I hope so

Seeing what games Nintendo has been focusing on (aside from 1,2 Switch) it does look pretty promising that Nintendo is aiming back at the core audience again

I don't see the problem here. So many comparisons to the Wii U. I'd rather compare it to the 3DS. They launch at about the same time of year.

First-party 3DS retail games released in NA in its first 6 months (through September 2011):

Launch: Nintendogs + Cats
Launch: Pilotwings Resort
Launch: Steel Diver
Month 3: Ocarina of Time 3D
Month 6: Star Fox 64 3D

That's it. By comparison, here's what they have planned (obviously they must deliver on these plans) for the first 6 months of the Switch:

Launch: Zelda Breath of the Wild
Launch: 1, 2 Switch
Month 2: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Month 1-3: ARMS
Month 4-6: Splatoon 2

Somebody look me in the eye and tell me they don't have any more games to announce releasing before September. I'll take that bet.

Now, clearly the 3DS is not the system to beat when it comes to launch lineups; in fact it may have had the worst launch in modern console history. The eShop didn't even go live until several months after launch. It was a total disaster.

And yet, 60 million sales, and a legacy of 'core' action and role-playing games is where the 3DS now stands. If the Switch is a desirable product, people will buy it. The Wii U was not desirable. The 3DS was. Its horrible launch didn't hold it back in the end.

Well, the point was that the 3DS launched with three "casual" games and had only two N64 remakes after that from Nintendo for its first six months, whereas the Switch is launching with a brand new Zelda game and has three more "core" games planned for its first six months, one of which is a slightly updated Wii U game, and only one "casual" game announced for that period.

I don't even know how to compare this period to the Wii U's launch, because the Wii U had only Lego City and Game & Wario from December until August. It gets even better when you consider the Switch's fourth quarter lineup of Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Xenoblade 2 (compared to 3D Land & Kart 7 on 3DS / Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101, 3D World on Wii U, which is even a little unfair as that's a full year for Wii U and only 9 months for 3DS and Switch). Of course they have to actually release those games this year. Nintendo. Do you hear me Nintendo. Don't play with my heart with Xenoblade I swear to

ANYWAY assuming they actually release these games on-time and have a couple of surprises left for this year, that's actually a great first-party lineup from where I'm sitting. Again, I really think it just comes down to whether or not the Switch is a desirable product. I can't answer that.

The million dollar question remains unanswered :-p

The 3DS rocky start had no long negative lasting impact because if you are in the market to buy a handheld, you are most likely going to buy a 3DS, sooner or later. The Switch, on the other hand, have some competing to do.

It's true. The Switch has to compete with Nintendo's newest handheld platform, smartphones. A much stronger competitor than the PS Vita was for the 3DS.

It will compete with gaming consoles priced similarly. I don't think the Switch portability is an attraction at that price point (+online paywall). Sometime, somewhere down the line, a cheaper Switch will succeed the 3DS, but not now.

Whatever damage smartphones can do to handhelds or home consoles, it's done. Smartphones attract a different type of games with different business models. Those who want the traditional experience will still have to buy Nintendo/PS/XB products. I play games on my iPhone daily, but I also play games on my PC to get my "traidtional gaming experiences" fix.

Sorry, I misread your post at first. I really don't care them either. But yeah, I was talking about the people that play the games.

Nintendo's had problems selling consoles for a while now, really ever since the Playstation arrived if we're taking a broader view. 

Unless they have a controller gimmick that lights the world on fire, a Nintendo console has been a tough sell for the last 20 years. So like this is not really anything new.

It's just not what people want in a console these days, too many trends have changed (ie: Western content becoming the dominant market force), and some really haven't ... software diversity/large catalog is too often understated too.

People don't buy a console just for games, they buy it as a entertainment format ... and like any format ... be it VHS or DVD or Blu-Ray or vinyl or tape cassette or cable TV .... they want a wide variety of content.

The NES and SNES had that, every Nintendo console since then though has had problems with that. Nintendo fans think "well you're getting 1 great Nintendo a month! What more do you want?!" but that's not how the average consumer thinks.

If the NES/SNES had the content issues later Nintendo consoles had, they also would have sold a lot less. It should *not* be this hard to sell a console. 

Why would they compete with the PS4? Over 50 million people have already bought one. It would be simpler for them to market directly to PS4 owners by offering them games they can't play on PS4.

I mean if they assume anyone who has already bought a PS4 or an XBO is lost, they're giving up on half the console market. Trying to sell a new system to those who still haven't bought one more than three years after both launched is just scavenging for scraps. The big spenders buy platforms at or soon after launch, and Nintendo needs the big spenders because the Switch is designed to suck more profit out of each consumer than any other Nintendo console for the past two decades.

Regarding the price, they have priced the Switch to make them a lot of profit, and as such there is a lot of wiggle room for price drops. I don't doubt we'll see competitively priced bundles this Holiday.