Actually the answer to that is a general (with some exceptions of course) yes. Oh people bought them, but (and here of course I am generalizing) for the nerdy part of the family, whether it was their kid or themselves. But (again, generalizing) you didn't have the family flock around the machine, using it as a way for the family to spend time together. You bought a TV for the family, you didn't buy a PSx for the family but for someone in the family.

thanks for proving that nerd is market >> casual market

Not really, we are talking about 4th year in this generation vs. 10 years or so of sales of PS2

it's easy - last gen all sales (according to you) were nerd market sales, so 130m plus 25m plus 24m ~ 180m (give or take)

this gen we have the wii market, which is 20mln Nintendo nerds (the GC buyers) and 55mln casuals, and the HD nerd market ,so nerds this gen = 80mln HD plus 20mln Nintendo = 100mln vs 55mln casuals:

nerd market >> casual market

quod erat demonstrandum

Ok, you win.  Guess you guys know more than Sony and MS, who themselves acknowledged Wii significantly expanded the gaming market.

what?

edit:I don't doubt that it expanded the market, but imho it was more of a brave step into the direction the PS1 and especially the PS2 already opened up than a leap in the dark

Ok, fair enough. I was just trying to simplify things.

how can we say the wii expanded the gaming market? The wii expanded the market in terms of introducing motion controls to gaming, but you can't really say the wii expanded the market more than the PS1 or PS2 did, considering the PS2 has MORE THAN DOUBLE the install base of the wii right now, and continually growing... while the PS1 was the first video game system to surpass 100 million sales.

Wii has yet to acheive any of that, and is dropping its lowest sales ever at $199...

We can't really say the wii has expanded the market, when there are still more PS2's out there than there are wiis.

Well then, my previous remark is just to you then - guess you know more than Sony and MS, who themselves acknowledged Wii significantly expanded the gaming market. I will illustrate this with just one number and let it be, since it is obvious that it won't be much help, igven that you know better than MS and Sony. Look at the PS2's biggest seller by far, GTA San Andreas. Now look how many Wii Fits with board have been sold (and do include in that a significant percentage of Wii Fit Plus, since a significant percent of those is with board as well). The Wii hasn't expanded the market?

I find it funny how when someone is on a certain side, they will use an argument and then they will use the opposite of that argument as long as it serves their "side". So, Wii can't sell "hardcore" games well since almost all of its audience is "the casuals", yet in the same breath "Wii hasn't significanty expanded the market". All I can say is haha.