Sure, there are differences, but there's plenty of similarities.
Differences - Wii Sports, motion control games, Wii Fit sold a truck load of games.
Similarities - There are 3D Marios, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash, Mario party, Kirby. Most of these were also on Wii U which proves my point, Nintendo's first party strategy has been this way for a very long time. Why is there only one Mario Kart per home console, or one Zelda per generation (hopefully we see a second for the Switch)? Nintendo have loads of other franchises that they haven't touched. No Excitebike? No F-Zero? One Donkey Kong game in 5 years? Or what about their pricing strategy that seems to take forever for games to be reduced in price. Or how they require a mobile for voice chat? Obviously i sound like an 'old man yelling at clouds' right now, but after getting each of their last three home consoles (gamecube, Wii, Wii U), some of their strategies and policies are quite frustrating. I don't know how else to put it, but it feels like the same Nintendo to me.
You can't just look at the franchises themselves and claim that it's the same software strategy. At least not with Nintendo's software. You also have to look at what they're doing with those franchises, how they've being marketed, or the time frame in which they release. First off, I think you can agree that it would be idiotic of Nintendo to
not put out a 3D Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash, etc. So complaining about their mere existence is absurd because if they disappeared you know everybody would be pissed as hell. So the idea that Nintendo would say "Nah, let's just skip Mario this time around" is absurd and doesn't lend credence to the idea that they're strategy is the same. All it proves is they have legacy software that consumers expect and desire. So then what makes the strategy with the switch different is not necessarily in what titles are or are not there, but more in what they are doing with those titles.
Take the huge difference between Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, both in what those games are and in how those games were released and marketed. Skyward Sword leaned heavily on a formula that people were pushing back against at the time, and was fully dedicated to motion controls in 2011, well after people were not so hot on motion controls anymore. It also was released at the very end of the Wii's life after it was dying. It also had an art style that could be seen as controversial. Compare this to Breath of the Wild that specifically aims to create a game in a style that is currently popular with people (and one that many fans had been specifically asking for for a long time) and doesn't bother with any significant control gimmicks. It also has an art style that doesn't lean on anything that gimmicky so it didn't get any controversy. And of course it had that entire E3 dedicated to it and was made a launch title for the Switch, effectively sending a message about how important it was. Then of course the difference between Mario 3D World and Mario Odyssey is just as clear as the difference between SS and BotW. 3D World was built around Nintendo's Wii U strategy, which was 1. Making use out of the Gamepad and 2. Couch Multiplayer. Things people were not asking for when it came to 3D Mario. Mario Odyssey was a thing people had specifically been asking for for a long time
again.
If I had to make a blanket statement about Nintendo first party strategy this gen, outside of the obvious one of not splitting resources between two major systems, it'd have to be "Give the people what they want" (something Nintendo has basically never done in such a seemingly conscious way, so it's easy to see why people are excited for it). Splatoon was a breakout hit and people wanted them to treat it as a high profile franchise. They fast track a sequel and are building it up as a staple franchise. What was the biggest complaint about Mario Kart 8? No traditional battle mode. What did we get in MKDeluxe? What we asked for. A lot of complaints were made about Xenoblade X being more of a spin-off and not being as story focused as the first game. We get Xenoblade 2 and it fixes that issue. People have wanted console pokemon forever and we're getting one this year and next year. Even simple things like Mario Party and getting rid of the car have this extra little excitement to them because it really feels like Nintendo is specifically addressing even little things in ways people have asked them for. I mean, people hated those cars from the very beginning but Nintendo acted like they didn't give a crap until now. And then take Smash Bros. This might be the best example, because while Smash Bros games always have a lot of work and love put into them, but this one is off the charts. It's like a cherry on top of this great sundae. It is specifically addressing issues people have with Smash Bros. in nearly every aspect. A major point of tension in all Smash discussions is cuts. And they immediately shut that down with "Everyone is Here". Then they go on to put in characters fans have been requesting for years and have almost given up hope on like Ridley and K Rool. And there's specific additions being made for competitive players, making this game effectively the anti-Brawl. And of course there's the big one that is the return of Metroid. And I haven't even mentioned their new IP like ARMS, or their better licensing deals like Mario + Rabbids. Or they're better relationship with 3rd parties and indies. Or how they're accomplishing all of this without completely ignoring making new experiences or casual stuff like Labo or 1 2 Switch. Or how major drought issues are gone. In fact the only major issue that Nintendo hasn't properly addressed is how they handle online. Every other issue people have had with the last two gens is effectively fixed. So hopefully they'll come to their sense and fix that one too.
This is a big reason why the Switch is seeing the success it is with its software while the Wii U did not. Because the software strategy
is different, and consumers and people in the industry can tell. Wii: Simplification, Blue Ocean, Motion Controls. Wii U: Couch Multiplayer, Justify the Gamepad. Switch: Everything in one place. Player how and where you want. "Give people what they've been asking for". They're clearly not making games with the same mindset they were making them with in the Wii or Wii U era.
This is a big problem I have with Pachter's statement as well. He's not just predicting an impossibly low number to the point where he looks like he's joking. The full statement that was posted earlier in this thread makes it look like he's acting like we're still dealing with Wii/Wii U era Nintendo. Like you, he can't seem to see the clear change in Nintendo's strategy that everyone else seems to be able to. Hell in some ways his statement sounds like it was made by somebody living in the PS2/Gamecube era. Like a company can't find success unless they follow that formula. The statement is just lacking in all kinds of perspective on how the industry has changed and what's actually happening in the industry today.