Soundwave on 23 May 2014
The PS3 was actually doing numbers the Wii U could only dream of at comparable points in their life cycle ... case in point:
PS3 (April 2008): 183k NPD sales
Wii U (April 2014): Approx. 60k NPD sales
This is even before the PS3 Slim.
Generally speaking to be honest I don't think there's ever been a console in the history of gaming that's come back strong from sales this low 17-18 months into the life cycle. That's waaaaaaay too late in the game.
The PS3 also had the benefit of being one of the cheaper Blu-Ray players on the market for a time (which could also update its firmware), technically being relatively cutting edge for a while, and having 100% third party backing ... none of which the Wii U has going for it.
