The days of Nintendo Co Ltd’s reign as the king of console gaming are long past, and the continued mediocre sales figures of the Wii U are made all the more disappointing when compared to the runaway success of the Wii. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of powerhouse Nintendo franchises like Mario and Zelda, discussed the Wii U’s failure and what is next for the company in a recent interview with Fortune.

“I feel like people never really understood the concept behind Wii U and what we were trying to do,” Miyamoto said. “I think the assumption is we were trying to create a game machine and a tablet and really what we were trying to do was create a game system that gave you tablet-like functionality for controlling that system and give you two screens that would allow different people in the living room to play in different ways.”

So…. #sorrynotsorry.

Miyamoto added, “Unfortunately, because tablets, at the time, were adding more and more functionality and becoming more and more prominent, this system and this approach didn’t mesh well with the period in which we released it. … I still feel it was a very novel approach—and a very interesting idea.”

Nintendo NX

Never one to sit still, Nintendo is currently working on its next console, which they are referring to as NX, but it looks like one Miyamoto will not be part of the new system’s development.

“I’ve pulled myself back out of some of the hardware section and I’m really focused on some of the software that I’m involved in—for example, the new Starfox game,” Miyamoto said . “Of course I am observing and looking at the hardware, but I am not actively participating and making decisions.”

There are few verifiable details for NX right now, and Nintendo is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to unreleased products. Previous reports suggested that NX could be an Android-based system, but the company denied those rumors in its usual “those reports are not accurate” way.

There is also the possibility that Nintendo’s next console could use the company’s partnership with Sharp Corp, an electronics manufacturer that creates “free-form” LCD screens that can be produced in unusual shapes. Nintendo was originally rumored to be using Sharp’s screens in its next handheld device, but there has also been speculation that the screens could be used in a device similar to the Wii U’s gamepad.

Because if there is one thing Nintendo’s next console needs, it is another gimmicky controller.

Image by Jan Graber (Jan Graber (via E-Mail)) [CC BY-SA 3.0 de], via Wikimedia Commons