The problem is that Nintendo created a product centered around a piece of tech (gamepad) that serves no overwhelming function.  Accessing Inventory and Maps without pausing the game is nice, but there was no gaming problem with pausing the game to access those functions.  So until Nintendo comes up with a way to develop the gamepad beyond those things it will continue to be a gimmick, and thus wont sell.

I agree with this. With the huge success of the Wii you'd expect their next console to be amazing and well prepared especially since the Wii didn't get that much late in it's life.

What Nintendo needs is franchises that appeal to adult audiences. What Nintendo currently does is not bad but they have nothing for people that like more mature rated games. They should either buy studios, fund studios, or make them themselves. Relying on third parties is not going to work as we have seen. Look at Sony. It has a balance. It has games for kids like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Little Big Planet, Knack, Pupeteer, etc... and then games for more mature audiences like Killzone, Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us, Heavy Rain, The Order 1886, Beyond, Twisted Metal, etc... Nintendo lacks this balance and that will be its downfall. The concensus is that the average gamer is around 30 years old. So you need games that appeal to them. I don't understand why Nintendo never saw this. Let's face it even if the WiiU has Call of Duty. No one is buying a WiiU to play call of duty. You need exclusive mature games in big numbers.

By the way I play myself some of the games I listed for kids as I think adults can also enjoy them. There is no problem with Mario, Donkey Kong, or Pokemon, but you need also mature games that are exclusive. Otherwise mostly kids will play the rated E games and as they grow up they will want the mature games available in other platforms. That's what I think is happening.

Love how the OP doesnt consider casuals as people to fit his skewed logic.

It is always the company's fault, though to what end and exactly why is a matter for huge and ongoing debate.

The fact is that Nintendo consoles are fast becoming a niche product, with limited appeal. The only anomaly from this trend is the Wii which went in the opposite direction.

100% Nintendo fault. No one else is even slightly to blame for the Wii U's failure.

They went from a controller that got people into gaming to one that actively repels people away.
System is far more costly than it's predecessor even now.
HD development caught them with their pants around their ankles and is still giving them issues. So they can't release software at a fast enough clip to actually influence momentum in the market.
They have yet to jump on the account based software licensing scheme like anyone else in the industry
Still have yet to streamline online features of their console.

Nintendo has had years in some cases decades to get with the program. They thought the Wii branding gave them a get out of jail free card to ignore their flaws again.They were very wrong.

Nintendo screwed Nintendo

It's pretty sad wii u will end up selling worse than GameCube!

It's Nintendo's fault for not marketing the thing properly.