i'd say the jury is out on that still.  i would have sworn up and down a few weeks ago casuals would have no wiiU interest but on black friday i saw a lot to them at least snooping around the wiiU display to try the system out.  i'm not sure if that will translate to sales but with the nose dive the wii took i kind of thought that casuals lost all interest in gaming.  from what i saw i think i might be wrong.

@the conversation with thranx -- wiiU can definetly support a wiimote only game.  with a wiimote not bundled in the system it remains to be seen if devs will go that route but with the wii backwards compatability i think it would be a viable option compared to other peripherials.   also, even though the gamepad has dual analog and stuff i can see games coming that are touch screen only.   mario paint for instance.  i could see that being big among causuals if done well and it wouldn't need dual analog either.

anyhoo, i'm excited to see how the wiiU turns out.  this is the most excited to talk about video games in years now really.  from now until the ps4/xbox720 release will probably be the best discussion here we'll have for a long time.

Indeed!

Kind of a return to the glory days on Chartz.

Now all we need is a new John Lucas.

I concur that the potential is there.   Nintendo could still release the next 'Wii-Sports' like hit but I don't see NintendoLand being it because of the complicated nature of the gamepad (to casuals).    Will Nintendo or 3rd parties opt for wiimote or touch controls? For eshop games, maybe but retail games will almost certainly be gamepad only (or gamepad/pro) for single player play for the most part.   And even party games will require someone to use the gamepad.

Look at Rayman Legends.  That game would be perfect for wiimote/nunchuk.  Control Rayman with analog stick and murfy with IR.  One person could do both simultaneously and that would be a fun challenge.  But instead you are forced to use the gamepad or get someone else to control Murfy so you can use a different controller.  

The problem also when it comes to tablet play is they have very stiff competition from tablets now and from tablet hybrids like Wikipad, Ouya and many more coming up.

Nintendo's greatest strength is still their brands, but in a day and age were you can play AA games for $5-$15 dollars on tablets, it becomes very hard to justify $60 for a platformer (Mario, DK, Kirby), racing game (Kart) or some of Nintendo's very simple games (Wario-ware, Rythym Heaven, Fire Emblem, Brain Academy, etc) that could easily be done on tablets.

I have a Wii and I love Nintendo games so don't think I'm insulting Nintendo or the Wii, but yes, the Wii's success can be attributed to a none gamer fad. Soccer Moms and Grandparents, who aren't gamers, bought the Wii and will probably never buy another console again. They were never gamers and they still aren't gamers. They played some Wii Fit and some Wii Sports and they aren't interested in anything more. The Kinect has had a similar fad effect. None gamers thought the idea of waving their hands around would be fun with their family. Like the Wii their family probably had a kid or two in it that also wanted to play some real games, but other than that it's a fad. The Wii sold to real gamers in the same amount that any Nintendo console has, the reason it did so well was that none gamers bought into the hype. Take away those none gamers who never bought a console before and will never buy another one and you'd have a Gamecube or N64 level of success.

wow you must know everyone who bought a wii.. or is there another site that you go to that shows exactly what each wii owner does and does not do? I mean you even know they will never buy another console ever.. grandparents buying consoles are understandable they will only ever need one and I doubt theres 50 millions of these who bought a wii (perhaps 1 -2 per nursing home is enough)... but soccer moms who bought their kids a wii.. and to say will never buy them another console when their kids ask for something new?.. amazing knowledge man..  

since you seem to call majority of wii owners 'none gamers' ..what is your definition of gamers? think before you answer

I second this!.. 'while Sony is laughing all the way to the bank(rupt).' .. *giggles*

I'm not talking about the mom's who bought their kids a Wii. I'm talking about the soccer mom's who bought themselves Wii Fit. If they are still using Wii Fit they won't buy another console. If they stoped using Wii Fit just like they stopped using their exercise bike then they won't be buying another console either.

The Wii caught lightning in a bottle by appealing to people who thought swinging a controler like a tennis racket looked like fun. To them it's not a lifestyle. They aren't gamers. They had fun with their new toy and they are done with it. That's why they didn't continue buying more and more games for their Wii's and why they aren't knocking eachother over for a Wii U this holiday season.

I expect the Wii U to be successfull, but not Wii successfull. I'm think more like the N64 or Gamecube in lifetime sales.

As for my deffinition of a gamer. I consider anyone who calls themself a gamer to be a gamer. Soccer Moms and grandparents may balance on a board or roll a virtual bowling ball, but to them it's an activity. To gamers a video game is more than entertainment.

Why are you taking this so personal? If you think I'm bashing Nintendo fans I assure you I am not. I am a long time Nintendo fan. I was there when Nintendo was "That Donkey Kong Company" and I've been a fan ever since. Despite my love of all things Mario, Zelda,. Metroid, etc. I just don't find it remotely possible for the Wii U to be as successfull as the Wii. The Wii was a fluke. A fun fluke, but a fluke none the less.

"To gamers a video game is more than entertainment."  <- lol come on man.. games are just for fun nothing more.. anyone who lives just to play games need to get a life.. its these same people who becomes elitist and thinks they are better than others just because they dont play as much games as they do. 

Im taking this personal now?.. no.. Im challenging people who calls themselves real gamers and their assumptions on how they see things refer to the above.

No need to continue to tell me you love Nintendo and been a long time nintendo fan.. that doesnt matter..  

"I consider anyone who calls themself a gamer to be a gamer." <- eh?... why just about anyone can call themselves a gamer.. regardless if they played videogames or boardgames.

You really cannot say they will not buy another console..  if a new console is fun people will buy it regardless if they had the wii before.. in terms of wii-level success who really expect it to?.. but logically its way to early to say otherwise.. I mean did you ever think the wii would do as well as it did? I bet you didnt.

The wiiU will be a more logically better compared to the PS4 and x720 in terms of sales.. so dont waste anymore time talking about wii-level success thats done and dusted.

Eh. I think hitting the $300-$350 price point is all that matters at the moment.

well in planetside 2 you can activated phisics on the GPU (if your gpu can do it obviously) when i do this the fps doubles and all the action is more fluid (phisics), explotions and enviroment gets better, so this thing of using the gpu is real.