No, a failure is something that failed, period.

If you came about after the first month of the U and saw that sales were horrible, would you say it was a failure? You might say it is failing but you wouldn't call it a failure. After 8 months, no poignant game release and a high pricepoint, it's just as silly now as it was after the first month.

That was more in the nature of a rhetorical question. Tell me, has the Wii U "failed" the past 7 months?

Indeed it has. If you're challenging the semantic sof failure, I agree that you can time-bound your definition to the first month , the first 8 months, the first 7 months, to launch. Hell you could even call it a failure prior to launch if you're predicting.

The problem is people are using the current failures to doom the U to failure overall, and that's playing with blurred lines.

It's one thing for it to fail over 7 months, another to extrapolate to the success or failure of the system over its lifespan.

of course,but if it can't outsell the wii and keep all that marketshare then it will be a failure,that is how we judge around here

Sure.

If the Wii U can't sell even when It's heavy hitters are out, only then can it be called a failure, but until then, no.

I dont get this logic, its Ninty's own fault that it has no heavy hitters, so we cant judge the console on the months that is has been out? even though it missed ALL of Ninty's sales projections?  Never heard this argument for any other console.

No.

A 'failure' implies that it is, so to say, a done deal. It a final state, there's no coming back and it will be recorded in history as... well, having failed.

If something is 'failing', it is still an ongoing process, like currently with the WiiU. It not yet a failure, because failing is not a final state, it is still possible it will end up not becoming a failure.

EDIT: I see happydolphin already answered it for me, and answered the follow-up as I would, so this post of mine has little value .

Failure: is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success.

The Wii U is a failure for now. It doesn't mean that it'll always be a failure, but for now it is a failure.

I beliee all three competitors will have a tough time these following years compared to this console generation if they don´t evolve beyond being only game consoles in the traditional sense. WiiU will probably manage itself quite well once the games come.