Things Are a Changin' in the Land of Nintendo

Yesterday saw the "announcement" (I believe it was leaked magazines scans that tipped everyone off) of the expansion "boat" for the 3DS. The boat will add on a second circle pad to the 3DS. While the attachment is damn ugly, it does give off the sense that Nintendo is listening at least a little to feedback. I have no doubt that this makes many developers sigh with relief. Now they don't have to worry about camera constraints and first person shooters will work just as well as they would on the Vita.

My only question is what happens to those who don't buy the expansion. Will some games only be playable with the boat plugged in? Also, as Rich mentioned in his editorial on the second circle pad, will this allow Nintendo to port Gamecube games to the system? Personally, I'm hoping this isn't the reason for the expansion. We're two N64 ports in and I'm already tired of it. How about we get some real games on the system?

There's also been some talk about problems with the Wii U development. While what Rich says in his article is true - there are always going to be problems in hardware development - pushing the Wii U back may give rise to bigger problems. For example, what is Nintendo going to do about the Wii? As it is their last big game is coming out in November. How does Nintendo keep the momentum going until the launch of the Wii U? Will Nintendo fully transition over to the 3DS until the Wii U's launch? Is that even a feasible option?

Nintendo is an interesting position at the moment. They have a dying console - and by that I mean there is only one last big title for the system, then nothing - and a faltering handheld that they're rushing to keep afloat. I have no doubt that eventually the 3DS will find its footing, but how long until then? This expansion boat is probably one way of making sure that happens, I simply question how well it will work. System add-ons are a weird thing that could wind up splitting your audience.

Another point in Rich's article on the Wii U was the possibility of Sony and MS announcing their new consoles. While it might still seem too early by June 2012, it's certainly a possibility. What does Nintendo do then? All of a sudden they're back in the same position they were with the Wii. They're at a graphics disadvantage with a weird control scheme that will only result in poorly made ports from the higher end systems.

Of course this is all speculation, but I think there are some valid points to be discussed here. What do you guys think Nintendo will do to keep the Wii going until the Wii U launches? What happens if Sony or MS (or both) announce new systems before the Wii U is even launched? What about this expansion "boat... thing" for the 3DS?