We all see Sony touting 10 year life span, MS claiming 10 years + 1 day...while Nintendo is very quiet about their strategy.

I have come to the conclusion that Wii will most likely outlast ps3 and 360 by a large margin when it comes to game support. And here is why -

1. Wii has yet to have a price cut and demand is yet to slow down for the console. Nintendo has yet to play a single joker card in their moving hardware deck... Price cut at Christmas 2010 is quite possible.

2. The userbase will get astronomical in a year or 2. I expect it to beat PS2's sales in less time. This usually means software support well after the console stops selling well. Nintendo may release Wii 2 but the Wii userbase is still there for publishers to take advantage of. 

3. Wii is somewhat outdated technology already. PS360 are based on being "current" technology and once they are outdated, they will need to be replaced. Wii doesn't have this issue.

4. There is nothing that is directly competing with the Wii and its motion controls. Unless someone else releases a similar system with better features, Nintendo can just milk the ocean for a long time.

5. The wii is selling in great numbers...and has so much room to grow. Online is disappointing, graphics are underdeveloped, games (3rd party) are lacking. Imagine all the pieces start falling in to place...

Anyone else think that Wii will last well beyond the 10 year plan that the other 2 consoles are promising?

Maybe, maybe not. Unless your a Jedi its dam near impossible to predict. I do think it has a better chnace at 10yrs then either the 360 or PS3.

I agree, games are still released for PS2. I can see the wii achieving the same.

Somebody would have to be crazy to disagree with you. I'll add another reason:

PS3 and 360 aren't doing bad, but neither Sony nor MS will tolerate not being the market leader. Their console successors will come out before the Wii and their old consoles will be abandoned to promote their Next Big Thing, and they aren't going to let Nintendo wear the crown for ten years before they try to steal it.

Nintendo will have the luxury of enjoying the ride and waiting to see what their competitors come up with before they respond.

Yes I've been thinking this for a long time actually. Doesn't Nintendo occasionally talk about breaking the 5 year cycle? That cycle is always created (for Nintendo) by competition releasing something better that needs to be responded too.

If MS or Sony release a next gen system that's just better graphics/more power then Nintendo will continue to sell the Wii unabated because that system will no more compete with Wii than the current gen.

Even if a competitor does force Nintendo to release a Wii2 (or whatever) I think they'll continue to sell Wiis as well for quite a while at a low price point.

LOL. Well Im sure Megaman2 will see this post eventually...

Good point. Even though I'm sure if Sony just sees profitability with PS3 they will happily settle for whtever place they have for as long as they can. But MS may want to challenge Nintendo sooner rather than later...

No, simply because Nintendo will need to come out with a more advanced system during next-gen. Otherwise not only is it certain they would lose market share (even if they have plenty of that ;-P) but they would let the competition get too far ahead technologically, both in hardware and in software.

They are already losing too much ground. Mario, Zelda, Metroid and other great Nintendo franchises used to be top-notch graphically. Those brands can only get hurt if during next-gen (2011 / 2017) they do not "evolve" enough.

The PS2 was also the third technologically during its' generation, but it wasn't as far behind as the Wii is now.

Well I can think of a single Nintendo product that wdidn't fall in to the 5 year cycle. Game boy.

Game boy is very similar to the Wii actually. A lot of more powerful and superior competitors tried to take its marketshare but failed. So Nintendo stood strong with the game boy and produced various versions of it. I'm sure nintendo could have added the backlight and better visuals in 1992...but they didn't becuase market wasn't asking for it. If HD gaming doesn't become an absolute necessity, Wii will have a long lifespan for sure. And with the economy the way it is...

also to add, in general the Wii fanbase is not graphics whore (if they were that would have an HD console) so therefor I see the users having less (still many will want newer) interest in biggest, faster, newer consoles.

I've been saying for a long time, hardware sales define a platform's longevity in the market rather than its creator's projections, like Sony thinks.

Ironic, seeing them being completely clueless after having the 2 most successful consoles thus far...