@DMeisterJ

Really? Keep up with demand for the Gamecube? The Wii is going to outsell the Gamecube before Summer 08. And the Gamecube was only out for, what, 5 years?

If anything, Nintendo is supplying at a rate more than 3 times faster than the Gamecube.

Is it their fault that, even with that many, there are still millions upon millions of gamers waiting to get their hands on it?

Personally, I find the conspiracy discussions odd ...

Nintendo took a huge departure in strategy with the Wii and had good reason to expect a slow start and yet in every region the Wii is selling at (roughly) a similar rate to what the Gamecube sold world wide; the success is unexpected even to Nintendo and they have been (overly) cautious in increasing production.

An interesting thing to note is the people who expected the Wii to sell 250,000 consoles per month are upset that Nintendo didn't produce 1.5 Million systems per month off the bat; they expected the initial strong sales to disapear with the release of every PS3 game yet believe Nintendo should have dramatically ramped up production. Seriously, the Gamecube's yearly sales were 3 to 6 Million consoles per year and some people expect Nintendo to increase Wii production by more than that without an accurate measure of demand.

Gee, I wonder why...

people need to realise 'hardcore' gamers will also have either a ps3 or 360, so there's no complaining

I think the whole "N is deserting core gamers", "N is deliberately stifling supply" & "Wii is only bought by casuals" arguments are used by people who have something against the Wii and don't have any legitimate criticisms to aim at it. They've probably used them before and been proved wrong before numerous times but you can bet when the next NPD numbers come in they'll fall back on one of the above mantras. It's actually pretty sad.

It's not that they don't have legitimate criticisms, it's that those criticisms are completely opinionated. People want something definitive, concrete, or absolute to back their claims. For example, I can honestly say that I don't own a PS3 because the style of gaming it espouses does not appeal to me. I don't want it. That's a valid criticism -- but it's also just my opinion. If I burned with seething hatred for the Wii, or was simply insecure about my console choice, I wouldn't be satisfied with saying "it's not for me," I'd try to insist that the Wii is bad, and that this is indisputable fact. Lending personal opinions does not accomplish this goal. You need something that encompasses everyon.

It's why terms such "real gamers" and "non games" have cropped up; to suggest, in some final and factual way, that the games on the Wii aren't real (or are bad) while the games on the PS3/360 are quite real and are the very definition of gaming.

Another simple example: I love my PC and I want it to "win." It is my personal opinion that PC games are better than those for any other platform. However, I'm also aware that my opinion is woefully inadequate in a larger scheme, and that the PC most likely will slowly fade away from the gaming scene regardless of what I want. Personal opinions are absolutely valid, but they are simply one opinion among hundreds of millions. Many people desire to make larger, grander criticisms, and that's where the arguments tend to break down. Right now, there are very few large-scale criticisms of the Wii: it's selling better and making more profit than any other console in history.

@ Bodhesatva

I agree with your post, I probably shouldn't get so wound up by the people who's behaviour you've described as you can't reason with somebody who almost needs to hate(I feel silly using that word in relation to VG consoles but it's true). As you can see not one of the people I challenged in my first post has responded most likely because they don't want to analyse their opinions as god forbid they might have to change them and have one less reason to dump on Wii.

Anyhoo I think it's bed time, keep fighting the good fight!!

BTW, I know the perfect way to get Nintendo to support hardcore gamers again.

Hardcore gamers should BUY MORE HARDCORE GAMES on Nintendo's systems.

They never STOPPED supporting hardcore gamers. In 18 months they have announced sequels to 17 out of the top 20 best selling games they made on the Gamecube. The only people who think Nintendo abandoned core gamers are those who feel threatened by the Wii or are simply attacking it because of insecurities with their own choice of systems. You may have a valid claim that Nintendo games don't appeal to YOU, but there is no valid claim that they are not creating core gamer games.

It's ironic that it's Nintendo that's causing more Sony and MS fans to ally together than ever thought possible. ~_~