I've been noticing an interesting trend with Nintendo consoles especially starting from last generation.

So we all know the last generation the Wii smoked ( at least during the first half of the generation ) the PS3 and Xbox 360. Yet many people didn't actually see it as an actual seventh generation console and hence they didn't see it as a direct competition against the PS3 and Xbox 360. Sure the Wii ( For at least the first half of that gen ) was getting a lot of the major third party games but people still didn't see it as a competitor. This can easily be seen though by how many people thought it was underpowered and a gimmick.

Now let's look at this generation. Nintendo released the WII U a console which while still somewhat underpowered compared to it's PS4 and Xbox One bretheren, is a much more "normal" console. Yet, people still do not see it as a direct competition to the PS4 and Xbox One. Nowadays people merely see it as a side console to PC, PS4 or Xbox One. It was getting a couple of good third party games during it's first few months, yet people never sort of saw it as their main console ( You can live with just buying all your third parties and first parties on this console ) and hence it feels as if the WII U, even if it was a sales monster, wouldn't still be seen as a direct competitor to the PS4 or Xbox One

Bottomline: Nintendo consoles have changed so much especially since the seventh generation ( and strayed from the path of being a conventional console ) that people no longer see Nintendo consoles as "Normal" and hence they are never and may never be in direct competition with either Sony or Microsofts consoles.

Do you agree that Nintendo consoles are in their own league where they are not really any competition to either Sony's or Microsoft's consoles? ( Sort of like how Handhelds and Gaming Consoles are not in direct competition )

People's perspective on Nintendo systems changed with the Wii. People still talked about Nintendo as a serious contendent on the Console Wars during the N64 and GCube (and before, obvioulsy). The Wii was just something so different an unexpected that nobody knew how to react to it. People mocked its motion controlls and lack of power, but it turned out to be the most profitable idea Nintendo ever had (outside of the monster that was the DS). Because most 3rd parties couldn't put their AAA games on the system without huge modifications, the Wii got a really unique library, games which most of them weren't really "cool" in the eyes of the PS360 crowd, also most Wii owners bought it as their first game console. So, when the next generation came out and Nintendo announced the WiiU, people thought it would be more of the same, with the casuals gone to other devices.

The thing is, I don't know if Nintendo can solve this "Wii effect". Most 3rd parties are comfortable just making games for three or five systems (PC, PS360 and PS4-XBone), so adding one more to develope could be expensive and too risky (remember, most 3rd parties think Nintendo users don't buy that many 3rd party games). Nintendo should have expanded their workforce to guarantee a good software lineup, to sell well hardware from the beginning and get others interested in their consoles.

Yep...  Nintendo sells Side-consols, that you get along with a playstation or Xbox.

It comes from them not haveing the hardware, and not haveing 3rd party support.

IMO it makes the consol alot less appealing, than the 2 others.

You get a Wii U for 1 or 2 games you really wanna play and thats it.

Mario kinda flopped this gen...(I didnt like SMW3D much), and if Zelda is a flop too..... would make me regret the purchase.

Sort of. But all it probably takes for them to be normal is an amazing launch with lots of third parties.
Perception can change quickly.

Seems a bit quick to assume that Ninten has moved to a league all their own. It really just started with the Wii, and Ninten tried to try something new again which may have have provided another new way to play, such as asymmetric gamplay. Though it does seem likely that the NX will do something new, possibly because gaming is coming close to hitting a wall. I don't think there is much further games can go in terms of visuals. Sure, games can upgrade more graphically, but I don't think it will have the same effect as the jump from 2D to 3D, or blocky polygons to smoothed out ones. Perhaps Ninten is focusing less on graphical prowess and more on new ways to play games.

Next consol launch nintendo just needs to have a real 3D mario game ready, like Mario 64/Galaxy/Sunshine, that or a Zelda game at launch.

They should understand its the main draw of their systems and without it, theyre sales flop.... floppy sales => no 3rd party => bad sales all gen long.

They should lose the expensive gamepad...

side grade consols need to be cheap, so you dont make the consumer end up haveing to choose between one or the other.

(you make them get both)

Also bring back the nunchuk, that controller was great.

= recipe for success.

I just don't think we need 3 consoles that are identical to each other. We already call them the Twins. Do we really need to call them The Triplets now? This hardware idea that is the gamepad panned. Nintendo themselves didn't know what to do with it and most 3rd party developers still don't. The only thing that gets me is that the games on the system are excellent. But this perception of nintendo being the gimmick system is what hurts them more than anything.

I think the perception of Nintendo being kiddy/gimmick for the 'hardcore' gamers will be their biggest enemy.

that's a bad thing as third parties don't pay much attention to their consoles

Yes, and this is why Nintendo consoles success is solely dependent on what Nintendo does, not what the competitors do.

This. Not since Rare has an outside studio made a notable difference in Nintendo's hardware sales. Maybe Level 5 with Youkai Watch, that series has sold a lot of 3DS, but it's not the same.