So the 600$ pricetag was of no hindrance to the PS3 when it launched? Surely, you must be joking. Price is important, that or good value bundles and it is certainly a big part of the puzzle. Software, peripherals, advertising and price are the four cornerstones of marketing and hardware sales and out of all those, price and software are probably tied for first. A 200$ console with a few good games would seem more enticing to an average customer than a 400$ console with lots of good games. When you're selling to the mainstream market, do you think everyone who buys a console knows the extent of the game library on said console? They don't, let me assure you. Do they all see the price tag and consider whether it is affordable or not? Yes, everyone does.

I waited about two years before I got a single console this generation. Why? They were too costly. Cheaper product = more demand is the most base of logic concerning sales of any and all things in this world. Why is it that Nintendo fans, in particular, are loathe to realize this? I just don't understand it.

Exactly...but you wanted one from the beginning didn't you?

You had already made your decision before the gen began though

But you still picked on software, not all people are into Oblivion, but NSMB is beloved by nearly everyone

I wanted a PS3 before the gen started, thinking it would be amazing, I was also drooling over the Wii before it came out (back when it was the Revolution) but as the gen started it wore off. I still don't see many compelling reasons to own any of the consoles to this day.

Anyway; what does my wanting a console or not from the beginning have to do with anything? The price is what kept me from making a purchase and I'm arguing that the price is an important factor in the purchase of a console. A mainstream customer who hasn't been paying attention, watching E3 feeds, reading hundreds of articles and spent the better part of his life gaming is even less likely than me to purchase an expensive product.

Edit; axt113, the above goes for you as well, what does my wanting a console or not from the start have to do with the point of price being a big factor? Like I said, a mainstream customer is a lot less likely to shell out for a costly console than me, making the point more than valid I should think.

^I think a mainstream consumer is more ikely to get motivated by games than drool over the hardware

Price does matter as to when somebody decides is the right time to buy a system but in the end in lifetime sales it would have sold the same no matter when price cuts happen.  If the Wii started out at $600 I wouldn't have bought it until it went down to probably $300 but either way I bought it because of its games not because of the price. If PS3 launched at $250 would it have sold better than it did at launch? Yes but its lifetime sales would end up the same. Remember when PS3 got a Price Cut to $300 and it got a big sales boost? That sales boost wouldn't have existed if it had launched at $250. Price Cuts sell systems in short-term but in lifetime sales it doesn't make a difference. 

^Price cuts don't matter on lifetime sales? Now I know you can't be serious. As the console get older and the lifecycle goes on, the news value and demand automatically decrease, that's why we have revisions, new products, updates and successors all the time, its the nature and the very core of the consumer market. Do you actually believe what you're saying or does it simply fit your views to believe it? Price is a big factor in hardware sales, there's no denying it. Why did the Mustang sell so fast? It was affordable. Cutting the price later would not have made it the same phenomenon it became, it caught on as a favourite because of performance at an affordable price and this was paramount to its success. I believe price is what has held back quite a few PSP sales, it launched at a high price and has stayed at a high price. If the Wii had launched at a 600$ price point, people would never have bought them, doubly so when veiwing the hardware specs, it would be laughable (even the PS3 was laughable at that price) and a 250$ entry price PS3 would have been an insanely good deal and there's no doubt that this would have added a lot of sales lifetime.

axt113; where did I say that mainstream customers drool over hardware? I'm making the point that a mainstream customer will think twice about buying a more expensive console and I cannot believe that you guys are even arguing that at all.

Hmmm, maybe. It's definatly possible. But perhaps you could tell me: why do we buy these game consoles?

People really dont pay attention to impulse buyers at all. A lower price make the chances of impulse buyers happening.  The Wii really has enjoyed the impulse buy.  People go to a friends house had fun with Wii Sports and then go what the hell why not.  The higher the price the less likely that is to happen.

Also please can we get over that it was the games and nothing but the games that made the Wii sell what it has.

Honestly how many Wii's whould have sold if the exact same games came out, but with standard controllers. I think Wii sales would be far closer to GC sales if WiiSports used a control pad rather than WiiMote.  WiiFit would have done nothing without the WiiMote and the Board.