Miyamoto: Wii U skepticism same as DS

Skepticism about Nintendo hardware--this time over the Wii U--is nothing new for the publisher. Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto told CNN that when Nintendo originally launched the DS in 2004, many predicted it would fall short.

"There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there's no way people can look at two screens at once," he said.

As it turned out, gamers by the millions embraced the portable's two-screen approach. Nintendo has sold 182 million DS and 3DS hardware units as of December 31.

Regarding the Wii U, Miyamoto said he envisions a day when players become so accustomed to the two-screen experience that they can't imagine games without it.

"I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to come a point where they feel like 'I can't do everything I want to do if I don't have a second screen,'" Miyamoto said.

The Wii U has sold over 3 million units worldwide as of December 31. According to reports, the system moved 57,000 units in January and 64,000 units in February in the United States. By comparison, the seven-year-old Xbox 360 sold 302,000 units in February in the US.

Nintendo has admitted that marketing the Wii U has been a "challenge" due to the platform's lack of a "looking fun" element compared to the original Wii.