You have this backwards, the console sells because of how the games use the interface.  Wii Sports sells the system, and when you get down to it, a controller is just a controller.

How about we wait till Move and Kinext come out?  ;)

Answer the question.

Would Wii Sports be as big as it is without Motion Controls?

I think the answer has to come from the middle ground here. Would Wii Sports be as big without the well used motion controls? Probably not. Would motion controls be as big a console pusher if games like Wii Sports weren't the trojan horse for both core and casual gamers? Doubt it.

Thus far, Wii is still the best selling home console in it's timeframe, but it also has software super sellers that no console has had before it. Me-sa thinks that both the software (WiiSports/Fit/NSMB/ect) and the hardware (motion controls/ease of use/ect) affected how well Wii would do.

That's what I said. The Motion Controls are no way a secondary reason for why the Wii has been so successful.

They are at least on level with the games that utilize the motion control.

Oh. Well, I was trying to get all of us to come together in this thread. Hold hands and sing kum-buy-ya.

And yeah, I'm with ya on that it's the combination of both: Great games that use motion controls in great ways (and by using motion controls in great ways, that's really a broad statement. You could be more motion based like Wii Sports, or use it in a more subtle way, like in NSMBW. As long as it fits the game style in a smart way, Motion Controls can be a huge benefit).

With out Motion Controls Wii Sports would be a laughable piece of software.  Not one of the games in it is an improvement over any sports game.

Without a cheap entry point, I don't believe a typical consumer would have went out and bought a Wii and without motion controls, I don't believe that Wii Sports or many other games would have been as addicting, fun and must have games. Again, playing a little price swapping does anyone here believe a $600 dollar Wii would be in the same place right now?

I believe accessibility is key.  It's exactly the same in the PC Market.  World of Warcraft could be the best game in the whole wide world, but if it's graphics requirements are too strict or high for most PC users it won't be accessible to people.

Thus, Price and Motion Controls were the top two reasons for the Wii becoming a success.   This occurred long before a lot of the meat of the Wii's library came out into the light of day.  As for the Wii not being the 'cheapest' console since 2008?  Price will continue to matter less and less as the generation continues forward.  How many Wii consoles were sold by 2008? How much market share did they have at that point? 

No generation winner to date has had an entry point above $300.  People saying that consoles priced at $400 / $600 respectively did not have a lions share of the burden are out of their mind. 

The Wii provided tremendous value at $250 initially (In the eyes of consumers) as well as motion controls (Something different)  and therefore it became a console that a wide market sought and purchased.   Then to keep the steam rolling,  the usual quality Nintendo software started pumping out and there we go. 

People act as if Wii Sports was the crowning achievement like climbing Everest.  It was a solid game that just simply utilized motion controls. There is literally 700 other sports games on the Wii that could have filled that void.  They might not have been as good but they would have been good enough to get the point across.

Motion Controls and succesful games using them can't really be separated as distinct reasons for Wii's success, price OTOH is a distinct reason from them, although not the sole one. But for new users, EVERY Wii game, old or new, is actually new and appealing too, if it's a good one, so, when sales start declining, a lower price could be effective, increasing the potential user base. A great game launch, though, is important too, as the most important games make retailers give the console more shelf space and visibility, so, again, to maximize success, a synergy of all factors is necessary.

LOL that you actually put games, the #1 reason, at #4.

Come on people, this is common knowledge.. Games are ALWAYS reason number 1 for a console getting sales. Wii is not exempt from thsi rule.

People buy consoles to play GAMES. End of story. They do not buy consoles so they can sit and admire the hardware, or to press buttons.