However, despite all the grand-standing, many gamers and industry professionals remain skeptical about the system - as well as Nintendo’s interest in (sometimes gimmicky) innovation over polished modern gameplay experiences.

Speaking to Industry Gamers, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter is, as usual, offering up his Wii U predictions - this time commenting on whether or not gamers should believe Nintendo’s claims that the console will enjoy significant third-party support.

It’s easy to poke fun at Pachter, since he’s made a big name for himself in the industry by offering-up predictions that come across as common sense to gamers in the know. However, his comments on Wii U third-party support offer some solid insight into what made Nintendo a major player in the first place - as well as how the company’s shift in focus could be their undoing.

“By trying to be ‘different’ with the tablet controller, they have complicated game design for developers, who can’t figure out if the Wii U will ultimately support only one or multiple controllers. Nintendo made the device sufficiently different that they are all but assured of limited third party launch support, which ultimately will lead to modest hardware sales.”

There’s no doubt that many gamers can recall visiting friends and seeing a Wii hooked into the TV - with only a few pieces of software available on the entertainment rack (probably Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports). Will these same people pick-up a Wii U? Maybe, maybe not, but even if they do - unless Nintendo can truly get third party developers on board, it’s unlikely that casual consumers are going to support the system longterm. Not to mention, with the Xbox 720 and PS4 set to arrive in the next few years, it’s even less likely that hardcore gamers are going to purchase software on a less-powerful Nintendo system.

That said, the final Wii U tech specs are still somewhat in flux - so time will tell how much juice clever developer can pull out of the system over time as well as whether or not game designers choose to bother with the new tech when they can just as easily stick with traditional controller gameplay on the Sony and Microsoft systems.

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Source: Industry Gamers