I completely agree with you about the US situation, though. The Nintendo Wii is performing consistently well in America with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Then again, they say that Japan is 5 years ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to technology…….maybe they've noticed something American gamer's haven't :P

Bottom line is that the U.S. is not Japan. Planning and thinking what if based on what's happened in Japan is fine but I think Nintendo has shown that they know how to market correctly in the U.S. as well as Europe- and differently than in Asia.

Finally…….can someone do something about the severe limit on our comments? :P

The Wii's main attraction will always be it's exclusive games, it's exclusive games are attracting more casual gamers then they are hardcore gamers. Did you notice how quickly some people who had never even played games before instantly ran out and bought a Wii??? Those same people can be put off the console just as quickly and judging by the latest hardware trends in Japan, that's exactly what's happening.

I'm sure Monster Hunter will be a huge success on the Wii, however do you think it will match the market explosion that Final Fantasy XIII (Or, more to the point, the oft – rumoured Final Fantasy VII remake) will have? Not a chance.

Those 20 million people who bought Wii Play are mostly casual gamers, they are also the same kind of gamer who would just as soon not buy a game at all, if they thought money was getting tight. I own a Wii myself and there are only a handful of games on the console that interest me (Which would consist mainly of Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit, Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Sonic & The Secret Rings). Whereas i have 22 games for my PS3, not counting the amazing line – up of games coming out for it in 2009.

In the US, it's a whole new world. People who were PS/PS2 devotees are now parents. They are enjoying introducing their kids to their dad's/mom's favorite hobby while growing up. They are not introducing their kids to the 360, nor the PS3. It's only the Wii. It's got the games the family can play together. Now, the console is in the house…. what to do when the kids are in bed and the wife is at the in-laws? Welcome to the world of "M" rated Wii games. Will they sell more copies than their PS3/360 counterparts? Probably not. Will they make more profit for the software companies? Absolutely!

That's a gross generalization. Case in point? I'm the Managing Editor at this very site, consider myself 'platform agnostic' and I own a 360 and a PS3, but rarely turn them on – by choice. Buying or otherwise playing games for THOSE consoles is *not* a necessity for me.

Furthermore, the demographic of Wii ownership is skewed more towards upper & upper-middle-class families, which our current economic climate doesn't hurt quite as much.

Just one man's opinion, but definitely keep the conversation flowing.

A couple weeks ago, Nintendo stunned the Tokyo Stock Exchange by slashing their expected quarterly profits by 33%. Also, the Wii is the only next – gen console in Japan to see it's current YOY market share decrease.

If anything, you would expect an economic climate such as this to hurt the Wii the most. The 360 and PS3 are aimed at hardcore gamers – the kind of people who buy games no matter how tight money is. The Nintendo Wii's audience are mostly people who see games as a luxury rather than a necessity, so they're more likely not to buy games when money is an issue.