The Wii without Nintendo would be a console without any good games at all. It'd be the worst console ever made.

The Wii is just such an alien concept to Microsoft and Sony that the question has no meaning, they were not capable of making the decisions that would lead to the Wii.

Apple could have produced something as innovative and market defining - it wouldn't be the first time. They possibly could have made things like Wii Sports, Play and Fit - remember, at heart, Apple is a software company.

They lack the franchises that Nintendo has, so they would need to be incredibly reliant on 3rd party.

If Sony would have invented the Wii with WiiSports it would have been an even greater success because 3rd party's would have been ready to develop their top tier games for it.

I was thinking about this today.

I really don't care about the "Wii" itself - the controller is cool, but there is one reason I was sold on it from the start.

Nintendo software.

I'm no fan of Ninty hardware - I don't really care. I'm a fan of Ninty software, and because ALL their titles end up on one platform (or two - one handheld & console) they are the ones I end up buying.

Of course its the synergy that matters - Ninty designs the hardware to work with the software, so it all fits together nicely.

Wherever Ninty software leads, I will almost undoubtedly follow. Now wouldn't it be interesting if M$ paid Ninty something like $1bn to develop a Mario title for the 360...

It would still have appealed to a non-gaming public, but hardcore gamers would quickly turn their back on it: Nintendo still is the number one supplier of AAA titles on their own console. Without that, it would have seriously lacked quality games, especially at launch, and the other companies would've lured every real gamer in.

Its called the Vii :D

The question is not that different from asking if an apple would taste like an apple if it were to grow from an orange tree instead of an apple tree.

The Wii is what it is because it came from Nintendo. If it had come from Sega it might have similarities but it would be different and they would likely have a very different direction in mind.

You cannot change the source of an idea without effecting its realization.

Depends on what company would have supported the Wii instead. I think Sega , Sony , EA  , Apple could all have possibly done just as well as Nintendo for various reasons.

Nintendo is the only company that could have done it.

Sega maybe if they had this as their comeback console.

I don't see the other companies as inventive enough to make this system and the games that work for it on their own.

The wii without nintendo would have flopped. Look at the top selling games for Wii....mostly nintendo sorry but that is the truth.