If Mario isn't a system seller than I don't know what is! lol not sure if thread is serious....Mario alone will make 3DS sales explode.

Hmm.  Better step my game up, then.  I'm calling doom on the Playstation 5 before Sony even announces the Playstation 4.  Can't let these young whippersnappers get the upper hand in the doom-saying game.

After seeing the effects of a Wii price cut, I'm going to say that the 3DS will stop being "doomed" when it reaches $150

It's not doomed, It's just the 3DS faces even stronger competition... As such it probably won't have quite the market share it had with the DS and might be overtaken by the PSVita. 

Now that's the spirit!  The Playstation 5 could have be used to steer your intergalactic spaceship except they withheld the technology.  Now the Playstation 6 will include that technology since you have already called doom on 5. 

That brings up an interesting point.  Is Sony going to keep with the Playstation brand forever?  I know it has a strong brand following but once you get to Playstation 7 or whatever you think they could come up with a new name.  Way off topic but I found it interesting thinking about it.

Yeah, with a lineup like that, I think it's safe to say that if the 3DS has an underwhelming holiday season, you can give it the doom stamp.

Since pricing was announced, it's been my position that the 3DS represents a retreat upmarket. I don't think it will ever sell as well as the DS did. There's no new software in the vein of Brain Training or Nintendogs to drive new adopters to 3DS. But Nintendo has the right kind of corporate culture that they can survive on those reduced sales until they see a chance to launch another disruption.

Here's the thing. Nintendo has to deal with the dual threat of smart devices and PS Vita. Smart devices are cutting into Nintendo's casual business and PS Vita is wooing away a good chunk of the core audience. Look at the positive response Vita has been getting at E3. The Nintendo hardcore, the ones who bought the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube, will always be around. But it won't be the success that the GBA was, let alone the DS or Wii. I personally liked the GBA and DS but Nintendo is getting real arrogant thinking they can add a ridiculous mark up to their system because they're milking the 3D Blue Kitteh gimmick. The PS Vita seems like greater value for money and with the strong Japanese third-party software support for the PSP (despite the PSP getting their ass kicked in Japan for a long time until Monster Hunter fever arrived and being priced higher than a DS), I see no reason why Vita wouldn't get that same support. I'm still waiting on the games. I don't care for N64/Gamecube era Nintendo. If I did, I wouldn't have picked PS1 and PS2 over N64 and Gamecube. I haven't played a single Gamecube game on my Wii yet and if I did, it would be Killer 7 (since I liked No More Heroes) and Viewtiful Joe (2D beat-em-up) or something like that (third-party games!).

I've already had an internal debate with myself as to whether it's really worth it to invest in another console even, let alone the 3DS specifically. Since my interest in gaming is tapering off. I started watching anime again recently and find that this is what I'd rather spend my time doing (though this could be a phase until I get bored with anime/tv/movies.. lol) unless it's a game I really enjoy (I actually dug out my PS2 Slim for a change of pace and played Indigo Prophecy and Odin Sphere. Good games are timeless. I'm really starting to feel like buying more and more new hardware feels pointless). But if I were to get one at this point, I'd say that I'm underwhelmed by the 3DS while I feel that the Vita holds a lot of promise (but I still feel like we need to see more on the software end).

GC had Mario and more, its sales never really took off (it even lost out to a new comer to the console wars)... and Sony has proven just because your currently dominating (PS2) doesn't mean that you can't fall in the next go around (PS3). And just because you love a series like zelda (which I do ), that doesn't mean you're going to flock to every console or handheld that has it. Because you also (probably) enjoy other series on other consoles and must weigh them against each other (that is if your too poor to buy all of them).

Doomed without debate?

It'll need a 2D Mario, since Malstrom declared (if I remember) that 2D Mario is bigger than Mario Kart, bigger than Call of Duty, bigger than Wii Sports, bigger than everything.

Of course all of that is balogna, but no, there will be debate until a 2D Mario flops.

Well GameCube had something far more against it. Mario saved it from total destruction but it did fall due to it's image of a blue box,kiddy, small DVD, and lack of third party.  The thing with Vita is it doesn't have the handheld appeal games yet. As much as we might love Uncharted, it is not a huge system seller.