Nintendo's obsession with been unique is killing them Gen by Gen. Sure sometimes it looks like their been succesful but really they are damaging their reputation and profits.

Here's why IMO ( for what its worth) 

Nes- same as competition very successful console

SNES - same as competition success

N64- unique for generation but still regonizable to previous gens. Moderately success

Gamecube- unique discs unique look. Moderate success

Wii- totally unique makes Nintendo billions. Complete failure as it has cost Nintendo there reputation as a GAMES console. Most gamers hate this console. 

Wii u- totally unique to competition. complete failure

Reputation with gamers destroyed by previous wii.

So make a console that is the same as competition in power and looks and conventional. Yes its boring but hey end of the day gamers just want a games consoles that holds up to the completion and has RESPECT from other gamers. You know those people who actually buy consoles not grandmas and OAP's and 5 year olds. 

Thoughts ( expecting much hate from fans but as a fan its how I feel)

Yea, Nintendo has the cool guy fashion designer mentality. Next gen is really their last chance.

Yeah, from sticking to carts with the N64, to using mini DVDs with the GameCube, and to the Wii in general, Nintendo's uniqueness has costed them in the long run tremendously.

Their lack of credibility makes me question how successful NX will be, unless they pull off some miracles.

There is a problem with your theory. Before the N64, the main competitors were Sega and other smaller companies. Since the N64, the main competitor has been Sony (and after the GC, Microsoft). These are two of the biggest corporations on the planet on hardware and software respectively. Compare them to Nintendo, that focuses just on making videogames and consoles for them. Competing against them by doing the same as them won't be succesfull because Nintendo doesn't have their resources. Their main strenght is their IPs and their ability to reinvent themselves.

Also, I wouldn't call the Wii a failure. You say the Wii alienated costumers, but if Nintendo had tried a GameCube HD instead of the Wii, Nintendo would be in a worst situation that they are now finantially.

I think people will run back to them regardless of their current image if they provide what people are actually looking for. Its just a matter now of if they're willing to do this? who knows

You are saying that the consoles are unique but you don't explain why they are unique.
Wii U for instance is not unique, it is almost the same console as Wii imo.

Calling the N64 and Gamecube moderately successful is a pretty positive outlook considering the N64 floundered when compared to the PS1, and the Gamecube just barely, and I mean barely sold enough to turn a profit. That aside, yeah, Nintendo hurt themselves. With the Wii, they struck a goldmine, but that goldmine held a dark future. They found the casual userbase, a group of gamers that had yet to be heavily appealed to by any piece of gaming hardware. What happened then? Nintendo became the brand for the casual gamer. That worked well for one generation, but last generation was long. It gave Nintendo a defined image for a whole set of gamers who were growing up in that time period. Then the Wii U comes and Nintendo says "this will appeal to hardcore gamers!"

Yeah, Nintendo, I hate to say this, but you appealed to a very specific crowd who has come to enjoy smartphones and tablets now. Nintendo effectively lost at least 85% of the Wii userbase to more casual friendly hardware that tons of people own now anyways, making it a convenient platform for casual gaming. Literally all they have left is the most dedicated of Nintendo fans.

At the same time, you have to consider that Nintendo has been struggling since losing third party support in the N64 era and failing to regain it in the time of the Gamecube. They created a very complex situation for themselves after the Wii that makes success in the home console market something that will be nearly impossible for Nintendo as time keeps moving. There are no more hidden audiences to appeal to. There are no more audience based flukes that will lead to huge profits.

Totally unique? Before Wii U tablet DS and ios / android devices have used it a lot. How come its unique? And the fact it doesnt use the tablet controller (horn in mario kart 8) what is exactly the unique factor?

You forgot the smashing success of totally unique DS.

Unfortunately, Nintendo seem to make major slip ups every gen that any other company probably wouldn't make. For example the GC's disks, N64's carts, Wii U's marketing, stuff like that.

But yeah, in my opinion it feels like Nintendo is becoming a company that people know, but don't pay attention to and they really need to fix that.