And that's new units, not counting the used PS2s that are still for sale. Cost-cutting is fine, but they still clearly have a problem.

I'll be the first to admit that my own experience is anecdotal, but as the parent of teens, I've noticed a few trends and I wonder if they hold in general, or are just specific to my own little community.

What I see is that XBox and PS are in direct competition with each other while Nintendo appeals to a different community. I've witnessed heated arguments between PS and XBox adherents, but essentially the dispute is stylistic—ultimately these users are interested in the same types of games. A Wii-First family seems to pick the Wii (and the GameCube before it) because the games available are more likely appropriate for and appeal to a younger audience. The other two systems seem to go to older gamers with a focus on more action/adventure, FPS, and so-called "mature" titles.

An XBox owner seems more likely to own a Wii as a second system, rather than PS, and vice versa. XBox vs PS is more like Mac vs PC, and Wii might appeal to both as a secondary system, but while more likely appeals to folks who have little or no interest in either XBox or PS.

Obviously what I've observed is not uniform. Some people have an XBox and a PS, but no Wii. Some have all three, plus whatever leftover older consoles they still drag out for nostalia every so often.

But in general it seems to me that XBox and PS are in direct competition, while Wii sees its gains from a somewhat different market segment. Wii users may overlap XBox or PS, but PS and XBox are less likely to overlap each other.

Because I want to sell my wii, the only reason I haven't is because I got it as a gift from my mom. Seriously, there are maybe games that I would want to rent, but no games i would want to own.

I am also kind of holding out for the mario sports games. If Tennis and Kart don't come out soon/ blow me away, the wii is going.

And you can't play PS3 games on them. Plus if you want to play PS2 online you have to plunk down at least another $100.

1. Nulla, no offense, but you don't know what you're talking about. The old "fat" PS2 didn't include a network adapter/modem combo, no. Of course, you could easily buy a Sony-made model for about $40. Not $100, you made that up. The new "slim" PS2, which has been out for years now, comes with an embedded NA/modem included in the $129 price tag. It is presently impossible to buy a new PS2 without a built-in NA/modem. Go to Amazon's product listing if you want to confirm it, it's listed as the 4th feature on said page. There is no (zero) cost for online play, unlike Xbox Live, which costs about $60/yr. I don't know what to think, other than that you simply pulled that "figure" out of your ass.

2. Anon, you are absolutely correct. The Wii is plainly appealing to a separate sector the gaming community, and this is eventually going to play itself out in the numbers. The Wii is not a sufficient option for videogaming's core demographics, namely, the male 12-40ish set. It is wildly underpowered, being far closer in capabilities to the GameCube or original Xbox than the PS3 or 360. It can only output at 480p, whereas its competitors can both do 1080p (i.e. several orders of magnitude better). It doesn't contain a hard drive. There is no serviceable online nexus for IP-based gaming, unlike Live or PSN (or PSN's forthcoming successor, "Home"). The controllers, while novel, are ill suited to a host of popular genres. Over time, I suspect that Nintendo will find that while it has moved a lot of systems, it is not moving a corresponding amount of software. Which is a problem, since that is where the manufacturers make 100% of their profit (the consoles themselves are amongst the most on-point examples of "loss leaders" in the modern economy). Parents may buy it for their very young children, or new non-traditional customers like single women or the over-40 set may buy them, but will the medium hold their attention? Will they also plop down $50-60 a pop buying 12-15 games a year, or will they simply nest on their copy of Wii Sports and maybe pick up a small handful of new titles over the entire life of the system? PS3 and 360 owners, by contrast (apart from certain consumers buying the PS3 solely as a Blu-Ray player), come from gaming's core demographic and can be expected to spend several hundred or even thousands of dollars on software over the life of their console. We shall see.

3. HappyChem - I hear you brother. I had a Wii myself--I was one of the very few who miraculously managed to get one on Amazon on opening day back in Nov. '06. For a few months, I was smitten. Then I eventually finished Zelda, rolled a 300 in bowling, and found that there were no new worlds to conquer. There are so few worthwhile games for the system that it's stunning. The thing sat next to my TV, unused, for about 4-5 months, just collecting dust. There are now a couple of solid-looking new titles (the new Metroid and Mario), but nothing like a system with that installed base and time on the market should have. It seems like a sea of pathetically slap-dash "party games" that appeal to gaming neophytes, with only the occasional gem thrown in as a bone to the hardcore gamer. I sold it (easily, and for nearly what I had paid) on craigslist and used the money to buy a PS3. I subsequently bought a 360 as well. Either is a far better bet for your entertainment dollar. I can see not wanting to move it b/c your mom bought it for you, but I think she probably just wants you to be happy and won't be offended if you want to swap. At the end of the day, dinking around on a kiddie crapfest like WarioWare is not going to make you happy, not when your friends are tearing it up on Call of Duty 4, Orange Box, BioShock, NBA2k8, Warhawk, Resistance, etc. The Wii is a closed circuit, it's like a kiddie pool, set beside the respective oceans of the 360 and PS3. If you like gaming, I think you would do well to take advantage of the ongoing (and inexplicable--it's not like the silicon inside the thing is very advanced) product shortages to sell yours for max value, and get a proper system, whichever you prefer. Just my $0.02.