They didn't drop it too early from my POV. Instead, they waited too long to create a ""Wii HD". If the Wii U had released in 2009 or 2010 as a high res Wii, it would have been a beast. The Wii looked terrible on my TV. Even the shovelware on PS3 and 360 looked better. The Wii wasn't a "ten year machine". It had great software and a great concept but it was outdated even at launch.