Is this game over for Sony?

[Erik Aston]

You have to compare apples to apples. Multi-platform titles sold very poorly on GC because everyone bought it for first and second party titles and nothing else. Developers scaled back or completely ceased support for the GC because it wasn't profitable for them.

I think the poor performance of multi-platform titles shows how many multi-system owners the GC had. Remember Wii is designed to get exclusives instead of multi-platform games though, or to incorporate faux-exclusivity into some games like Tiger Woods for example. GC operated on the same terms as PS2, Wii does not.

The Wii is more of a risk. If the Wiimote thing is seen as a fad/trend and becomes passe, then everyone will end up buying it for its first-party titles and nothing else, which is exactly what happened to the Gamecube. Third-parties would have even less of a reason to support it due to its lack of power.

Sigh... This is getting highly tedious. You're not going to believe it until you see it, I think. Suffice to say, it isn't about the Wiimote, its about the business plan behind it.

As for your point about casual games versus "hardcore" games and established games, the latter are more important. The reason those casual games are selling so well on the DS is because they are on the same system with Nintendo's flagship titles that have defined them for so long such as Mario Kart DS, Kirby Squeak Squad, New Super Mario Bros., Metroid Prime Hunters, Mega Man ZX, Tetris DS. Take the Wii for example. No one would care about Rayman or Elebits or Excite Truck if they weren't on the same console as Legend Of Zelda: TP. It's those well-known titles that carry the console.

Those casual games are many times outselling Ninty's traditional franchises. Nintendogs has outsold Mario, Brain Training and Animal Crossing have outsold Mario Kart! Its Zelda carrying Wii right now in the West... This is true... But... Wait.