@sheria
I feel like this happens with the last year or so when big releases slow down. Not as noticeable on PS or Xbox due to the various third party games available but I remember it being especially bad during the Gamecube especially when sequels to games I liked at the time would come out on everything but Gamecube, Spyhunter 2, Bloodrayne 2, Tales of Legendia and Abyss being the first ones I really noticed.
That said Blockbuster was still a thing back then so it was also fairly easy to just go grab a game that you might have missed without having to drop $50, where as now you basically have to purchase something if you even want to try it which can be quite rare for First Party Nintendo, although taking advantage of various store rewards can definitely take the sting out of purchasing games, on sale or not.