After 3DS, Wii U Will Now Get "Intensive" Release Schedule

So now Nintendo has drilled home the point that its 3DS is healthy and preparing for world domination, the company has suggested that its focus going forward will be to work the same miracle with its ailing, sick console brother - the Wii U.

Global president Satoru Iwata said during a company investor meeting that the Wii U failed to gain momentum after what he feels was a "smooth" initial launch last year. "We initially hoped that Wii U would be showing more of a presence in the market by now, but the current situation shows that we need to spend more time on and put much effort into recreating the momentum," he said.

"Regarding Wii U, the release intervals of first-party key titles have been so much longer than we expected... In addition, we have not been able to solidly communicate the product value of Wii U to our consumers yet, which has been a grand challenge for us."

Iwata pointed to the fact that many consumers are still confused as to what the Wii U actually is, adding that Nintendo feels "deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product."

The exec noted that the Wii U lacks a sure-fire system seller in the same vein as Wii Sports, "with which people immediately comprehended its product value," but said that there are some unique features of the console that the company could take advantage of in order to replicate the Wii's success in that regard. "We would like to take time to work thoroughly for its penetration, by making various efforts to have many people understand its product value as well as enriching the software lineup."

Finally, Iwata promises a solution to the 'no games' problem on Wii U that is similar to its recent solution for the 3DS - which is to actually make some games. "Wii U has lost momentum due to the release pace of first-party titles which has not lived up to consumers’ expectations. Starting with "Pikmin 3" scheduled for release in the upcoming July, however, we will intensively launch our key titles to give sales momentum to the platform."

It sounds like, from now on, Nintendo will be focusing its announcements and future efforts on emphasising the Wii U and securing a strong launch lineup. With the PS4 and next Xbox just around the corner, it doesn't have a lot of time to play with...