Michael Pachter doesn't believe the Wii U is a 'next generation' console.

Speaking recently to IndustryGamers, Michael Pachter was asked about the Wii U and what needed to be done to ensure a successful launch.

Pachter wasn't overly critical of the console but wasn't incredibly optimistic either, citing that it needs strong support from third parties to succeed and that we just don't know if it has that at the moment.

The Wii U is a pretty ambitious undertaking. It's a new console, with new controls and architecture, but it's not quite "next" generation. Developers have to contend with differences between the Wii U and current generation consoles, then have to figure out what to do with the controls.

Pachter believes that competitive pricing, compelling first party launch titles and strong third party support is needed for success and he doesn't know if Nintendo will be able to pull this off.

The timing is still up in the air, and as far as I know, there are no significant third party "exclusives"; instead, we'll see iterations of third party games already on the market, which is unlikely to drive significant hardware sales. In order for the launch to be "hugely successful" (as your question phrased it), the console will need three things: a competitive price, compelling first party launch titles, and compelling third party launch titles. We don't know if the Wii U will have any of these, so it's quite difficult to predict a hugely successful launch.

What do you make of the comments left by Michael Pachter?