http://www.reghardware.com/2011/07/30/n ... sole_sold/

I don't think the Wii U will help matters much

I'd be tempted by a 3DS at £150

Apparently some of the games aren't bad once you turn the 3D off

The problem is that at the original price it was not attractive. This is common for new devices to lose money for a while it builds customers and gets its production costs down to the point it makes a profit.

Hasn't it often been the case that the hardware is sold at cost/loss then the profit made on software?

In a lot of cases yes but apparently Nintendo normally avoid this and make money on the actual hardware.

As for the 3D games I was fairly impressed when I tried Street Fighter and Pilotwings. I've seen games for around £17 on The Hut too so it's all the more tempting.

Yes and no. Microsoft and Sony followed this model with the Xbox 360 and PS3 respectively. Nintendo made a profit on the Wii from day one.

They might get even cheaper if they continue this run of bad luck/silliness. This guy sets out how it's been going wrong so far:

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/how-the-hug ... 3422515090

And incredibly, they seem to be doing the exact same things with the Wii U - the best thing anyone can say for it so far is that it should have all the games you'd be playing on your PS3/360 anyway

I honestly think the current Wii/DS will leave a nasty customer legacy for years to come, and they'll need to recover quickly before they have to start whoring out Mario and Zelda