I guess if you are doing it to your own post to say "Sorry for the post, it was bad topic. Let' stop posting here and move on" it would be ok. I have never once seen it used that way. it's always used to say "Here is an irrefutable response to you. No one else after this will say anything more relevant. Thread closed."

Which is crap.

Actually, I mean those that quote a post they like, and put [/thread] after that. 

The_vagabond7 said:
It's irrelevant that an IPod plays games, it's a music machine. In the public eye a cellphone isn't a gaming machine. There a clear divides in the minds of the public.

Well then according to your logic 0 mobile games/ipod games would have been sold to date , that obviously isn't the case , there is a growing market for mobile games. 

If say a parent goes to Best buy thinking "I'm going to buy a videogame console for my 17 year old" they don't look at the Iphone. They aren't going to choose between a PSP and a 360. Clearly one is a handheld gaming device and the other is a home console, and are seperated as such in the store. Conversely, they aren't going to the videogame section in best buy, see that the wii, PS3, and 360 are all right next to each other and say "I guess I'll choose between a 360 and a PS3, the wii just isn't a home console." For a consumer, they are choosing between the 3 current gen consoles that compete directly with one another for shelf space at stores that sell videogames.

Your post makes many assumptions , all of which are unfounded . I  won't even bother to adress this part because of this.

Iphones don't compete with PSP and DS, you don't see them sold right next to actual hand hand gaming machines, and they don't compete for shelf space. A store doesn't decide how many Iphones to buy in relation to PSPs based on how they sell against one another, nor do they decide which will get more shelf space based on which is moving more software and making them a profit.

Doesn't matter where they are physicaly sold , competition isn't something you'll always see before your eyes. And they would decide how much shelf space each would get relative to consumer demand . 

But that is exactly what happens with wii, PS3 and 360. They reside in the same "aisle" if you will at wal-mart, and the store managers are deciding how many PS3s to purchase in relation to wiis, and which one they are going to give the most shelf space, based on which one is moving the most hardware and software for their business. Thusly, directly competing.

 Like I said , competition isn't physical shelf space , this doesn't mean anything . I never said the Wii and the PS3/360 don't compete you this part of your argument falls appart , I said they aren't direct competitors. The PS3 however is more of a threat to the Wii than say the Ipod or the PSP is.

I agree with the OP. My cell phone plays games. My IPod plays games. The Zune plays games. The I-Phone plays games. None of these compete directly with the DS or PSP.

I had a thread a long time ago that asked if you really wanted a Wii, and got a PS3 or 360, would you feel your needs were met? How about vise-versa?

The answer across the board was no. If someone really wanted a 360 or PS3, and got the other one, it would be a tuff call to spend $500+ to get what your missing from the one you didn't get. Not true with the Wii vs HD consoles.

Now there are people who want both, but that's because those target audiences overlap, not because they are the same audience. I also want a cell phone, and a PSP ;) 

I guarantee you if a parent os going to drop 300-500 on a console for there 17 year old son, then know exactly what he wants. Also, if they get the wrong one, it's going back for the right one (unless there are other reasons they bought it).

That scenario is so small, that a gift is being purchased, and the purchaser has no clue what to get.

There is a reason these boards are filled with PS3 vs 360 fanboy arguments all day long, and not 360 vs Wii, or PS3 vs Wii arguments. The reason is they are not the same audience.

To use the car analogy someone posted above. If you got to a BMW forum, you will not see many BMW Vs. Honda threads. You might see a BMW vs. Jaguar, or BMW vs. Mercedes article however.

That's not to say Honda makes a bad car (they don't), it's just because they are not competing for the same dollar. No one who bought a BMW over a Honda feels they need to justify there purchase, because it was just an obvious choice for them.

Same with Wii or HD console buyers.