I think it will be more like the SNES equivilant.. Much like the SNES compared to the NES, the Wii U will have a Stronger library than the Wii (well at least for the core gamer), stronger third party support, better hardware, taking a formula and improving on it, but ultimately lesss success than its predecessor and not as revolutionary.

We can speculate all we want but in the end we really have no idea how the console will perform. There are simply way too many factors to consider (third party support going forward, strength of Nintendo's lineup, state of economy, strength of competitors, etc). It could sell like the PS2 or like the Gamecube for all I know. Now, I lean more towards the former, simply because I find it difficult that a console with many of today's biggest franchises (2D Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash Brothers, Wii Fit, Call of Duty, Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter), could fail. But who knows..

I want to emphasize on these two counter arguments. Firstly, it has been proven that more "mature" games can sell on nintendo. If not then why is capcom always being bias with resident evil and nintendo? Why did games like timesplitters and hitman surface on gamecube? The argument those games don't sell on nintendo falls down to the multiplatform users. Not nintendo or their fanbase. You have confessions from the likes of epic, gearbox, bioware, valve etc that they all like nintendo's systems and their games. So if they like them why won't people who buy the games they create not buy them? The answer is obvious. People who own another system ignore (maybe deliberately) the nintendo version as it is offered to them in favour of the version on another. I can understand if you don't want to play the ports on launch day so lets use aliens as an example here. If you have a wii u and 360, it comes out day and date (likely), and you are a person who sat there complaining about a lack of third party support. Why do you not take the option as it is given to you? if you want aliens and you want your third party games on nintendo, why not buy the wii u version? That is the problem. The people to blame are the multiplatform users. The audience is there. They just don't buy it.

For point 3 you can make the same argument for the others. Gamers can get the obvious ports at launch of the next xbox and ps4 on ps3, 360 and probably even wii u itself. So why would they rush out to buy it on the others? Especially if the consoles are more expensive? The real games that stand out and scream to you to buy the system will probably not surface for at least a year. It happens with every system. This is another reason the head start works towards nintendo's favor. Monster hunter will be out and bayonetta won't be far off by the time the others release (if it isn't out already). Wii u will have built a much more varied library.

LMAO sony is in the black again, and the PS brand is still strong a company as big as sony wont fold in 2 years, and if the ps specs and price are in line with ms ms wont stand a chance to be ahead os playstation next gen. Your kidding yourself if you think a massive corp like sony will fold. With restructuring they are in line for profit next quarter. Even so they have enough assets to survive a long lomng time.

3rd party support for Wii U will improve this gen(at least at first) but it won't be sustained throughout its life since you know, people only buy Nintendo games on Nintendo consoles.(with a few exceptions)

Next-gen systems from MS and Sony will be TRUE entertainment devices. They will be able to efficiently multi-task. Although the costs of game development will go up for the AAA games, these consoles will be more open to indie games and even allow free to play. I think this is the part that will give these consoles the edge over the Wii U.

Don't worry. Sony isn't going anywhere. 

The PS2 had all the major third party content exclusive in many cases that gen -- Grand Theft Auto 3/Vice City/San Andreas, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X/XII, Metal Gear Solid 2, etc.

When the Wii U has Grand Theft Auto V, Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes, Final Fantasy XV, and lets say the next Batman Arkham game exclusive ... then sure, we can call it the next PS2.

But right now .... no GTAV even planned for the Wii U, nothing on the MGS: Ground Zeroes front, no commitment on Star Wars 1313 or Watch Dogs, no Crysis 3, no BioShock 2, reports hinting at no Battlefield 4 either ... it's not even getting multiplatform releases of all the major third party titles.

The Dreamcast also technically was the "first" console release during that generation, not PS2. So launching first doesn't neccessarily gauruntee anything.

Not too mention ps2 had almost no competition, nintendo lost hardcore gamers and thir parties years ago, no one is going to buy a wii-u for cod, or AAA games, those peeps will just get them on PS 3 or 4 or xbox.

But the facts speaks for themselves.

Yes I know, some people who rised up with Sony will don't believe it until it happen. But in the past other big companies have vanished too. It have seen companies go the way that Sony goes many times before.

Dood, the 6 year boredom of reading about Sony's doom speaks for itself.

Sony is making money and playstation is one of their biggest assets, and they are sitting on a tonne of assets, sorry but you do not know what you are talking about. Bookmarked for the lulz.

Just like PC gaming has been dead since 2000...................