So what about Odyssey? Xenoblade? Splatoon? All games that are the best selling in their series. But yet smash and pokemon are suppose to low-ball their numbers? Nintendo is planning to have the biggest shipment of the pokemon titles that they have ever had for a Pokemon game. They certainly aren't expecting 6 million units sold

odyssey is obviously in the same category as zelda.  xenoblade and splatoon were on the dead wiiu only of course they were gonna sell much better, especially splatoon 2 in japan with the first being a huge success, and now the sequel being on handheld device. 

Odyssey didn't change much from past 3d Mario titles, but still destroyed all past titles in sales. Last time smash was on a really successful console like the switch, it sold 13 million. I wonder what that says about Smash Switch. Don't be surprised when it matches brawl week one sales in USA

This thread is in terms of hardware, not software correct? A game can sell a lot of software but not push much hardware, could it not?

I am surprised though that almost half those polled expect the Switch to dominate. That $300 price tag is still well above a typical high selling Nintendo console/handheld, is it not?

Its obviously did, it finally went to the open world style of mario 64, which is what people have wanted for a very long time. also metracritic is starting to play a huge role in sales, if the game scores amazing scores.     

1. True, but doubting that the first installments of two seperate 10+ million, proven system selling franchises releasing early on in a systems life will sell consoles is kind of niave.

2. Dominate is an exaggeration but the poll doesnt give options for small victories, Micosoft winning isnt happening and Nintendo/Sony both think Switch wins based on shipment forcasts.

3. Yes, and your point? That type of argument made sense pre-launch, not so much now when its one of the fastest selling Nintendo devices despite the $300 price tag.

Returning to the past isn't changing up the formula. I find it hard to believe that Odyssey well due to sandbox nature when it didnt seem to help Sunshine

Right, because dominate is a strong word I would have expected a majority to say "not sure". It's one thing to think X will come out on top and it's another to say X will dominate. There are far too many question marks to have any reasonable expectation  of console dominance at this point.

At launch you have all the Nintendo die-hards buying the system. Not the same thing at all as expecting someone who wasn't hooked by MK8D, BOTW, Splatoon, and Odyssey to drop $300 over the holidays.

will a true successor to mario 64 has't been really done till now, thats like 20 years of people saying they want mario 64 sequel.

What im saying is people most likely voted for who they think will win rather than dominate.

I think people need to stop pretending "die-hards" leads to strong initial sales, they didnt stop 3DS & Wii U from doing very poorly in the beginning.

Smash/Pokemon/Fire Emblem and whatever else releases this Fall are not the same franchises/genres as what released last year and have their own fanbases (of course there is some overlap) so your last sentance is just grasping at straws.