Is Nintendo always going to be behind Microsoft and Sony in graphics?

[JEMC]

Apparently yes, the WiiU will be less powerful than the successors of the Xbox360 and PS3. Although it will be more powerful than current consoles (honestly it would be hard for Nintendo to develop somehting that doesn't beat current consoles), Sony and Microsoft have more time and resources to launch more powerful consoles, even if they have to loose money with the hardware, something that Nintendo can't afford.

But what if Microsoft (likely the next to move) goes with something not much powerful than WiiU? While they have had a great success with Kinect and the xbox360 have made them ean money, they had problems with their investors for the losses the Xbox division had in the past. So maybe they will find more wiser to go with a not much more powerful console (say 3x power of the 360), and bundle an improved Kinect.

If that happens, WiiU owners will probably get most multiplats and shouldn't be worried about the power, except maybe in the long term where it won't matter as the rumors of a new console will start over again.