Actually it does. The best way to explain this is to think about games. If I released a game with 2D graphics, no one would call it next-gen. Yet if I released one that used UE4 to it's greatest extent, it would be called next-gen. The difference is purely power. Claiming a console has to merely be a successor is logically flawed as every console has to start without a successor. 

Unless Nintendo are using tech that has never been seen anywhere and is decades ahead of known technology, you can work out that 70W is not going to give you performance that massively dwarfs either the PS3 or Xbox 360. 

lol the console is locked at 30w, read the digital foundy article, the power brick is 70w, console alway at most only use haf of the power brick. the console it self will not go over 30w.

If the Wii U is 25% or 75% or 100% faster than PS360 consoles, what difference does it make? It won't be 5-10x more powerful which is what it needed to have next generation graphics. That means you'll be buying it for the games/gameplay not graphics. We can rule out that Wii U can match the graphics of PS4/720 automatically at this point already. Most people interested in the Wii U aren't buying it for graphics.

I would have loved for the next Legend of Zelda game to look like this, but it's not going to happen.

If you can live with Zelda on the Wii U looking like this, you can stop worrying about specs because it will AT LEAST look like this:

We'll see how Wii U games hold up against PS4/720 this coming E3.  After all at the end of the day it's all about how software makes use of the hardware.  I doubt I will see much of a diffrence if any between the Wii U or  PS4/720.  Probably the only ones to notice are the superhadcore gamers and fanboys; the latter looking over the web on minor details.  While to the mainstream gamers (you know the ones that actually spends time playing the games they bought) won't notice much. It's only ~4 months away, I fully expect the Wii U to keep up with whatever Sony or MS will show for their new systems.  IF PS4/720 doesn't blow the Wii U out the water (like the PS360 does with the Wii) it'll be quite a letdown after all the hype I've been seeing in these threads lately(10x the power of Wii U; I heard that same line when the DC released) on the deficiency of the Wii U. (I'm hoping it does so I have a reason to upgrade my 360 slim as long as MS keeps the price ~$399 otherwise no buy for me)

That's not in the article....If you are talking about another, link please :)

When a console launches without a successor it's in the same gen as its contemporaries. Power is coincidental. (Or with the Wii and 3DS, not) Anyway, if you want to discuss it, here's the thread: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=154418&page=1

Yeah, I remember that one,about the PS2 being ten times the power of the Dreamcast. No PS2 game ever went on to look 10 times better than the likes of Soul Calibur or Shenmue 1 & 2.

(That's mah thread =D )

As I stated, everything else is looked at in terms of power. Look at games. Look at even fighter jets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth-generation_jet_fighter

" Fifth-generation aircraft are designed to incorporate numerous technological advances over the fourth generation jet fighter"

Next-gen games are considered to offer many improvements over previous gen games. Why this rule is suddenly scrapped for the consoles makes no sense. Plus the article in the OP of this thread seems to believe that power and gen are linked, as well as the head of EA. 

That's not how graphics work. To have graphics 10x more impressive, you probably need hardware 500x more powerful.

As graphics are reaching closer and closer to realism, the differences between generations will shrink and the demands for hardware to improve will grow more, not less because each additional effect that makes graphics look more realistic costs more GPU power, not less. It won't ever be the same as going from 2D mario to 3D super mario. Not sure what people are expecting exactly. Their expectations are completely out of touch with reality regarding PS4/720 vs. PS3/360.

To go from this:

To this:

Requires 83x more GPU power.

Most console gamers might say the 2nd image looks what 3x better, maybe?

Reality: the 2nd image is 571x more complex (4 million triangles vs. 7000 triangles).

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/07/31/new_dawn_dx11_demo_compared_to_old#.URNJn6VZUeo

I think most gamers just don't understand how graphics works at all. They think going from PS3 to PS4 should be like going from PS2 to PS3. That's illogical.

I guarentee that, as long as your sight is okay, you will. The reason being that you can't see a difference between Wii U and 360/PS3 games. MS and Sony most likely aren't stupid enough to release consoles that show no improvement graphically over their predecessors.