underperformed but will still end up around 100 million probably.  Also PSone was dominant as well so it's 2 amazing sales vs. 1 bad sales home console.  It's like Virtual Boy it goes against the trend.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

"Fluke" is a bad word. Perhaps anomaly or aberration would be better. I think Nintendo's baseline for home consoles under their current model is closer to the GameCube than the Wii. Their focus leaves out many other genres of gaming.

Both the PSP and the Vita are probably aberrations at this point, with the baseline possibly being in between. I think the Vita will improve significantly in Japan eventually but not much elsewhere.

Sony was the king when the console business model involved:
- introducing a new proprietary media format to drive sales
- selling console at a loss and undercutting the competition that can't/won't do the same
- getting 3rd parties to support your console more than the other guys

Sadly none of that can be applied anymore as media format doesn't matter, Microsoft will undercut Sony on price all night long and major 3rd party devs have to sell 1 million + copies of their game to break even so they have to put it on as many consoles as possible.

So yeah, get used to seeing more console flukes happening in the future.

I don't think they were flukes.

Nintendo:
I think Nintendo put a lot more effort and thought into the Wii design, marketing and games than they have with the Wii U. It's obvious that Wii U isn't as innovative as the Wii and in fact it is obviously inspired by the iPad. The thing is that it looks like a cheaper version of an iPad, but it needs to be in range of the console.

Sony:
I think Sony was a lot more aggressive with with introduction of the PSP than they were with Vita. They thought they could dethrone Nintendo. With Vita, I think they realized that they can't compete with the 3DS. So they're not as aggressive and they're not pushing it as much as they could. Also, I think a lot of resources are going into PS4 while continuing to support PS3. Vita is an afterthought.

It is a different situation and IMO you can't compare the PSV & Wii U

The PSP mainly sold off of 3rd party support going by game sales. Of course, Sony's franchises pushed the system too but 3rd party games had a lot to do with its success. 3rd party publishers don't seem too interested in handhelds and the ones who are release on 3DS. Sony also seems focused on Orbis much more. I expect PSV to only sell about 20 Million to be honest.

On the other hand, Wii sold off of Nintendo games. Yes, the motion control craze had a ton to do with it but without the great compatible games, it wouldn't have sold nearly as much. Unlike PSV, the Wii U will have all of the Wii's big sellers. I wouldn't just disregard Nintendo yet. If Nintendo doesn't showcase much by the end of the year, then you can begin to say Wii U will be GC 2.0. I still think the Wii U has a shot at being hugely successful and winning the gen, Nintendo just has to sell the system better. I believe Wii Fit U & Wii Party U will be the 1st games to show off its potential innovative-wise.

That's just not true. Microsoft will take as small a loss as possible. Just look at Xbox 360. There is loads of room for price cuts and that could have put them in a much more favorable position in the market than they are in now. But they pick profits over marketshare. 

Nintendo can't sell on first party alone.  They tried that with N64 and Gamecube.  They dominate handhelds and always have but home consoles are a different front.

Exactly right. But Microsoft will still make sure to be same price as Sony or cheaper. They will take a loss...Nintendo and Sega didn't want to.

Microsoft arent like Apple who toys with competition and wants to go for the kill. Microsoft really doesn't care if Sony is making consoles and is making money as long as they are making money. 

You'd be surprised at how much success goes to peoples heads. Don't be surprised if the next Xbox is more expensive than the PS4. After all, it does have Xbox Live!