WTF... Could be cross-gen with the new Nintendo hardware!

If its delayed for the new hardware it will be one of the meanest thing they could do to Wii U owners. If it does happen it will be one of the few times I'm disappointed in Nintendo.

Great news to start the day!

But what a weird way to announce it, out of the blue and via youtube.
... was expecting at least one Please Understand, what a let down

Still quite a few people already discussed this possibility last summer, so it doesn't surprise me; plus it's Zelda, 'tis the norm.

I personally think that the meanest thing to do to Nintendo fans is keep disappointing for the third or fourth year in a row with droughts and bogus excuses. This is a horrible strategy and they would actually be better served by moving on quickly as possible; people will eventually forgive them for launching a "premature" console and get things moving properly again but if they choose to cling to the Wii U, there really won't be much of a crowd left for them at all to offer their forgiveness. It's not like Zelda or anything else they release at this point will suddenly send the sales skyrocketing. If this thread is anything to go by; Nintendo have to move on, the Wii U has done nothing but tarnish their name, lost marketshare and caused ridicule for failing to adapt to development standards that are about a decade old in the industry and still lagging rather heavily (pun intended) in the online department. The Wii U era will not be remembered fondly, despite some truly fantastic games having released, it will be known as the time when Nintendo didn't have a clue what they were doing and were utterly dumbfounded by things that were clear as crystal to even casual observers and commenters.

I can't believe that this whole "they will never snub their fans like this" myth exists in the face of all the problems of late, and the rather obvious signs that they are ready to move on, and; most importantly, would be best served by disregarding the (very small at any rate) user base of a product that has been going and is going nowhere.

This is sad news, for me as well, I was thinking of getting a PS4 and a Wii U along with Zelda, Uncharted 4 and a new TV this fall/winter (of course more games than those as well, obviously). The fact that they won't be showing any new footage from Zelda at E3 is vastly bigger news than the delay itself though; I have a creeping suspicion that my theories will be proven correct before long. I guess, once again; "year of the Wii U" is nothing but words, I hope that we some day learn to disregard Sony, MS and Nintendo when they make obviously hyperbolic and/or forced statements of any kind, it really is high time.

Here's the problem with snubbing the Wii U userbase though; it's small, but it's comprised of their most loyal followers, the diehards who have stuck with them through thick and thin.
Nintendo risks alienating this base at their own peril, for if they lose the loyalists, they may well find themselves without any base at all. It would be the end of them.

But should they just keep trying to appease this niche group of followers and forego the chance to hop on the wave of possibilities that a new direction could offer? The core, most loyal fanbase is not something to base your future on; seeing the insane profits of the Wii era, I doubt that the investors will settle for "Well, we're only making nickles and dimes here on the home console market but out fans will be upset if we shake things up."
I'm willing to bet you anything that 90% of Nintendo's leadership and staff and 100% of their investors would be willing to sacrifice the small, loyal fanbase for a shot at the 100 million + money-making phenonmenon the Wii audience was to them.

They have also, once more, stated that they won't be reducing the price this year, which is likely the one move that would cause any sort of proper effect on sales (even if only short-term), given that they are being truthful, that is. This tells me that they simply don't care about how much the Wii U sells any longer and have faced the reality that they will be pushed into a new generation ahead of the others or risk being forgotten entirely, they simply want at least some profits to be made on the Wii U before it is relieved.

Literally everything they're doing right now points towards them abandoning the Wii U, but they can't very well come out and say it. I expect more fluff and reassuring rhetoric through 2015 before they have something more tangible to show us; it surely won't be the first time they say one thing but mean to do something entirely different.
People are quickly running out of reasons as to why Nintendo could possibly keep trudging around in the mud for much longer.

And, once more; we should all be glad that they're willing to move forward and climb towards what we know they can be, Nintendo's fans do not deserve a console like the Wii U and the immense incompetence Nintendo have showed in the 8th gen and the end of the 7th gen and no one should be rooting for them to cling to the flotsam when they can swim ashore.

The expanded audience is fickle though. The Wii U itself demonstrates that they cannot be relied upon for the long term. If the core is snubbed, Nintendo's next system becomes an all or nothing gambit; either it captures the mass market, or they are dead in the water without any base at all. Is Nintendo stupid enough to risk this? Absolutely there are. But that doesn't make it a good idea. A smooth transition from one to the other is the smart play here. 

But all this begets the question; will true Nintendo fans really not buy a new console should they release it? I find that hard to believe, if you've been gaming on their platforms for any length of time during their 30+ years in the industry, I don't think you'll suddenly refuse their offerings because it is presented in an unusual (and much needed) time frame. Personally; I don't think Nintendo has any choice in the matter and I've been rearing for them to take action since right after the Wii U released. Seeing as how they haven't managed to make it the product they (and the market) wanted it to be; it would be better to simply move on and change their philosophies somewhat to accomodate a more modern, progressive and diverse industry and market.

Like I said; I fully believe that the core base will follow, I don't stop buying the offerings of my favorites even though the mess up or disappoint me at times.

You who else jumped ship?  Sega, from the Saturn to the Dreamcast. Look how that turned out. If you demonstrate that you will not support your products properly, people stop buying them. 

This isn't an early April Fools joke, now is it? FUCK.