@tbone

I agree with you, I much prefer an epic E3 than a series of mildly interesting Directs. And the Smash Direct was full of information, but it seems oddly timed to me, and it's also not the traditional direct looking at many topics that we're used to seeing.

Also, another announcement that would normally be part of a direct: the Mario Golf season pass.

I think Nintendo is preparing Directs and then in the last couple of days/weeks, cancelling them and putting out the information and trailers separately.

Fatal Frame and the Season Pass seem to be 2 this month.

Iwata's been too busy beaming about his quality of life™.

It could be that they have nothing to talk about. Nintendo has had a really tough time deeloping software this generation.

I don't think it is that they are holding information back, it seems stupid that they wouldn't be hyping their upcoming products. How do they think people are going to know about them or want them if people are unconvinced or know nothing of these products?

But they have had products to hype and announcements have been made:

This month: Fatal Frame announcement, Mario Golf release and demo, DLC announcement, NES Remix 2
Last month: Smash Bros information, Mario Kart trailer, Tomodachi Life announcement, Zelda DLC in Sonic
Previous month: Sonic Boom announcement, GBA VC trailer (with dates)

I'm not saying these are the biggest announcements or the games most in need of hype, but last year each of these lists could be the main headlines to come out of a Direct.

And in each instance, these announcements landed within a few days of each other, about a month apart, as though the plug had been pulled on a Direct!

And we know that there is information that they are sitting on, we haven't heard anything on the following games since their announce; Yarn Yoshi, SMTxFE, Sonic Boom, Hyrule Warriors. These all have 2014 release dates as well, although whether Yarn Yoshi and SMTxFE still exist is unknown.

On top of that we know that Retro is hard at work on a new project, that Miyamoto has a new IP cooking, and that Nintendo has an NFC project in the works. Whether or not these are 3 separate projects or not is unknown.

But it definitely seems as though information is being held back for E3. But also that Directs have been cancelled at the 11th hour.

Maybe Iwata realised he actually has a console to save and a job to be doing as a CEO, not to fuck about making pod casts.

we've had the mario kart 8 blowout, Smash Direct and the sublime tomadachi life direct recently. Mario kart 8 direct is likely and the rest will be left until e3 2014

I have a feeling this year's Nintendo E3 will be small, and will focus around Smash, X, and Zelda after filling it out with previews of a bunch of B-games like new installments of Mario sports games and Nintendo Remix.

Why wouldn't the game-specific Directs count?

We had two Directs this year, there's no such thing as a 'proper' Direct. We've had plenty of months in the past that only had a special Direct instead of a 'regular' one as well as months that didn't have a Direct at all. You can expect a dedicated Mario Kart Direct next month, so that would be three Directs in five months, which is more than once every two months and is the average for these things to come out. Four even if you count the Tomodachi mini-Direct.

They're probably saving a few new things for E3 now.

EDIT: So far though they've been following the scedule of 2012; big Direct in Februari, smaller one in April. Could just be coincidence, but hopefully that means they'll also follow 2012's E3 scedule; a small Direct as a prequel to the conference, the conference and a small Direcct afterwards detailing some stuff further.

That Indie thing was a convention, not nothing.

We really need games guys... 3DS looks dead until summer... no wonder they are realising SSB4 that sooner....