I had the pleasure of calling Nintendo my first gaming-related employer just a few weeks ago. Although my job was to promote the system, and I was paid to say all this stuff I truly believe it, Nintendo systems offer the best in room, social, entertainment. The Wii U is an absolutely amazing system as far as fun is concerned. I would consider myself a hardcore gamer, the games I play are Halo, Gears, CS:S, etc. However I find it easy to say that the most fun I've had gaming has been on the Wii U at that job. Playing with four other people, holding the Gampad remote, controlling and guiding a multiplayer game between the four is a great time. The types of games Nintendo makes might not be the type of game you can sit down by yourself and log 100+ hours, ranking up and building your online personna, but damnit they're fun when you're with some friends. The 3DS as you mentioned is really something that hasn't stopped blowing me away. I don't own one myself, and I always find myself wishing I could pick up a copy of an old favourite and play it. I really have to go get one. Nintendo might have fallen out of the eyes of the gaming community, and it may not be a giant in gaming. I think that they will survive as a provider of living room entertainment. If you have a group of friends that always come over to play games I say a Wii U is the best console you can buy. People may be reluctant to pick it up at first, but I haven't seen anyone leave the console without a smile.