hallelujah the wiiU is saved!!

nintendo's popularity waning as evidence by the sudden, dramatic, and historically unprecedented collapse in wii sales?  wii's number one, wii's number one!!

wiiU's sales in week 8 being lower than the ps3 or 360 has ever seen (including when only they weren't out in all regions).  who cares, it means nothing!!

wiiU's sales curve most closely shaped like the gamecube's with a tremendous launch that flatlines right after the holidays unlike every/any successful console?  irrelevant i tell you!!

game after game after game announced with no wiiU counterpart?    but wiiU has the best, system-selling exclusives like rayman 2D mario another mario!!

industry leaders that laugh at the wiiU with comedic timing at the mere mention of being supported?   pure speculation because the engines,.. they are scalable!!

facts in general?  fuck 'em!!

truckOsaurus found an old forum post and that proves nintendo has absolutely no problems, is guaranteed success, and all criticisms and critiques are instantly null and void!!!!

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now, given the current climate in this thread, I was tempted to explain what’s my point with all of this right away (because believe it or not, there is one) but I’m going to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and wait and see if people get it.

We all know that. That's not the point.

I've written the OP from the point of view of someone from 2006 looking at the Xbox 360's situation (with a pro-Sony leaning). As some have noted, at that point in time, the assumptions made in the OP weren't all that bad. The 360's early life situation wasn't that good and in early 2006 anyone saying it could still do well and give the PS3 a run for their money would have been considered as deluded MIcrosoft fans or at the very least wishful thinkers.

What happened is that Microsoft stepped up to the plate: they addressed the RRoD issue brillantly, they brought previously 3rd party exclusive over the their platform, they kept a competitive price, they made Kinect more than just a wiimote clone, etc...

The point I'm making is that anyone saying the Wii U is doomed right now is waaaaay too premature and that IF Nintendo steps up to the plate like Microsoft did then they'll do just fine.

Third party support.

Marketing.

2 things at which Nintendo fails.

Again, Wii U != Xbox 360

While your reasoning is good, there is only one problem: Nintendo. Since when has Nintendo handled anything brilliantly? Maybe the price cut of the 3DS, but that wasn't brilliance, that was necessity. And Nintendo isn't handling 3rd parties the same way as MS did/does; Nintendo isn't paying to get 3rd party ports...

But by and large I agree with you; it's to early to call doom on Wii U.

Again, we all know that. Nintendo doesn't need to do exactly what Microsoft did. The point is that they CAN do something to turn things around, whatever that is.

Like this?

Nintendo brought confusion to their own products. The mainstream doesn't even know Wii U exists. Wii U will be a basement dweller at the end of this thing. 

So your take is that Nintendo can't possibly do anything to turn things around. Duely noted. I personally disagree, I think with the right software they'll have  perfectly acceptable sales, I'm not talking Wii level sales mind you, just sales they keep Nintendo happy and profitable.

I never said they wouldn't be profitable or have acceptable sales. I said they will be a basement dweller. You can still be profitable in the basement - and I hope and believe they will be profitable, just not very successful in regard to the competitors. A distant third is inevitable at this rate. 

And I'm saying it's still too early to tell.

Disagree, the situations aren't remotely comparable. Emergent brand expanded; this happens all the time. Wii U is an old dog with no new tricks. Time will tell which one of us is right.