In my opinion, the entire games industry is in upheaval right now. top game companies getting further and further out of touch with their fans (like Hollywood) and the encroachment of Indie games and smartphones, I seriously think the game landscape that we have known for the past 10-15 years is going the way of the dodo.

How it will change? If I knew that I'd be a millionaire.

As far as i can tell, many of the (younger) people for which Nintendo machines (Wiis etc.) were bought earlier, have largely migrated to e.g. tablets and smartphones now. They play their childish and simplistic games now on their tablet/smartphone, not the Nintendo devices.

At least that is what I see around me. Quite many families I know specifically bought Wiis and DS'es to their kids years agp, but nowadays those same kids seem to be playing pretty much only on iOS/Android. And it seems more lucrative to parents as well, as the new devices are full of "free" or dirt-cheap games, and they are multipurpose devices (e.g. kids can play on their cheapo Android phone as well)..

I bought a Wii U upon release. Because it was my first 'official' Nintendo console (I did have a Gameboy and Gameboy Advance back in the day, but nothing else) I had the benefit of the Wii back catalogue, which kept me going until a decent number of Wii U games came out.

And while I was a little dubious after I bought the thing, I can say with hindsight now that I don't regret buying it. It's a great little console that really is focused on traditional gaming. I agree that most of the best stuff is first-party (Assassin's Creed 3 was a decent port, and Arkham City made good use of the gamepad), and I suspect that will remain the case.

I've been trying to find reasons to get a PS4 or even an Xbox One, but to be honest, there's nothing really compelling there right now. Killzone: Shadow Fall and Infamous: Second Son on the PS4 look interesting, but everything else is just minutely improved PS3 ports or simplistic digital stuff. I had to laugh at all the people going "OMG PS4 LOOKS AMAZIN" in those comparison videos of Assassin's Creed 4 and Need for Speed: Rivals.

The only game I'm really hotly anticipating right now is Watch_Dogs, and the PC version's minimum specs for that are too much for my PC, and that it's likely to have UPlay DRM anyway. That means that the Wii U version is the most compelling to me right now, especially as they're apparently putting some effort into second-screen integration, which is honestly more interesting to me than slightly shinier graphics.

And Super Mario 3D World, Wind Waker HD and Wonderful 101 make the Wii U worthwhile alone.

They have something kind of a niche, less hardcore than PS3 and XBox and more casual and cheaper. They just have to keep up in technology and games.

Well I don't know how they'll managa that.

Dead or not, it has Bayonetta 2, which means I will eventually buy it.

I'm hoping the situation will improve, but it won't be dramatically, it'll be gradually. I don't think it's dead, it probably won't die (if it does) at least for a couple of years. I admit as an owner of one there aren't a ton of games that interest me a lot, it also doesn't help that I'm a cheapskate and don't like getting too many games in too short a period of time (it almost killed me when I got the Red Faction games and three D&D games in the same week; also doesn't help I've been starved for a decently powerful computer for years now and just got one around the same time as my Wii U).

Games wise, it's not doing too badly, not getting much better, though. Getting big third party games for now, but CoD games don't interest me unless they are bargain bin cheap, and AC IV might be the only interesting AC game since the first one (for me, well, three wasn't too uninteresting). Hopefully, my Wii U is going to see more use when: A: I beat The Witcher 2 and get out of my Medieval binge 9both the Total War game and the setting); and B: When Smash Bros., Pier Solar, and Mario Kart come (and please, God, let X come out this year).

Whether dead, dying, or Renaissance, I'd say staying afloat and could either drown or get rescued.
Wonderful 101 really is a wonderful game. Really wanted to get 3D World, but I didn't know whether or not I would get a Wii U so I decided to invest in more 3DS stuff, even though I now have a Wii U and no 3DS...
Yeah, I noticed that too. It's kinda sad to see so many kids grow up and play iOS games and think they are "gamers" (the term is a little annoying anyway, but still).
Unfortunately, Nintendo keeps making 3DS the much more appealing option (bad for Wii U, good for 3DS).

I went with the WII U for this generation slowly trying to dump xbox. (have a 360) I mostly did it for the kids but been enjoying Windwaker and trying to catch up on my Zelda's and Metroids.

If you want something more challenging for the Wii U I highly recommend Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

Pikmin 3 is also good.

It's a failure for sure. But it is a failure that has (for me) more interesting games than the xbone and the ps4 combined.

Wonderful 101 was by itself worth the price of admission, and Bayonetta 2 will be excellent. Nintendo definitely squandered the entire year headstart they had, though, that is undeniable.

Ive never played any of these titles but I might give them a try!

You might want to give Wonderful 101 a shot, that game's visuals are much like the Incredibles mixed with Power Rangers. Probably one of the best 3rd party offerings on the Wii-U.

Meh good for first party Nintendo games and that's it.

Then where is my Metroid that doesn't destroy the silent badass, where is my 1080p/60fps F-Zero, where is the continuing adventures of Star Fox, and why has Ubrian Champion been the most repeated release on the Virtual Console?

Yeah, they really need to get off their asses and make an effort to revive all those classic Nintendo franchises. So much potential... :/

Well, hey, we already got Donkey Kong. Haven't played it yet, but it seems to be good, at least.

Ah, Donkey Kong. Not for me. Tried to like, it really tried. Country's Controls are just too janky and I loathe Diddy. :V