Your whole premise is based on AAA titles all being on launch day and then none for 8-10 months(WiiU). The difference is that there are 2 new systems launching with a lot more games for each. Also, both of these systems (obviously a lot more PS4 at launch period)will have a bunch of indie titles to keep people busy. The people who all have picked sides of either the XB1 or PS4 will also start considering getting a second system and then you will have another group of the launch games selling again. Because both the PS4/XB1 have features that are beyond gaming, they can continue to advertise and promote their systems for those features as well. Then you have the timed exclusives that will allow some of the games to go to the other platforms and then you will see more sales again.

Sorry, the WiiU will probably sell some systems and software through the holidays, but the real problem is that the core buyer of Nintendo products has not been educated on what the WiiU is or that it even matters. The WiiU really looks like the Wii. Nintendo should have never tried to leverage the Wii brand, and should have came up with a new name. IMO, most people stop looking at the package as soon as they see Wi and never even get to the iU. They think they already bought that a couple of years ago. Nintendo really would need to come up with a stellar marketing campaign to even get people to notice they have a product that is not 7-8 years old. The overwhelming marketing hype that will be coming from M$(to make up for the bad press) and Sony(to ensure they keep their momentum) will be just too loud for the casual crowd to ignore.

Its a launch, which is a start not the finish. If you ask me, commercially speaking Killzone and Forza are about even. The launch is basically even, just go after your taste. For people who are buying the console first its either about which brands known games you value more or price.

Yes the horsepower horse is known to be the last in console generations .

But Wii started to make sense as a name when you started thinking We... and Nintendo wanted to make something for You too so Wii U is really We You... but it is also Wii Unique and Wii Utopia.

If Sony & Microsoft are relying on games which you think are analagous to Wii-U's launch, then they'll be absolutely fine. Because Wii-U launched really strongly.

What Wii-U lacked was any momentum following this. The game drought the console had, up until recently, was honestly ridiculous. So that's what Sony & MS need to rectify with their own attempts.

Sony and MS don't need to rectify that because they have the 3rd party unlike Nintendo. There will not be a game draught like the Wii U.

As for the topic at hand, I don't think Sony and MS need to worry too much. This gen is starting on the right foot for them unlike Wii U. Wii U had good first week sales but quickly dried up. You could walk into any store and buy one if you wanted during the crazy Christmas rush. People are just waiting to jump to the next Ps and XB. They will have better launches and that's the first step. The best advertising is word of mouth and the more people who have one and talk about how great it is the more others will want one. This alone would assure Ps4 and X1 better 1st years with similar situation as Wii U. However, the Ps4 and X1 also have third parties unlike the Wii U and exclusive couple months after launch too (Infamous/Titanfall). After that we don't really know but I wouldn't be surprised if MGS5 launched in June which will be a system seller. Those wont be the only games either.

If they had called it the Wii2HD or something, they would have been fine.  The WiiU doesn't mean anything in particular to the general public.  Each console needs an identity that is easy for the consumer to identify with.

I think they've both passed the Wii U's preorders by now. If not Microsoft then Sony. Their launch and holiday will be much larger, especially in the US and Europe. 

The WiiU was going to have a decent launch by default(as will the XB1 and PS4).  Core gamers run out and buy them up.  I still think the problem with the WiiU is related to the public(or casual crowd) perception that the WiiU is still just a Wii.  MS and Sony will not have the same cross to bare.  They have and will continue to promote their system as the next generation and create individual identities that the consumer can grasp.  The wiiU failed to make that point.  IF Nintendo does some incredible marketing(i doubt this will happen), they can turn around the marketplace.  I agree that not having a lot of games didn't help, but it would seem it wouldn't have helped much either.