By focusing on the new controller, Nintendo may have created confusion about their next home system.
Nintendo might have put too much emphasis on their new controller, and not enough on the new Wii U console, said company president Satoru Iwata. He expressed concern that by featuring the controller exclusively, and showing no images of the console, they may have given the false impression that the tablet-like unit was either a stand-alone portable device or a new peripheral for the Wii.
While the shape Wii U is not greatly different than its predecessor, albeit longer and packing more powerful hardware, Iwata noted that he "…should have shown a single picture of the new console, then started talking about the controller." Doing so would have made it clear that the Wii U is Nintendo's brand new video game system, and that despite the fact the controller can display video (in place of a TV), the controller only works in conjunction with the new hardware.
He also expressed concern with reports in the press about the new console. He divided reporters into two camps: those who had played Wii U and those who "are simply writing about it from wire stories and pictures." Without playing the Wii U, "they cannot see how this is a game changer."