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I don’t agree that Nintendo’s current audience can be so simply broken down into those two categories. Nintendo does have a reputation among hardcore gamers as being the ‘family’ console, but I would bet that there are a decent amount of people like me that own all 3 current-gen systems. I think that the idea that Nintendo alienated fans of mature titles has some credence, but I also think that in some ways it’s the vocal minority being heard.

Third-party support has dwindled as the Wii has aged, and I agree with your point that it’s a concern for Nintendo. I would, however, suggest that it’s not Nintendo’s problem entirely – really, how much creativity and innovation (key to developing titles that will showcase the Wii U’s features) do we see on ANY console? Not much, if you ask me. A large – arguably the largest – amount of titles that are creative and innovative are found in the downloadable space. It’s far to early to believe that third-parties will just port titles…but Nintendo needs to sell them on exactly how and why they should spend money on development.

The Wii’s online has absolutely been a disappointment. I still can’t believe how clunky, unattractive, and half-baked the online component is. (I still dig the VC store’s music, even after all this time. Guess I never had any reason to spend enough time in there to get really sick of it.) The early buzz I’ve heard is that Nintendo is going to put the burden on the third-parties to fill the Wii U’s online space.  This doesn’t bode well.

As far as the achievements and such – Nintendo has a great opportunity here. My suggestion: tie achievements to EVERYTHING that the Wii U does, and track it all with individual logins. Video chatting for the first time? Trophy. Switching from the TV to the controller? Trophy. All the unique features of that system, plus game-specific achievements should be tracked and rewarded. I’m as aware as anyone that achievements are kind of strange – the idea that we’re constantly being told “Great Job” can be a little silly. It works, though, and it keeps even casual gamers engaged. If Nintendo can be persuaded to have a global login for online games, then this shouldn’t be a giant problem.

Two big problems I foresee – one, while that controller is pretty cool, those analog disks really turn me off. Two, if Sony has any sense (I love ‘em but this remains to be seen) they’ll showcase the PSV and the PS3 doing as much of the Wii U’s functions as possible.

Finally, it’s a Nintendo system – if it’s priced right, I think it’ll sell. Let’s hope developers find a way to make it a more rounded experience this time."