personally if I were to pick up the WiiU I'd probably go for the 8GB, as I'm not interested in Nintendoland and instead of 24GB of internal memory I'd rather buy 500GB of external memory - btw I think it looks better in white

Many people will take no less than Wii like buzz to admit Wii U was "successful".  And when you say Supply Constrained, they will insist on Sold Out everywhere as only proof acceptable.  Marketing is very effective but also very expensive.  Not everyone here will understand that thumping for more sales when all you got for sale is supply constrained is just a way to create profits for ebayers, not Nintendo.  When Nintendo said they learned their lesson from Wii, people think they must've learned how to catch lightening in a bottle again.  I think all that really meant was Nintendo won't get ahead of themselves this time in drumming up demand - boring Nintendo devotion to the buttomline.

Like a true Nintendo fan, I root for better than expected numbers.  As a Nintendo shareholder, I root for healthy business fundamentals and have my fingers crossed that Nintendo does and will have the firepower to turn up the marketing machine once the fermentation period is up, this lukewarm state arguably does make it easier for 3rd parties to take a longer wait n see attitude.

The basic one probably also acts as a way for them to cut the price without cutting the price by offering better value in the basic bundle. If they started to bundle the charger and the cradle  and the game with the white version it would effectively count as a $30-40 price cut but it wouldn't insult early adopters nor ring any alarm bells with the other players in the industry. Microsoft did a similar thing when they went from the $280 Core to the $200 Arcade which was an effective price drop for some customers of around $120 if you include the memory card costs. Having two SKUs gives them flexibility to crab walk the price and target different segments.

I just don't think the system is taking off with casuals/non-gamers like the Wii did in 2006.

The new controller is bulky and intimidating with a ton of buttons. It takes gaming back to sitting on the couch (even for most of Nintendo Land).

I have a lot of friends who were going crazy over the Wii in 2006, and I'm pretty much the only one with a Wii U, whereas with the Wii, I had 5-6 friends out there trying to find one shortly after launch.

Wii U just doesn't have much buzz. Especially with women.

It's a product that appeals primarily to core Nintendo fans.

It will have a rough 2013 until probably the second half of this year where they will predictably attempt a turn-around ala the 3DS (price cut + 3D Mario + maybe Mario Kart). 

Why would Nintendo even offer a measly 8gig model? I think consumers know that is way too little. They have more memory than that on their smartphones...

Yes it is. If you want the Deluxe you get Nintendoland. That's how it is in the US. There are non other bundles at the moment. At least not officially.

I just wish there will be more games out in Q1 2013.

I cannot wait to play more however I haven't finished yet none of teh 4 games I bought with it!

Weren't you the numbers guy? What are the numbers based on facts in this post?