really, they noticed that no Starfox, F-Zero, Pokemon, waveracer, Rogue Squadron (wasn't it 2nd party or something?) or an non casual new IP hurt their momentum.... I know they release more than anyone, but those series are taking a bit long to arrive our way :/

Your argument in multiple threads and on multiple levels has already been proven to be illogical and unwarranted... nothing more than a base assumption.  Why do you keep asserting it as something is proven to not be. 

Yeah they did in maintaining momentum compared to last year

but as pacheter said...."oh noes they went from selling amazingly to selling PS2 levels"

its not bad at all.

On the other hand even PS2 was breaking records in its day & managed to continue its momentum....but 3rd parties were behind it all the way.

++++ Respect to nintendo

Why do I get the feeling this thread will have 300+ replies to it but only about 20 of them will have been from people who actually read/understood the topic...

Maybe because that's what always happens haha.

It says Wii has stalled not Wii has failed -_-


Back to defensive positions again. They still not admitting the Wii failed on them.

A few clarifications need to be made to your list:

1.  I remember renting videogames back in the 80's for my Atari and, later, my NES.  Rentals have been around for a long time and renting was widespread back in the 80's.

2.  Videogames were part of the culture before the crash-- everyone knew about Pac-man and Donkey Kong and most people had played them.  My father and mother both played Pac-Man, in fact my father bought an Atari for himself (the only videogame system he has ever owned).  The NES also become a cultural icon (and still is, I see t-shirts about the nes and its games, I don't see T-shirts for any other videogame system)-- and I believe you are forgetting the movies Super Mario Bros. and The Wizard (the first based on a videogame and the second about videogames, though I will forgive you for forgetting Super Mario Bros., I wish I could forget that movie).

3.  Nintendo lets just about anything on their systems.  The licensing is just a royalty fee for using Nintendo's hardware and the Seal of Quality means the software won't kill your system.  I have to bring up games like Ninja Bread Man-- those are utter crap.

4.  Gamestop was founded in 1984 (The NES would be released one year later in 1985).  So, technically you are correct on this point (the crash occured around 1983).  But I don't see what this has to do with preventing a crash.  If a crash occurs then Gamestop could very well be out of business.  I do find it intersting that Gamestop was founded when videogames were supposedly dead, however.  I actually believe that having dedicated stores will actually hurt the industry-- I remember Atari games being sold in supermarkets (my local IGA sold Atari games) and this helped keep videogames on the mind of the public. 

5.  I don't see how this has any relevance on preventing a crash. 

Regaining momentum is much harder than that.

It's really hard to become a hot electronic product and very few companies have been able to regain momentun with the same product that lost it.

That doesn't mean Wii sales will tank to GC level, but you shoudn't expect Wii sales to come anywhere near last year number this gen...

You're analyzing Wii sales as if the majority of those sales were made in the gaming community while they were actually made to the mass public at large.

The purchasing pattern of the general customer out there is a lot different from the one of a traditional gamer who follows closely the software releases.

The Wii got where it was because it became the hot item to have for parties or to play with friends...

That is the momentum it needs to get back and I don't think it will happen with the same hardware, no matter the software..

Basically you all keep talking about Blue Ocean and extending the market and then you apply the same old recipe that mainly work to bring success in the traditionnal gaming community...