Yeah, typical example of "handhelds don't count". I remember we had many people here who predicted the Switch, as Nintendo's only console, would sell as badly as the Wii U... despite the fact that Wii U + 3DS had moved like 85 million units. 

Bananaking was a Playstation guy but generally a decent and respected fellow.

The main reason Nintendo gets more doom and gloom posts is because they were inconsistent in home consoles sales (more like consistently bad and declining since Playstation launched, barring the Wii anomaly). If core fans expect doom, it shouldn't surprise anyone that similar or worse sentiments exist outside the fanbase.

With that being said, expecting the Switch to sell like Wii U was a hilariously poor prediction, because the Switch was also a handheld. Nintendo's handhelds are consistent high sellers. People were hyperfocused on Switch's home console side (because the 3DS was still being supported). They almost forgot that it was also a handheld. I guess the logic was that $300 was too much for a handheld and also too much for an underpowered home console. But even if that were true and everyone kept supporting 3DS and potentially a seperate successor, sub 50 million for Switch sounded foolish to me.

I forgot to mention these others. Thanks for bringing them up, specially the Wii U's GamePad.

Nah you don't understand: The Nintendo Switch 2 underperformed in the United States during the month of November! And they have only released like ten games since the launch of Switch 2.

Welcome back, Wii U. :(

The Switch 2 sold just a few millions more than the Wii U, you can't ignore the hard evidence right in front of your face!

It’s a tactic to try and avoid debate by trying to discount the success of a console by describing one of the reasons or assumptions for its success:

1. It’s a handheld.

2. It has a DVD player when DVD players are rare.

3. It’s is well supplied meaning demand is 100% served.m while other with consoles this didn’t happen.

4. It’s supply constrained creating false demand through scarcity.

5. It’s casual and not hardcore.

Any others I missed?

6. 50% of sales are scalpers. Not real demand!

A lot of people really want Nintendo to go third party so they can play their games on PS/Xbox/Steam/etc, and so desperately try to will their downfall into existence and get frustrated and deny when they do well. (Wii, Switch, Switch 2)

That said, in this case even a large share of Nintendo fans, myself included, didn't have high hopes for Switch after the Wii U debacle, when it seemed Nintendo just went out of their way to step on every possible rake. 

Yeah, saw a fanart of Breath of the Wild in a PS5 boxart the other day....

Meanwhile given the rumor mill, we might be getting God of War on Sw2. Now won't that be.....an interesting day on the internet. 

Yeah back in the day stuff like this was regularly doing the rounds:

Those who wanted Nintendo to go third party were drooling at the mouth for Switch to be their Dreamcast moment.