> any data to backup that it is 'certainly most popular amongst younger kids'?

8-17 olds

"The Wii was on 32% of wish lists, the Sony PlayStation 3 on 19% and Microsoft Xbox 360 on 17%."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2007-11-19-wii-shopping_N.htm

"As for game systems, Nintendo Wii was the most popular among kids ages 8-13, as well as all girls up to age 17, while Sony PlayStation 3 came out on top for boys ages 14-17."

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6479280.html

Why does everyone here assume kids nowadays play a minor role within the gaming industry? Didn't you play video games as a kid?

You know why that is, right? It's not just because we're Nintendo fanboys.

It's because Nintendo is kicking this everloving shit out of its competition in every market, console, portable, hardware, and software, and then the company Nintendo basically never says shit to any other company about how good its doing.

Then, this sorry bastard has the nerve to passive-agressively flame the Wii, because its doing better than his console(even though he claimes they aren't in direct competition). 

The point is, he has no room to talk, when his console is doing so relatively poorly.

Your presenting your argument well, but don't cherrypick, ffs.

You basically just admitted that on a percentage basis the PS3 is the number one console for kids 8-17, relatively.

Assuming that this is worldwide(and I didn't read the links) the Wii is outselling the PS3 2 to 1. Therefore, it would have to be on over twice as many christmas lists to be considered as popular with the tweens as the PS3 is, because the Wii is about twice as popular with every age group(actually a lot more, but it's supply constrained, so we have to assume its only twice, to be fair).

So, if the Wii is only about 150 percent more popular on those wish lists, than is the PS3, and actually LESS popular on tween wish lists, then how much more popular must it have to be on grown peoples wish lists, to be selling like it is?

That's simply ironclad logic that based on the information you presented, is unavoidable.

Cherrypicking christmas lists proves nothing, because the consoles aren't equal. The Wii is far more popular, and therefore, should show up on far more christmas lists. If the majority of those lists don't belong to that age group you mentioned, they must belong to a different age group.

However, I digress. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

As for anyone assertion that this article is somehow "right" lets see how many Wii owners "graduate" to the 360, and how many 360 owners "graduate" to the Wii over the coming year, when the big 360 game drout of 08 hits.

Hell, lets see how many 360 owners "graduate" themselves to the PS3.

Finally, any negative comments about the Wii are simply fanboyism. Right now its a golden child, with so much going for it, nitpicking 3rd party support is itself borderline cherrypicking, and until another system gains some leeway into the Wii's argument, via popularity, no Wii hating fanboy is gonna be able to "reason" and "deduce" their way into a victor with cherrypicked facts fresh out of the Sony and Microsoft PR box.

Dodece said:
Ridiculous, stupid, and fanatical are the words I would use to describe the majority of posters in this thread. You are all going off on a rant without any justification. The comments aren't even vindictive. Microsoft isn't making a foolish or arrogant claim. Instead they are hoping casual gamers will graduate up to core gamers, or even hardcore gamers.

He says "graduate from a certain experience potentially with the Wii, either because it's limited on the type of gameplay that's available or the technology in that box", which is absolutely foolish, arrogant, and yes vindictive.

Yes they used the appropriate term. When you are learning how to ride a bike eventually you graduate from training wheels. The same way you might graduate from wiggle to a more massive controller. You graduate from playing merely casual games to more diverse games, and more complex games. This is very much how the gaming population has expanded over the years.

So you think casual games can't be diverse or complex?  Also, I own a Wii and the fact that you just compared my gaming choice to "training wheels" shows that you're just as foolish and arrogant as Jeff Bell.  It's no wonder you fall in line with this sort of statement.

Seriously this kind of idiocy needs to stop.

Agreed. 

National survey (what people preferred to get for christmas 2007, US adults):

Top 10 For Men

1. Flat screen High Definition TV 37%
2. New Laptop Computer (Windows) 21%
3. New Digital Camera 16%
4. New Desktop Computer 15%
5. GPS Navigation System for the car 11%
6. Sony PS3 10%
7. New Cell Phone 9%
8. New Digital Video Camera 8%
9. Xbox 360 8%
10. Nintendo Wii 8%

1. Flat screen High Definition TV 33%
2. New Laptop Computer 19%
3. New Digital Camera 18%
4. New Desktop Computer (Windows) 13%
5. New Cell Phone 12%
6. New Digital Video Camera 11%
7. GPS Navigation System for the car 10%
8. Nintendo Wii 9%
9. Apple Laptop Computer 7%
10. Tivo or another DVR 6%

Maybe some Execs are, but IMO Phil Harrison certainly doesn't come across as such.