No, Game Cube and N64 had games people wanted, n64 had power, both had the price, both had traditional controllers ect ect. I think Nintendo has a sales cap of 60m and the Wii captured a different set of consumers with it that wont be back.

Basically what I'm saying is, even without the gamepad, a lower cost, more games the Wii U would be selling on par with Nintendos other systems

So you're saying that if Wii U ended with a software library as rich and diverse as PS2 had in the 6th gen, they'd wouldn't break 60m?

A)  Games:  Yes, the main reason.  It's not that there aren't games to play on the console - and good ones at that.  It's that there is not much that distinguishes the WiiU as its own experience compared to the competition, and certainly not for being the most expensive as well.  Along with heavy hitters like Mario Kart, Nintendo just needs more exclusive games even if they're not system sellers by themselves (Pikmin, W101, X, Bayonetta 2, Wind Waker, etc), and they need something that really proves the Gamepad as a game changer.

B)  Price:  Somewhat, yes, but sub $200 is certainly not necessary at this point in its life if the game situation was rectified.  $249/$299 would suffice.

C)  Power:  No, other than it could limit 3rd party support once the new consoles are out.  The mass consumer doesn't care as much about a big leap in power as the enthusiasts would like to believe... especially if they have to pay a premium for it.

D)  Gamepad:  No.  I've said it before and I'll reiterate it again - the Gamepad will be what saves and differentiates WiiU.  Again, Nintendo needs the right games to showcase it; something much more than Nintendoland.  And for those who want the option of pro controllers or Wii remotes for more mainstream games, they have them.

E)  Lack of Focus:  Yes, at the moment.  I do believe that being able to satisfy everyone is great but Nintendo currently isn't doing a good job of it.

F)  Marketing:  Definitely.  It sucks.  Period.

G)  Apple, etc:  No, other than everything does compete for people's leisure time, but if Nintendo creates the experiences people want to play they will come.  This comes down to games once again.

correct. Now prove me wrong.

Let me fire up the "What If"machine...

Seriously, games sells consoles so no matter the manufacturer if a console has the games it will have the sales to go along with it. Nintendo games have a very wide appeal but they do have their limits and for 3 generations now they've pretty much had to do without 3rd party support so in this sense yes they are limited to a certain number of customers (people who like Nintendo games) but in a magical What If world where Nintendo's console is on par with its competitors and where they get the exact same 3rd party games, there's no reason why they wouldn't sell as well.

Cool what if... However, you must be under the impression I said the competitors would sell more than 60mil in that instance

A)  Games:  Yes, the main reason.  It's not that there aren't games to play on the console - and good ones at that.  It's that there is not much that distinguishes the WiiU as its own experience compared to the competition, and certainly not for being the most expensive as well.  Along with heavy hitters like Mario Kart, Nintendo just needs more exclusive games even if they're not system sellers by themselves (Pikmin, W101, X, Bayonetta 2, Wind Waker, etc), and they need something that really proves the Gamepad as a game changer.

B)  Price:  Somewhat, yes, but sub $200 is certainly not necessary at this point in its life if the game situation was rectified.  $249/$299 would suffice.

C)  Power:  No, other than it could limit 3rd party support once the new consoles are out.  The mass consumer doesn't care as much about a big leap in power as the enthusiasts would like to believe... especially if they have to pay a premium for it.

D)  Gamepad:  No.  I've said it before and I'll reiterate it again - the Gamepad will be what saves and differentiates WiiU.  Again, Nintendo needs the right games to showcase it; something much more than Nintendoland.  And for those who want the option of pro controllers or Wii remotes for more mainstream games, they have them.

E)  Lack of Focus:  Yes, at the moment.  I do believe that being able to satisfy everyone is great but Nintendo currently isn't doing a good job of it.

F)  Marketing:  Definitely.  It sucks.  Period.

G)  Apple, etc:  No, other than everything does compete for people's leisure time, but if Nintendo creates the experiences people want to play they will come.  This comes down to games once again.

With about 247mil consoles sold in the 7th gen, it would be pretty surprising if none of the 8th gen consoles didn't cross the 60mil mark.