Can you point me extactly when did that happen?? I've been gaming for a while now (15 years or so..) and i don't quite remember that particular event. Can you please be kind enough to remind me? And I'm serious, not trying to start anything here

No I'm sorry...just cause Nintendo did not follow the same innovation path doesn't mean that innovation didn't happen. There are things that Dreamcast had that none of the nintendo consoles have yet. VGA output for a console for example.

There are many other innovations that nintendo gobbled up... things like RAM expansion cart for a console and online service with a browser.

Sega showed to be more resorceful in the early 90s than nintendo...business side and innovation side. Nintendo just sat back and made its AAA franchises using the same ideas since the NES until the n64 pretty much.

Nintendo has already come up with the balance board this gen and ch-ching. 20 Million sales. Companies like MS and Sony could never come up with such an idea.

How are hardware upgrades innovative?

How's the RAM expansion innovation going these days? Excluding PC?

You may have a point...but its hard to deny sony's leadership position prior to the PS3. They basically took ideas form other companies which failed and made them successful. I mean, Phillips CDi is still calling and wants its multimedia console idea back :)

Next must be mind control! But seriously, when I was much younger VR was all rage, funny how that didn't work out at all.

L/R buttons, analog stick, rumble. I don't call that sitting back.

Who else wants to see them bust this out? http://vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=82054

well the next logical step for Nintendo would have been something like Natal, since not only would the technology have been cheaper but also more refined, and what better way to make a system that all can play by completely removing the controller and making one's own motions do things....

Only one problem with this...Microsoft beat them to the punch!!!

I suppose Nintendo could still do it, and just have a more refined system....the question would be if Nintendo could do it with out paying Microsoft any royalties nor infringing their patents.

So, this leaves Nintendo with 2 possible solutions for there next console:-

1) A more powerful machine with a more enhanced motion controller, essentially an incremental upgrade from what they have now.

2) A brain controlled controller, basically a thin small helmet like thing a user would wear, and they would control the game with just there thoughts.
The technology already exist now, but it's applications are limited. By the time Nintendo release their next machine, this type of controller will be more refined and much cheaper to make, also if launched as a primary control scheme like the wiimote, then it should in theory be more successful, the questions are, will 3rd party support it, and how games work, but it's a possibility.