At this point, I thought everyone just used Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant ect. to watch television. Cable television (and home phones for that matter) seem like outdated technology to me. Pretty much any show can be viewed instantly online now.
Also, HDTV's have become dirt cheap over the last 5-10 years so why not just buy a second television (I have two TV's in my game room, three if you count my 24 inch computer monitor ... all three were relatively cheap) or just use your laptop/computer in order to play a game and watch a TV show at the same time?
The only way I think I could get any use out of Wii U would be as a companion gaming device to my PC or console (xbox or PS3) that could be used when I have downtime, am waiting for a match to start, or need a temporary diversion. Even then, I could just use my 3DS which is cheaper with a significantly larger game library.
I think Miyamoto/Nintendo is sort of stuck in 1995 with this idea. I'd imagine that most people own or could own two TV's if they wanted to while also getting all of their TV/video entertainment via computer.
Don't get me wrong as I do intend to buy a Wii U again soon for the companion purpose as I mentioned eventually.
