How do you know the 3DS is eating up resources that would otherwise go to the Wii U? They are two completely seperate games more then likely being made by two different teams. I already justified a staggered release: 3DS games require less time, money, people and resources then a Wii U game, so obviously it can be done faster. Why delay the 3DS version to coincide with the Wii U version if it's already ready to go?

And your next statement makes no sense: how will Wii U sales suffer? Anyone who would have bought a Wii U for it in the summer will still be able a Wii U for it in the winter, and there is no reason why they wouldn't. It's not like all those people who bought Mario Kart 7 aren't going to buy Mario Kart 8. They are different games on different platforms, and the Wii U version, with it's significantly superior graphics, is pretty clearly the main attraction. It's going to be the Wii U's big holiday title.

Consoles probably aren't going to be moved anyway. Mario Kart and New Super Mario Bros are Nintendo's biggest franchises. If THOSE games can't move units, then Smash Bros DEFINITELY won't.

I also don't see how the 3DS is "obviously affecting the character roster".

Smash Bros has not been in development for six years. It did not enter development until after Kid Icarus was released in March 2012. So really, it's been in development for two years, and will be at 2 and a half when all is said and done.

True, but there is X, Bayonetta 2, Sonic Boom, and Hyrule warriors. And endless digital games this year for the Wii u. I going to be busy. 

I dont think anyone thinks that XD

Unfortunatley wii U is on life support it doesnt need its corpse carrying till the holiday, it needs double doses of reasons to buy RIGHT NOW!

It's basically all they've got. Mario kart will have to carry it till the holidays.. Then smash will be there as the big holiday title... If they release it early they'll have nothing for the holidays.. Sad, but true.

When Sakurai announced the 3DS version was coming first, I'm not afraid to admit, my gut reaction was that it was a bad move for many of the reasons that have been stated in this thread already. Then I stopped and thought about it.

I believe the 3DS version was always intended to come out first. SSB 4 was announced at E3 2011 as a 3DS and Wii U game, way before the Wii U was even launched. Source.

In an Iwata Asks published at around the same time, Sakurai talked about using the 3DS to customise and power up your characters, and then bring them to the Wii U. Admittedly, this was back in 2011, when it was still at the conceptual stage.

But in the Nintendo Direct yesterday, Sakurai talked more about customising your characters' abilities, and hinted at increasing their capabilities - which could then be used in local play and Fun Mode online, but not in Glory mode. He also teased a connectivity between the 3DS and Wii U versions, which he said would be revealed at a later date, which suggests that things may not have changed so much since concept.

Point is, this is not about Nintendo making a bad choice by releasing the 3DS version first. The above sources prove they had a clear development plan from the outset. The 3DS had only been out 4 months at the time of the announcement, and the Wii U had only just been announced at the same conference.

Think about it. The 3DS was always expected to have a larger install base due to having been released 18 months earlier than the Wii U, and that factor clearly had a great impact on their development plan and order of release.

I doubt they would have foreseen the gap between the two consoles sales figures by 2014 being quite as huge as it is, and it may not have as successful an outcome for the Wii U version as they might have originally hoped. But regardless, in terms of what they have planned, it made sense then, and still makes sense now, to release to 3DS owners first, with features that will entice them to purchase the Wii U version further down the line.

And for anyone who thinks they're abandoning the Wii U, just look at the Smash Bros website, and particularly on the Nintendo Direct, and how the vast majority of screenshots and footage actually come from the Wii U version.

...............It's like they want the Wii U to die!

i tried to stay away from the whole wii-u doom thing, but yup, nintendo is making it their mission to kill that poor thing.

If they can't get a title like smash ready before 2015, how much time will it take them to develop Skyrim-like Zelda U?

They're probably not making a Skyrim-like Zelda U.