The gaming industry will probably die again, eventually. Something will bring it back from the dead though, just like the NES did after Atari self-imploded.

Not arguing with anything you said, but you need to adjust your definition of "great" if being ahead of the DS in aligned LTD sales 102 weeks after launch doesn't fit it. Seeing as 102 weeks after the DS's launch places it in November of 2006, well after the Lite and NSMB releases.

I find it hard to believe that the Wii U wouldnt have at least shifted 40k in Japan this week.

whole different audience, 360/ps3 caters to gamers, wii caters to family's that wanna play wii fit and wii sports. i predict nextbox and ps4 will have the biggest launches ever, if they meet supply demand.

3DS

US Week 94: 7,929,270
EU Week 95: 7,328,624
JP Week 99: 10,218,276

Total: 25,476,170

DS

US Week 94: 5,986,876
EU Week 95: 9,529,545
JP Week 99: 11,680,034

Total: 27,196,455

Considering this is ending Sept 9th for the US and Oct 15th for Japan, the gap is likely to grow much wider over the next few months.  By the end of the holiday season, Japan added another ~2.6 million, roughly averaging 223k a week.  In the US it added over 3 million averaging about 180k a week.  In the EU the DS and 3DS launched in roughly the same point in the calendar, so the gap has already started to show there as both systems have had their second holiday.

Sales generally drop about 60% this week in Japan.  40k is probably unrealistic.

It's to be expected. Aside from EU, the Wii U is just selling a bit lower than expected. It's not surprising as there are really no new games for the system aside ports and sequels. Anyways, the Wii U doesn't need to outsell the PS3 and the X360 to be successful. The Wii U still have not released any killer games to warrant panic; plus it's profitable. The Vita numbers look dismal as it should already had time to iron out it's launch problems. The handheld looks to have a bleak future ahead esp with the new dedicated Android game systems like Shield coming out.

Eh, you did perfectly aligned sales. I always just go from first release... it's simpler that way. Easier to calculate. So for 3DS I just start at Feb 26, 2011, while for DS I start at Nov 27, 2004 -- the first week tracked by VGChartz. Two different ways of doing things. Your numbers disregard sales in other territories that bump 3DS sales up to 27.74 million. I don't know how to calculate those more accurately, so I just use global numbers X weeks after release.

My way winds up showing the 3DS taking the lead during its Holiday seasons and losing it a couple of months later as the DS enters its Holiday seasons. This amounts to the 3DS keeping pace with the DS. I don't see how keeping up with the DS just shy of 2 years on could be considered anything less than great. Even using your numbers, it's not far behind, and that's after Holiday 2006 in Europe, right? And approaching it in the US and Japan, after the global releases of the DS Lite and New Super Mario Bros., and of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in Japan.

of the January Slumps here :(

.

So that means you think Nintendo went too high tech with Wii U, considering they are selling at least the $299 unit at a loss (which is not usual for Nintendo). The only way for them to release a console at $249 is for them to essentially duct tape an Xbox 360 to a Wii, or not have a tablet controller. Either way the Wii U would be a not terribly attractive product, just for the sake of having a HD console. Nintendo really would have been better just tweaking the Wii into HD about 3 years ago and calling it Wii HD.