After seeing other hypothetical threads, I started wondering ... what if Nintendo had "played it safe" and released a conventional console this generation. 

I think that the sales for the Nintendo PowerRevoHD would be only about 15M -- half the Wii sales. The sales for the Xbox 360 and PS3 would be up several million each. But that would leave 5-10M fewer consoles sold in this generation up to this point.

I think third-party support would be interesting as it might be getting some of the games that are not coming to the Wii would have made it to the NPR-HD. But the unique titles of the Wii -- for good (Boom Blox)  and bad (insert Carnival Games reference here, though I actually like the game) -- would never have been done.

Some first-party games also would have never materialized: the entire Wii series (Sports, Play, Fit, Music), Brain Age, etc. Also, the GC ports of Super Paper Mario and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat would have been left to the older cube (since they were not HD).

Finally, the sluggish sales two years in would mean that third parties were not considering any unique NRP-HD IPs and were rethinking any porting strategies. And most analysts felt that this would be Nintendo's last console, that it would focus on its successful handheld niche and may even begin to make software for Sony and Microsoft consoles in the next generation.

Thoughts?

Mike from Morgantown

We are lucky they made the wii, i really applaud nintendo for their new system, i enjoy playing immensely, it's the first truely new gaming experience since the 3D transition and i can't imagine Nin HD would have done well considering gamecube.

3rd place.

Nothing would have happened. Nintendo would have been in third place....ah, who cares!!

nintendoHD would be getting some multiplats wii would never get but i don't think it would get any exclusives from anybody except nintendo, it would be at 3rd place, basically gamecube 2

teh Gamecube again...

It also probably would've marked the death of the Nintendo console. The Wii was a gamble and it paid off.

Console gaming would die.

With the growing market would have sold more than GC and N64 but definitely not had the appeal in Europe and America that it did. Alot of that appeal came from being attached brand and media wise to the DS... if the Wii was a 360/PS3 sister console it wouldn't have gained that same thing.

Actually to tell ya the truth our market might be in a hell of a lot of trouble if something different from PS360 didn't come out haha. It's really the still solid sales of PS360 and the amazing sales of Wii and DS that is making this market huge. If Nintendo didn't go Wii this market would be in trouble.

i think the 360 would be in the lead, the PS3 coming in a close second and the PS3 coming in a distance 3rd. I probably would have switched entirely to using my DS and PC for gaming, and i think it basically would have been the end of Nintendo in teh home console market.