"We have to do better when we launch NX"

Nintendo has said it must do better at launching NX than its predecessor, Wii U.

It's not exactly a surprise to hear Nintendo say this, but it's pleasing to hear Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime admit specific things which went wrong with Wii U - and what needs to be done different for the upcoming NX.

"One of the things that we have to do better when we launch the NX," Fils-Aime told alistdaily, "[is] we have to do a better job communicating the positioning for the product.

"We have to do a better job helping people to understand its uniqueness and what that means for the game playing experience."

Wii U arrived and its core concept was tablet gaming. Except people already had tablets to play games on, and software which utilised the dual-screen concept was thin on the ground.

Sure, there were Nintendo-made experiences at launch such as Nintendo Land or New Super Mario Bros., but these were thin on the ground, and did not explain the Wii U's core concept as the instantly understandable Wii Sports did so well for Wii.

"We have to do a better job from a software planning standpoint," Fils-Aime continued.

Again, Wii U failed in this regard by having many of its first-party titles delayed out of its already-generous "launch window". Exclusives such as Pikmin 3 and Game & Wario were held back while Nintendo polished them further - improving their quality but leaving a hole in the Wii U's release schedule as a result.

"[Nintendo must] have that continuous beat of great new games that are motivating more and more people to pick up the hardware and more and more people to pick up the software," he added. "Those are the critical lessons."

Nintendo has already confirmed Zelda: Breath of the Wild for NX, which we expect will be available on the console's launch day. Beyond that, we expect plenty of other big name franchises will be represented sooner rather than later. Pikmin 4, for example, would be a good shout. Third parties have also announced some titles already, which you can read in our Nintendo NX games and everything we know piece.

As Eurogamer reported last month, we have heard NX will be a portable console with detachable controllers. It will also likely benefit from the combined strength of Nintendo's handheld and home console software teams - meaning more software available at a faster rate as a result.