To your first point (even if it wasn't directed at me) if the network of the console can sell it, I would be extremely confused, seriously GAMES sell consoles, that is what has sold every console ever...
PS was FF7
Xbox was halo
360 was Gears of war
N64 was Mario64
YES, there was other games, but those were the exclusive must haves early on that made the system gain attention from other gamers on other systems.
Motion controls didn't sell the Wii btw, it was Wii Sports, I know it's probably a fine line with some people here, but Wii Sports is the game that people bought the system to play, that is what Wii U needs, a game that is a watershed moment for gaming... Mario64 or Wii Sports, something big like those games.
Networks don't really matter, they are a function that needs to be there, but shouldn't sell a console. The controller is a bit of a different story, it's more like motion controls, and while that didn't alone sell Wiis, it was the reason Wii Sports was so compelling, and PERSONAL gaming should be pretty big with the family man... If the wife is going to watch dancing with the stars 2 or 3 nights a week, a man can't game, that is where Wii U raises it's hand and the man opens his wallet to court the thing to his living room.
anyways that is the difference between the two, also interestingly enough, a 480p 6inch screen powered by Wii U could probably look a lot more "high spec'd" then a 1080p game... Just saying it might be a way people compare the graphics between the next gen consoles, if developers even pay attention to this.