I was just thinking of comparing their business model to Apple. It works well for them but I don't think anyone else would be able to pull this off. Nintendo has history on their side when they were the only game in town and established legendary titles such as Mario, Metroid, and Zelda as their own. It is almost exclusively because of these titles that they refuse to port to any other system (wise) that they will always be able to remain relevant in the gaming industry.
RE: Link's Awakening complete: Here are my overall thoughts