it could be used as your own screen in local multiplayer COD if you want, it could be used to select plays in Madden, and most of all it would look cool. When not needed it would just subtly glow with the Nintendo logo, making it look much more high-tech than competitors. The smaller size screen and so on would mean you could possibly sell additional controllers for about $80 or so, and have a bundle option for $100 with a cheap game like Wii Play. That was a big money maker for Wii.

-Re-allocate resources. Working on both NSMBU and SM3DW was a waste, as was NintendoLand and Game and Wario. The 3D Mario team should have been re-dispersed to work on NSMBU, MarioKart8 and EAD Tokyo's other project, which should be SMUniverse. NSMBU would be re-named New Super Mario World (as suggested by Soundwave) or some other good name, and it would have more features. In particular, it would have somewhat better visuals. It would have Peach as playable and each character would have its own abilities. It would have online multiplayer - and this would be heavily promoted. It would be longer, with possibly 10 worlds. It would have regular DLC starting soon after launch right through summer to promote the eShop. NintendoLand would be scrapped and some of its good ideas would be incorporated into a new game that came pre-loaded on the system. This game would also incorporate fun elements from Game and Wario. The title would be fun but simple to develop. It would have no Nintendo branding, but would follow the more adult "Wii-style". It would be called Wii Land, or something similar and simple. The leftover resources from the two scrapped games would be used to focus on making sure the Wii 2 operating system was up to par, the online was great, the Virtual Console was ready to go and that MarioKart8 would be ready for Christmas 2013. The Wii team would also get right to work on Wii Sports 3 after the system launch, to also release in Christmas 2013.

-Different color and appearance. Grey or silver could be a unique option. I would make it wider and flat, with more LED lighting to make it look high-end.

-Online fees. I would implement these. I hate them, but everyone is doing it so I would do it if I was Nintendo. It would include one free download each month, starting with Virtual Console titles but perhaps eventually including full retail. The appeal of VC is down somewhat since everyone bought the games on Wii, so this would be a great way to use this resource. The online would be cheaper than competitors, probably $29.99 a month. I would give a heavy push of the feature with New Super Mario World's online multiplayer, and possibly include the DLC of the game for early adopters. I would also really push COD, and the included Wii Land would also support online play. Netflix, web-browsing, MiiVerse and eShop would still be accessible with out fees. The subscription would grant you online matchmaking a free download each month, as well as other promotions such as NSMW DLC.

-Bundles and pricing. There would be only one hardware model, the 32 gig version, which would include Wii Land and one controller. It would be priced at $299, a price point made possible despite higher specs by the smaller Gamepad and the extra revenue from online fees. I would also have a couple of core bundles, one with Zombi U and one with COD: BLOPS2 for $349 with a free month of Nintendo Network to really push these core titles. Promoting the 3rd party exclusive and attracting the COD audience are key objectives.

-Apps. There should be at least one cool, cheap App launching each month using the touchscreen. If Nintendo doesn't have the resources to make the games they should either create or purchase a small studio to make them. These are $5 iOS-type games designed as a quick diversion, that promote the value of a touchscreen enabled system to casuals.

-One more core title. Nintendo should have used their cash reserves to fund a multiplayer-focused shooter exclusive. I'm really thinking of Respawn and Titanfall. This would have been perfect to draw the shooter audience to the system. They should have funded the project as they did with W101 and B2. It would have been teased at the system reveal and fully revealed at e3 this year. Promoting both shooter action and online play, it would be a big selling point (along with NSMBW and MarioKart8) as to the value of the Nintendo Network.

-Reveal. I would have only teased that a system was coming at e3 2011. I would have saved the full reveal for e3 2012. Nintendo dragged it out much too long, killing the hype and confusing consumers.

-I wouldn't abandon the concept of SM3DW, I just would have delayed it. The idea of multiplayer classic-style Mario in 3D is great, but at launch Nintendo needed a better version of NSMBU, and it needed a beautiful SMG style game later on to push the value of the system and meet consumer expectations. Under my alternate reality, SMUniverse would be revealed at e3 2013 (which would have a press conference) along with MK8, SSB, X, Titanfall, and DKC:TF, but would probably release much later due to the resource focus on NSMW for launch and MarioKart8 for 2013. It would be a 2014 title.

And that's it!  lol, I didn't realise how long I was writing.  Guess I have some pent-up frustration with Nintendo!

THAT DOESN'T FIX THE ISSUE!  The Wii U can't be marketed with 32GB and then have a cheaper console with 100's of games and equal graphics sold for less right next to it!  People like to see bigger numbers when they spend more money.

Also devs have to assume most people will just have 8GB and as such games like BF3 will never come to it since they require multi GB updates.  

Love your ideas, especially moving The Last Story to Wii U.  It was wasted on Wii, but it would have been a major coup if promoted properly as a Final Fantasy alternative from the makers of FF.  NSMW is a great title too.

Nintendo seriously dropped the ball with TLS and Xenoblade, they should have touted them as the next FF. Apparently they forgot how to do marketing in 2010.