"PSN and LIVE have a loyal fanbase built up that want to keep their accounts. They will not switch to the Wii U."


Because there is no way they will be able to keep their accounts while simultaneously owning a Wii U.

I don't think the system is "done", it's just the modern GameCube.

It's a Wii without the appeal the Wiimote first had six/seven years ago and hence that casual audience is basically gone elsewhere.

The appeal of the Wii when it came out was that it was the "simple" game console anyone could use and it was counter-marketed perfectly against the "complicated" XBox 360 and PS3. Mario Kart and Mario was just a bonus really, like dessert after a nice meal.

But today, the "simple game fix" concept has moved on to smartphones/tablets which provide much cheaper software. Casuals don't care about physical controls or HD graphics, if anything the Wii U controller is undoing all the progress the Wiimote made -- it's big, bulky, awkward looking, filled with scary buttons and joysticks (lol).

For people who want a more core experience, the system will take years to match up to the XBox 360/PS3 library, which will also probably be cheaper than the Wii U indefinitely. So for budget gamers and parents looking to buy their kids a console, PS3/360 wins (more affordable, far more selection).

For the hardcore players who are tired o their 360/PS3 and want to move on, the PS4/720 is going to the be the platforms with all the next-gen content, so Nintendo can't win there either.

It's basically only Nintendo fans that gotta have a very specific fix of Mario and Zelda and so on that will be willing to pay $250++ to get that. And that audience is small. Stripped of the casual crowd, Nintendo's appeal drops dramatically and there's a lot of redundancy with Nintendo IP (ie: the guy who likes Super Mario is probably the same guy buying Smash Bros, so it's not like these two "monster franchises" are bringing in completely different consumers). 

Holy shit guys, it's all about the games.

The 3DS was "saved" by the price cut is what everyone says, but it was really SM3DL and MK7 that saved it. If Nintendo had waited until those games, they would have done fine.

So the whole "price cut didn't work" argument is moot. Wii U will be above 50 million. I can guarantee it.

Exactly.  I am not saying that the Wii U is 100% doomed.  However I have never been more sure of a consoles demise until now.  Even with the 3DS and Vita, I said "Just wait, they have options."

Wii U has no viable options that can save it from coming dead last this gen.

To be honest the 3DS still isn't selling that great in the West even with 3D Mario, 2D Mario, Paper Mario, Mario Kart (lol, every kind of Mario!). 

In Japan the 3DS took off like a rocket once Monster Hunter was announced and the price cut, but the 3DS is in a very different situation in Japan, it basically is the go-to console for Japan, effectively having replaced consoles there. Which is great for the 3DS in Japan .... not so great for the Wii U there though. 

Japan's already voted with their wallets ... handhelds have replaced the home console there. 

I never said the Wii, 3DS, or Vita would fail  even though everyone else was  around there launch.  I saw the potential in all of them, and this is the first time I feel a company has dug a hole they cannot get out of.

You realize that by saying that this is the first time you been so sure of a console demise doesn't make your points more valid.

It would seem hard to have things go in that way, when the original thread goes the direction it did, with the subject header.  One could end up posting something, inquiring why people think the Wii U would get third-party support and so on.

The Wii U actually has a much stronger software library right now than the 3DS did early on too.

If the 3DS had launched with NSMB2 and "Nintendo Land 3D" (basically a bunch of Mii-based mini-game attractions based on popular Nintendo IP) instead of Nintendogs + cats and Steel Diver (lol) it would've sold pretty well I think, especially with the benefit of a Christmas season launch. 

Not to mention Wii U has some decent third party content, Black Ops 2 (biggest 3rd party game of the year), Assassin's Creed 3 (second biggest 3rd party game of the year), Zombi U (decent exclusive FPS), Scribblenauts Unlimited and had Monster Hunter for Japan.

People just don't like the concept of the Wii U console period IMO. I think that's more troubling for Nintendo. 

No it doesn't, but it does mean I am not "One of those people" who always spouts doom.