Analysts Suggest That Nintendo's Quality Of Life Initiative Has Been "Put On The Back Burner"

I'm sort of relieved. I don't want them to spread themselves too thin. Just concentrate on making the NX not flop for now.

Ah, Pachter. A man of one tune.

I still think the whole QOL thing was a way of Nintendo establishing itself elsewhere in case they ever had to leave the gaming industry. And let's be honest, Nintendo really has to make the NX something outstanding and sell like crazy for that not to happen, even with the money they've got.

@Moon +1

Nintendo also quietly gave up on making a new console for emerging markets, so this doesn't surprise me. I hope they release some sort of new hardware next year (NX?).

@Cyber-BLP--

HA! I love it! And Pachter's a poopyhead.

Haha ok guys, just because the CEO died doesn't mean they drop all their plans. Iwata is one big cog in the wheels sure but there is 100s of people behind the QoL thing and I seriously doubt Nintendo have dropped it due to iwata's death.

Nintendo as a company want to expand, still do gaming but venture into new areas, QoL is still gonna happen.

Why can't we encourage Nintendo to expand their business? Seriously. Every thing that Nintendo tries to do is something to complain about. If they made the DS, its bad. If they made the Wii, its bad. If they expand their business outside gaming, that's bad.

And yet its not bad when SEGA makes games as well as arcades?

If Iwata was using an early prototype of this device, it does not bode well for instilling consumer confidence.

@SanderEvers

But didn't Pachter predict from the start that the Wii U would lose all third party support, be the worst selling home console this generation and that the gamepad wasn't the 'game changer' Nintendo had planned on it being?

He was right all along.

@hollywoodhogan

yeesh...

Pachter's probably right about QOL. I don't know the specifics, but I'm under the impression that more established brands offering similar products are having difficulty selling themselves to people and, similar to smart-watches and other "smart" wearable tech, nobody's established a real market base beyond the absurdly brand-loyal.

Bear in mind, that does not mean the whole concept is shelved - there's likely been too much investment and research to just shelve the entire thing. I'd say temporarily prioritising the mobile market and returning to QOL when there's a clearer niche for such things (or when Nintendo thinks they can carve out such a niche) is probably the most sound decision Nintendo could make for expansion out of the traditional gaming market.

@Cyber-BLP--
"I also have UK views on Nintendo.jpg if you want." - that sounds like something I'd be interested in.

@Cyber-BLP-- What exactly did Pachter say to offend you?

@Cyber-BLP--

Those views belong to the entire Western world

Good, we don't need quality of life. We need quantity of games!

@nintendolife
You edit my comment to say "poopyhead"?! That made me laugh more than it should have, but okay. As Captain America would have said "language".

QoL makes business sense from the broader big picture perspective. I wonder if they tried a bunch of stuff only to find none of it was really clicking. It always seemed a bit nebulous as to what QoL would actually mean in terms of tangible product, so may have been Nintendo just didn't find that killer product that really leveraged their expertise.

But most likely it's a case of QoL was stretching them too thin, so they've prioritised NX and mobile, even if QoL is something they'd like to do

There is another financial news story about the NX being the next big thing in virtual reality. It is absolutely reckless and baseless reporting. So even though I personally think QoL will never see the light of day (regardless of Big N leadership), this financial news story seems equally as speculative and baseless. Big N's stock (NYSE) is at a 52-week high; so let's sell it, then report something to make it come down, then we'll buy it again. Seriously, some of these analysts are merely gossips.

@Moon I agree.

Ah Michael Pachter, that was the point I stopped reading

Can you guys stop using stuff Patcher says in your articles? He is constantly wrong, and he is so annoying. When you quote him, it just gives his position more weight, it's just another soap box for him.

I personally was, and still am, excited to see what Nintendo can do with Quality of Life technology. I think video games and healthcare are starting to see more benefits when used together. It's a smart move for Nintendo, and I doubt they are going to abandon something they have already made enough progress to announce in the first place.

I'm glad to see the focus go away. The whole QOL thing seemed to be a knee-jerk announcement after the poor Wii U sales a few months ago. It looks dumb.

@HollywoodHogan
Didn't Pachter also say console gaming would end with the Wii, PS3 and 360 era? The PS3 will out sell the Wii within 5 yrs (in 2009).The guy is a nut case that doesn't even know what he's talking about, at best he's right about 25% of time. The only times he's right about anything is when he states the completely obvious like "the next GTA will be successful".

@locky-mavo

You forgot to mention when he was right about the Wii U selling like crap and being virtually abandoned by third parties soon after it was released.

People like to pretend the guy is always wrong, while ignoring all the things he got right.

It died with Iwata. Given his health issues, that was clearly his baby.

Well it was a good concept but without Iwata it probably won't work. I never really care about the failed Vita Lity sensor just like how I don't care about the failed Vita TV and Vita handheld.

If Pachter says so it must be true right?

@Cyber-BLP-- Isn't that just the opinion of idiots, and not really restricted by nationality? I mean, it's a fairly accurate image, regardless.

I don't think it's 100% dead but it's probably been pushed to 2017 or something. NX and mobile need to be the main priorities right now.

For the good, I would say.... I am sort of relieved by this news.

Make Metroid, FZero, 3D Marios, innovate in gameplay... things you KNEW how to do.... concentrate on that. Merge your 30 years of experience with new technologies and tastes. Thanks

It's not been that much time since news of QOL has been heard. And there's nothing else that suggests they've shelved it. But hey, Nintendoomed! Because...Wii U!

@HollywoodHogan #29 If Patcher will praise the NX, He will automatically become the national hero of this site, be prepared for hundreds of U-turns....

"Put On The Back Burner"

I thought that's where it always was.

QOL thing is silly, I hope they did give up on it. They should be focusing on mobile games, and making sure NX doesn't suck like the Wii U. Lots of ppl have no faith in Nintendo hardware thanks to the Wii U, so I think it's more important to get customers back then some silly project.

I don’t think it has much to do with the way Iwata pitched or supported the concept. I think it has to do with sane business reaction after being disrupted, this time before you release a product.

After the apple watch, there’s suddenly an entire ecosystem that sells, as one of its main points, the health tracking as part of a platform ecosystem. Nintendo’s vitality sensor wasn’t too much of a revolution, and the qol thing might make nintendo lagging behind yet again, after 3 apps and my iphone plus wearable tech do everything better and more seamless for me.

They got disrupted by having mobile, portable platforms steal away a chunk of their audience. They got disrupted by having tablets that connect to an ecosystem before the launch of the wii U which made its splash insignificant. Now their qol was disrupted straight after an apple watch launch, but luckily before walking that route into heavy production.

Whatever they have on NX, they would secure the best chance of them succeeding by remaining tight lipped until a nintendo rep shows up on stage and says “available today” at that same announcement - or, at least, really soon after. Nintendo has a keen sense of where the market goes, they just need some secrecy to revolutionize things and be the one who makes the splash.

@HollywoodHogan A broken clock is right twice a day. Pachter also said that both Wii and DS would flop and the Xbox One would dominate - and that's just the tip of the immense BS iceberg he's created over the years. Whenever people call him out on it, he twists his words (usually to the effect of "I'm an analyst! My job is hard, and you just don't get it!") or insults Nintendo and its fans.

This is an utter non-story which means nothing. Basically a bunch of twits guessing things. Gotta love games 'journalism'.

Nintendo's going through a lot of change at the moment with Iwata's passing, the NX and the DENA partnership. It makes sense that a risky venture such as this would be put on the back burner for a while. It could emerge again once Nintendo have settled down and are less busy.

@HollywoodHogan

I think with Patcher it is the blind squirrel or broken clock syndrome. If you are always negative, you will eventually be right. He's not the least bit positive, and when he is wrong, he won't own up to it. He is the shock jock of gaming analysts. The mere mention like this keeps him in business. So, we are really playing into his hands.

As for QoL, I understand diversification. However, it is hard to establish an opinion of you know nothing about what the plans are. On the surface, mobile gaming does make more sense, but who's to say there is not a tie-in somewhere like fit bit.

I clicked and saw "Michael Pachter" and another anal-yst and when I thought I had wasted my time, @Cyber-BLP-- comes with funny pics to save the day. Thanks, the next uncle Jack is on me.

It feels like Nintendo has had QOL behind them for some time.

I guess Nintendo just has some more important stuff to take care of at the moment. Shame if it gets scrapped, though. Then not only will not only see his idea come to fruition, but it won't come into fruition at all!
@HollywoodHogan Out of curiosity, what OTHER times was Patcher right? Just curious, because based off of his predictions that I know about, he's basically an idiot who has no idea what the heck he's talking about that just got lucky a couple of times. Yes, he was right about the Wii U, but just because he was right about that doesn't mean that all the times he's been wrong suddenly never happened.

Any analyst worth their salt would know that Nintendo is a very quiet company most of the time and just because they are quiet on something doesn't mean they aren't doing it.

@hYdeks "Some silly project" that could keep Nintendo profitable when gaming has its downward spirals. Diversification isn't a bad thing when done right.

@readyletsgo

Did you read the article? They are SPECULATING that it has been placed on the back burner. That is not one in the same with DROPPING it out right.

Nevertheless I wouldn't be surprised. QoL was Iwata's baby; he was personally overseeing the division. Nintendo knows they are a toy/gaming company first and their current state within the industry really calls for all hands on deck in a sense on all their core offerings.

@HollywoodHogan
Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds some nuts.

@MadAdam81

Ah but that silence is partly what has landed them in last place and facing borderline irrelevancy within the market.

Nintendo needs to about-face and start becoming extremely transparent.

@gatorboi352 I did and I read it 8 hours earlier on ign too. My comment was mostly to all the replies on here, not the article comments from the two analysts.

Love Pachter, Love Nintendo, didn't really look forward to QoL. Nintendo needs to increase its game output.

Good riddens...

@HollywoodHogan He also predicted the Vita would outsell the 3DS, which would flop and the Wii would never be sucessful

Sounds like they are going to focus on the NX, maybe we will see this by mid 2016

@readyletsgo I agree that if it was dropped it's probably not because of Iwata's death, but just because they had a lot of people working on it doesn't mean it wasn't or can't be scrapped. Their next console having to come sooner than anyone expected would be a legitimate reason to put major side projects on hold.

My (admittedly very high) interest in Nintendo only goes as far as gaming. I hope the QOL initiative is indeed dead, and that they use the effort and manpower to make more great games and an incredible Wii U successor instead.

@HollywoodHogan Iwata was terminally ill and even the finished product wouldn't have saved him at that point when medical science couldn't even do it. If anyone truly believes there is a connection, they are honestly very ****ing stupid. This isn't a cure to illness. It tracks your quality of living (hence the name) and tells you how well/poorly your habits are (sleeping, exercise, eating, etc. I imagine). It would be up to the person to change that anyway, not the machine. This wouldn't have predicted Iwata's cancer.

@ricklongo Why do people keep thinking making this or that will take away resources from this or that? Like when people thought Triforce Heroes would take away from the development of Zelda U. It's even more true in the QOL scenario, but there are entirely different teams working on the games you want and QOL, and in this scenario, entirely different departments. The NX is being worked on exactly the same with or without QOL.

Wii Fit was a flash in the pan and a gimmick. I can't see them emulating that success again.
I can imagine it taking off in Japan, with a quirky and fun UI but western keep fit people are probably after gadgetry like the Apple Watch and Fit Bit. I know the QOL was supposed to be non wearable tech but I can't see a Nintendo product being high on anyone's list of high savvy tech. Unless it did something totally unique. Which I don't think it would.

@HollywoodHogan Thats because he thought no consoles this generation will sell. And the wii u happened to come out first.

@HollywoodHogan Lets see
DS would flop
Wii would flop
Vita would outsell 3DS
3DS wouldn't sell more than 8 million units in its life time

Tell me when has Pachter been right again

pachter is such a broken record. i can't wait for the mobile bubble to finally burst.

Wow. So many people on here don't know how divisions of a company work. The QoL thing required Nintendo to expand. The people hired to work on QoL aren't game developers or gaming hardware developers. They don't have anything to do with games. QoL was/is not taking away any resources from NX, mobile, 3DS, and Wii U.

Anyways, I don't think it's been shelved. Delayed possibly, but not shelved.

Lol pachter. I can't believe people still takes him seriously.

I doubt they cancelled the QoL platform they were planning although I wouldn't be surprised if it was cancelled. I mean, even when Iwata was alive he never shown anything.

Or who knows? maybe next year along NX will be the start of a brand new Nintendo.

Well, part of me thinks this only really happened because Iwata was ill anyway, and that led to him encouraging the development of products that focussed on health and wellbeing (it was basically personally motivated), but I'm not entirely convinced Nintendo has just given up on the whole idea entirely. This didn't sound like a simple one-off product, to me, that Nintendo could just drop in a heartbeat. This sounded like a much bigger thing that that. I expect it won't be a simple matter of just dropping all the quality of life stuff and continuing on with the standard consoles and now some mobile stuff too. I personally think we still have more to hear on this whole thing.

In my opinion, Nintendo should never have went down this whole "Quality of Life" thing in the first place, but now that is has, I'm actually kinda curious to see what it had planned for all these devices and services, or whatever this whole thing was.

Probably not shelved. These things take time to work well. The only reason Vitality Sensor didn't come out is because it wasn't perfect tech-wise. Wii Fit was perfect. It worked. It got your weight and the exercises were fun. If the vitality sensor doesn't track 100% correctly it's a problem, and so here. They have to keep studying the science and the tech. When they figure it out they'll release it and it'll be successful.

Also, they are at a very good place now. amiibo selling like crazy, success of Splatoon etc. Mobile games coming up. Stock went from $11 to $25 which is amazing. Good times.

I've been thinking this might be the case for a while now. But I guess we'll see.

Even if they did shelve it who cares, companies routinely scrap ideas if they feel they aren't workable or won't be profitable. Also it's not like development of games suffered because of the QOL project.

I don't like Patchers hatred for Nintendo but the guy has been right every step of the way though the Wii U's life.

I think it will be put on hold for a few years. Hopefully they are working on the mobile market and making sure their next console will be good. They need to concentrate on getting more consumers and getting back the 3rd parties, rather than making something that could untimely flop or show off another gimmick...that would probably end up flopping. From the moment they announced this, I didn't really see it taking off...at least not taking off for people at home. I could see something like this being used in hospitals, but not at people's homes. It would be a high priced thing (whatever it would be called), and end up being another waste of money for nintendo.

Focus on mobile and the next system, get the support, consumers and fans back on track, make those three happy, and hopefully get a huge profit again. With the fact that every time in magazines and game places, you hear about the next wave of consoles, they only talk about PS4 and XONE. Wii U is always left in the dust, and it's not going to pick up enough speed anytime soon...I love the system, but even I think it's kind of a bad system (not enough depth into it). I loved the gamecube, and that was my console of choice back in that era...still had a lot of games, 3rd party and more, and it had a lot to look into...the Wii was the same, but the Wii U is lacking with having to wait months...sometimes seasons...for a new retail game to come out.

@IceClimbers

Please feel free to share with the rest of us this information you have detailing exactly that Nintendo EXPANDED to form the QoL team. I'm sure the analysts quoted would like to know as well.

And I quote (Iwata): "In other words, we created a permanent project team in the form of a new department. People assembled from four divisions to create this department and it reports directly to me. I think that is all I can share with you about the development structure at this moment."

So yeah, I'd say they were assets from the other teams and they were specifically pulled AWAY from them to JOIN the QoL initiative. Assets that are clearly needed elsewhere at the moment. Also doesn't help their efforts when the sole individual they were reporting everything to is no longer with us.

Quote source: http://wiiudaily.com/2015/02/nintendo-qol-department-reports-to-iwata/

@Boxmonkey And he's been wrong everywhere else so your point is?

Well, probably they see Wii Fit U didn't sell as much as they hoped, so they changed priorities. I don't think it's a blue ocean anyway, but sleep tracking is a good thing so I hope Nintendo could bring that out and see how they works in the market.

aww.. I was interested as to how it was going to turn out :/

@gatorboi352 How dare you spread the truth? Blasphemy!

We will eventually see if the project has been delayed or not. I'm not sure how much Iwata was involved with the project himself, but that might have caused some delay if that's the case.

@HollywoodHogan Pachter may have been right about the Wii U, but that's only once compared to the many times he's been wrong, including his similar predictions concerning the DS, Wii, and 3DS. Even a blind pig will occasionally find a truffle.

I don't buy what these "analysts" say for a second. Unless it's coming directly from Nintendo, it's not worth my time.

I feel that Satoru's passing will be similar to Walt Disney's passing in the way of Walt Disney World being made. The Quality of life will probably delayed (like Disney world), but it will still happen. Iwata's passing definitely packed a huge punch, just like Walt's impact on the Walt Disney Company. I definitely feel that they put enough time into it to not abandon the idea.

The key words I get from this article are "I think" and "Probably". Nothing to see here, move on.

@readyletsgo Agreed. It did seem like Iwata's baby though, didn't it? I could see it getting less attention while a new CEO and structure comes into play and then it would be easy to imagine it getting the sideline for awhile if NX was fast-tracked like it seems it was.

@Kirk
That seems likely and I feel the same way. I'd just add that Nintendo did stumble into health-related success and had a positive media spotlight on them during the Wii years. There's certainly something to leverage there if done correctly.

My initial thoughts were for Nintendo to make a Wii-style hardware offshoot for the purpose of continuing down that larger-motions-for-control style and even more general purpose with less of a game focus. All the while it could remain compatible with an entirely separate core-gamer focused machine for those who want both. In other words, take the burden of the reputation it off their main console. Anyway, it wasn't anything like that from what little has been shared.

@aaronsullivan Yeah, I'm still kinda interested to find out exactly what this whole "Quality of Life" thing is, or potentially, was.

The Wii stuff, like Wii Fit and the Balance Board, is also partly why I don't think it's quite as throwaway as Pachter would have us believe.

I agree with the point that they need to focus hard to stopping any bleeding and making that the number one priority. Once times, and public favor, show lucrative again, then they can usher QoL back into the picture. I don't feel the concept is gone completely, it's just a shift in focus. Can't say I'm surprised with Iwata's untimely passing.

Good job. QoS was nothing but another needless gimmick.

@readyletsgo Remember that this is Nintendo, if it's a good idea they either don't do it at all or do it everywhere except for America.

Took me a while to find it, but here's an older interview with Michael Pachter. Here are some choice quotes:

"Most of my comments are intended to be humorous, and since I've behaved this way for over 50 years, my experience counts for a lot. Most people take my not so serious comments as jokes, and few have been offended."

"I think that it is fair game to poke fun at fanboy attitudes toward hardware (and I do so often about the Xbox 360 and PS3 as well)."

Note: I've NEVER seen this happen.

"I've covered the industry for 12 years, and my estimates are consistently close. I am wrong on every individual estimate, but the sum of my errors generally adds up to a very small miss."

"It's fair to assume that everything I say is pure speculation, unless I say otherwise."

"The commentary that it's [the 3DS] selling better than the DS at the same point is a bit disingenuous (by Nintendo, not by you), since the comparison is to the original fat DS. In the first 17 months of existence, the original DS averaged U.S. sales of 255,000 units a month, and in the first 17 months of the 3DS, sales averaged 310,000. However, in the first 17 months of the DS Lite, sales were 530,000 units, on average in the U.S. FYI, in the NEXT 17 months of its existence, the DS Lite averaged 920,000 units per month, or close to three times the level of the 3DS"

"Most people who meet me tend to understand that I'm a joker, and that I make comments that are intended to be taken lightly and not seriously."

"I don’t think Nintendo fans are so stupid they would buy a piece of cardboard. A box on the other hand, that says Nintendo on it, they probably would. Remember when you were a kid and you get gifts, and when you’re really little you like the box better than the gift? That’s how I think of Nintendo fanboys.”

Note: He actually refers to Nintendo fans as ‘fanboys’ 13 times!

Source: http://gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=184047

I also have an old issue of the Australian Game Informer (which I don't get anymore, due to it being a glorified Gamestop catalogue). It was issue 50, where Micky P said this:

"My bias on all four companies is positive. Nintendo's the biggest one to avoid right now because they not only don't seem to have mastered what to do with hardware, but they're kind of blissfully ignorant that they're not doing well. It's almost like they're the only ones who don't know it."

He also said Nintendo are "still in denial" about the failure of the Wii U, despite the company's actions indicating the contrary: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/02/10/pachter-interview-nintendo-still-in-denial-about-failure-of-wii-u.aspx

Also, let's not forget about this whopper: http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2014/01/pachter_nintendo_should_publish_its_games_on_the_ps4

So, why the constant poking and prodding of Nintendo? Why doesn't he ever point the finger at Sony and Microsoft - both of which have their own failings? Maybe...

http://playeressence.com/microsoft-gametrailers-can-not-be-trusted-michael-pachter-and-geoff-keighley-exposed-by-the-leveledheadgamer/

http://pietriots.com/2012/07/31/durp-pachter-two-two-seven/

Put simply; the guy says crap to get attention. Why do you think he's always plastered all over the gaming sites?

@NowhereMan11 Resources aren't infinite. If a company spends time and money on a project, that's time and money that's obviously not being spent on other projetcs.

Quite a few misunderstandings on what the QoL branch would actually represent, and how it came about.

First off: it has NOTHING to do with gaming, so mentioning QoL and Wii Fit in one breath is rather short-sighted.

Secondly, It did not come about because of Mr. Iwata's illness: besides the ill-fated Vitality sensor for the Wii, they have been looking into breaking into the medical sector for much longer than that.

Also, the picture that is used for the article is only one of reportedly several ideas that would fall under the whole QoL category, so it's hardly representative for the entire department.

People also seem to have completely forgotten the talks with Sharp that Nintendo were in to look into using their free-form displays for (some of) the QoL products. Again: nothing to do with gaming. Back then a lot of people started to fantasize about some sort of customizable handheld, with holes in the display to place buttons in and such and even several media got it wrong, by writing about it entirely disconnected from QoL, once again hinting at it being used for a new handheld or so: http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/7/7511317/sharp-free-form-display-nintendo-ces-2015, http://gamerant.com/new-nintendo-handheld-displays/ and even NLife joined in on the rumors: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/12/sharp_gearing_up_to_supply_free_form_lcd_screen_technology_for_future_nintendo_hardware

If I would have to think of free-form displays with holes in them and then connect that concept to QoL, I would much sooner go for screens that can very easily be connected to hospital beds BECAUSE of that form factor. Simply put a bar or handle on the bed that the display could be mounted on by means of the free-form display.

All sorts of data could be displayed and even though it isn't truly game related (as in the hardcore console gaming division) monitoring and the relevant displaying of the data could be "gamified" to cater to sick children, to name one example.

As for Pachter: as @Kage_88 already showed in his comment, even Pachter himself claims we shouldn't take him seriously, hence the reason why I never do. For obvious reasons, as so many before me have already stated.

Oh, and lol at the people who continuously keep calling him "Patcher".
If he truly was a patcher, he would at least have had some use to speak of, other than creating sensationalist journalism...

And I don't believe the idea is shelved either, or even put on the back burner: Nintendo is a VERY private company, so any info they don't want to share, will in most cases not reach the ears of people outside of Nintendo. And it has already been stated in quite a few articles that Iwata-san has carefully laid out an entire trajectory filled with plans that he would still like to see come to fruition, and he did that quite a while before his untimely passing.

So, him not overseeing the QoL department anymore has no essential meaning whatsoever. As we speak, someone else will definitely have taken over the reigns, except it is probably not in their best interest to mention what they are doing there right now, so Nintendo simply redirects the outside focus to where they want it to be, and that is on Wii U and (The New) 3DS.

And every now and then they drop a few bread crumbs about a little thing called NX, something they supposedly don't want to talk about anymore. But obviously, the media are forcing their hand...

@ricklongo That's not necessarily true. Nintendo invested money they were sitting on into QOL. They had a ton saved up and would've probably continued to do so if not for QOL, considering how historically conservative they are. For a dedicated gaming company, their consoles and video games are first and foremost, and they've repeated this over and over again. While these resources take away from something, the development of the NX and all of its games are in no way affected by the development of QOL, unless they're somehow tied together. In this particular scenario, time and money spent here does not mean time and money not being spent elsewhere. It means time and money not being spent, period.

@Kage_88 Good post. The man is a buffoon , who has somehow managed to make a name for himself as an analyst in an industry he clearly knows little about. Fair play to him I suppose. He claims we shouldn't take him seriously and that he's joking , yet internet sites still promote his nonsense. Pachter works for a financial investment company , not a tech company , and his favourite whipping boy has always been Nintendo. His claims that Nintendo should go third party prove he doesn't really understand their business model. Nintendo make games and dedicated hardware to play them on. Even if they are in third place in the home console arena , they will still make a lot of money. Nintendo came in third place with the Gamecube and still increased their profits by 40%. Surely a business analyst should be more interested in profits made above market share etc ?
" We need dedicated hardware that is designed to cater to the needs of these avid gamers. People might say that software is software. No. A unique software experience can always be realized with unique hardware that has a unique interface. That is why I believe Nintendo is, and will be, sticking to these dedicated gaming machines." — Shigeru Miyamoto.

@Boxmonkey Pachter said Wii U would sell 50M units straight after it launched

Analysts do suggest it..untill poof its just there on the shop-shelf. I mean: They don't know what's going on regarding this matter, neither do we. It's just guessing.