I really don't understand the negative reaction achievements/trophies get from some people. Perhaps, it is because a feature that both ps3/360 (and their successors will likely use) have that the Wii U will not have which, no matter how you slice it, takes away from the value of the product.

You can certainly argue that it is pointless, and it is something that you will never use, but that does not change the fact that there are plenty of gamers that care about it enough to the point where they will wait on a purchase of the system because of it. It comes down to a simple rule that less features = less overall value of a product in a general sense.

Substitute achievements with anything else ... let's take Netflix as an example. I don't use Netflix, and I don't care to ever use it, but if a system does not support it then it will lose customers who love that feature. Even though I don't use Netflix, and I have my own biased/elitist feelings against it (prefer to own physical blurays and to see films in theaters) I can understand why others would see the service as valuable, and I would think it would be a strike against a system (in a general sense) if it did not include access to that feature.

When you think about it, achievements have been a part of gaming since long before the Xbox 360. I can still remember the pride and enjoyment derived from getting a high score on an arcade cabinet and attaching my initials to it. Even Nintendo has embraced "achievements" for certain games like Zelda which has always had a collectible component to go after. It is not about epeen or anything so immature it is simply another way to enjoy gaming (a kind of meta-game that makes gaming experiences more pragmatic and connected then they otherwise would be). All gamers are asking for is a unified system where one can see a quick list of your accomplishments and compare those with friends.

I don't see the harm in this ... especially since multiplats will have lists anyways thanks to 360/ps3. Not including achievements and a basic system to gather and report them back to the player just sounds like laziness to me ... if it is so taxing for Nintendo to implement this then just crowdsource the process of making a list of achievements for each game (maybe that could be a way to make Nintendo's achievement system unique).

It is also foolish as this will most certaintly result in lost sales (most likely am going to cancel my preorder and just wait until a nice bundle comes out like I did for the Wii).

This is exactly the point. Although I don't agree with canceling pre-order just because the system won't have a unified achievement system, I don't see why Nintendo would not include it. I suppose Nintendo are trying to make it so developers aren't forced to put them in if they don't want to, but I don't see how it's so hard. Games really do need achievements these days since they tend to guide people by the nose. Some of those higher end achievements can give you a real sense of accomplishment in an otherwise easy game. Mile High Club on Call of Duty 4 comes to mind. It's like the old days where you have to try one level 50 times before you finally get it and you feel awesome about it.

So yeah, although this may not be a deal breaking feature, it still gives customers more overall value, which is always a good thing.