Just like they set the tone for the GCN, right? And what third party exclusives are you talking about. Killer freaks and Lego stories are all we known right now.
And figuring out how to get them to flock to the WiiU is nintendo goal and thus there problem. I'm simply suggesting some ways for them to make it happen.
You truly underestimate the growth of Nintendo's franchises the last ten years.
And stop playing the defense card and back-peddling on what you originally said. I'm not doubting that Nintendo is going after the core audience and I'm also not saying they don't need them. I welcome third party support always. But Nintendo doesn't need UE4 support to succeed. They aren't Microsoft or even Sony. They can float on their own innovations, ideas, and most importantly software. Wii proved this.
Yes the casual market is harder to capture becuase their is more competition. But it's still there, and it's bigger then ever. Nintendo games are no longer looked at as for "kids only" experiences. The general population looks at Nintendo titles now knowing they are experiences for everyone, similar to Pixar or Disney. Wii might not of had a positive effect on the posters here, but the general population now views Nintendo (Wii) in another light.
There is nothing stopping the Wii-U from grasping a huge group of the casual market again with compelling innovations, software, and ideas. I believe Nintendo saw what Microsoft did with Kinect and figured out it might be able to have its' cake and eat it too. Therefore they will play a strong hand for the core at first, then go after the casual market the next year with a price drop and casual friendly titles.
Same way the 3DS is getting NSMB2, Animal Crossing, and Brain Training all this year.