@FutureAlphaMale

Ok, first of all the degree to which those consoles sold differ, but the PATTERN is the same.

Second of all, Animal Crossing and Gears of War? Are you kidding me? How many COPIES of those games were sold? A few million perhaps? And of those few million, how many consoles were bought SOLELY for that game and because of that game? Miniscule numbers. And even IF they did manage to muster up an impressive million consoles sold for that one game (which is so far from the truth), that's still only one measly little million, out of a target install base of well over 100 million. So your assertion that ONE game as a system seller will somehow change the Wii U's fortunes, is misguided. That was and still is my point. One game isn't enough. Even the almighty GTA 5, with its 26 million copies sold, didn't even manage to muster a million more consoles for either PS3 OR 360. Consoles need LIBRARIES, not single system selling games. I rest my case.

Third, you don't remember the PS3's misfortunes? Seriously? People had written that console off for MULTIPLE years. Said Sony should just move on and make a new console (sound familiar?). After 3 years, the tables turned.

And as for the "word about Wii U being a bust", please. You're living in a bubble. The only people who say that are the insignificant fraction of a minority that frequent gaming sites, and the only ones that BUY that nonsense are Sony and Microsoft fanboys, and diehard Nintendo haters. So there might be a million people, tops, exposed to that word, and MANY less who listen to it instead of whether or not the console is fun to play, which is what matters to most people. The rest of the world doesn't listen or care about what diehard gamers recite to each other in amateur market analysis. Most "normal" people will judge by a friend who owns a Wii U and tells them how cool it is. Not one but TWO co-workers of mine have purchased a Wii U since the Zelda Bundle released because of my word of mouth. That will slowly grow and spread over the next few years. More people buy one, more people tell others how much they like it... it's exponential growth, just takes a bit to get the ball rolling. Like when 2 bacteria multiply to 4, then 8, then 16. At first the numbers are insignificant, but given time they will grow.

And lastly, the people saying game X would make the console fly off the shelves are just extremely ignorant, simple as that. Common wisdom (or lack thereof in this case) isn't automatically right. I hear that all that time too, and I just laugh because it's an absurd notion. I have news for you- 90% of gaming fans aren't exactly the most knowledgeable when it comes to economics. I, on the other hand, studied it in college, and while I'm no expert, I do know a little something about how markets work, about supply, demand, and I've been around the block long enough to observe the same thing happen over and over and over again to call it when I see it.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. No single game will "save" the Wii U. It doesn't need saving, it just needs a fuller library, and more time. Not once in 30 years have I ever seen a gaming console with an attractive library of software, being offered for a reasonable price, flop. Not once. Some do better than others, but every one thus far has mustered up tens of millions of sales. So as long as the status quo doesn't change (Nintendo's ability to deliver a top-notch library of 1st party titles, with a few 3rd party exclusives to round it off), the Wii U will be fine.

Take into account the Vita. Why do I believe it's fortunes will NOT improve whereas I believe the Wii U's will? Because the Vita doesn't have a robust library of attractive exclusives yet. Neither does Wii U, as of yet, but the difference is Nintendo makes some of the funnest, most beloved, top-selling franchises in the world, and will continue to fill out the Wii U's library over the next few years. Sony, on the other hand, has nothing to offer. They are completely and utterly 3rd party dependent. And with 3rd parties jumping ship more so on Vita than even the Wii U, the handheld will have nothing left to draw in consumers. One good game doesn't cut it. Two good games don't cut it. Again, it takes a FULL LIBRARY of great games to draw in the bulk of the masses.