Their controller complaints are really off base. What was the last system to come with multiple controllers, the SNES? On top of that, I think Wii U might be the only console ever to allow you to use the previous generation's controller. I know all these guys have Wii remotes laying around as will a lot of people looking at a Wii U.
I understand complaining about the system's specs, but they just couldn't stop themselves from ripping on anything associated with it for no good reason. What's the point.
I'm not 100% on this, but the Genesis could probably use Master System controllers. The controller ports are identical and you can use them in fucking everything. I don't have a Power Base converter so I've never bothered to try.
I mean, if you're going out and preordering a $300 game console, I don't think you should be feeling like "oh, I just got the *basic* model, not the cool one."
The Basic model has it's uses. Costing yourself more in the long run to save on the up front cost is very popular with a large part of the consumer market. Just look at your phone. People freely pay out the ass on their cellphone bills to save $400-$500 off the cost of a phone without batting an eye. That's nothing compared to Spending $250 now and another $100 later to get all the pieces of the $350 bundle down the road.
Also, a base model is great for replacing systems when they eventually crap out. The Arcade Model 360 Served that purpose very well. Actually, now that I think about it. if the Extra gamepads are going to be $150+ you're almost better off buying a second WiiU. It's not that much more and you'll have a back up WiiU! I'm almost not joking.
The Base Model also caters to people who don't use it for games first. Oh and stop saying "Everyone has a 360 or PS3", it's just wrong. The install bases of them are 1/2 that of the Wii and like 1/3 of the PS2. And nowhere near 100% of households have a system in them. You're right nobody is going to switch buying all their third party games on the 360/PS3 and start buying them on the WiiU, but there's still tons of people out there who don't own a PS3 or 360 who will start buying third party games on the WiiU.
Oh and I'm not quite understanding why you were referring to flash memory as "worse and cheap". It's better and more expensive then standard hard drives. Solid state is where things should be going. If anything you should be saying "Hooray solid state!, Boo not enough of it".
There's a thread on GAF where people put Solid state hard drives in their PS3's and got significant performance improvements isn't there?
Anyway it's okay Garnett we still love you, It's just more fun to point out the things we disagree on, then say "I agree with X". If it makes you feel any better, I knew you were making fun of Sony and Microsoft for Nintendo beating them to making a HDMI cable standard.
Not going to wiki it but from memory, if you only put up $500 in 2006 you only got a 20 GB HD on the PS3 and no wifi. The deluxe SKU with a 60 GB HD was $600.
And if you got the $300 tard pack in 2005 you had to pay an extra $40 for a 256 MB memory card to save your games on the 360. The good SKU with a 20 GB HD was $400.
$300 Tard pack 360 came with composite cables and the $40 memory card was 64mb, not 256mb. The 256mb memory card came out with the Arcade SKU a couple years later when they finally started packing in some memory with the system.
$400 Pro 360 came with 20gb and hybrid composite/copmponent cables
The Elite did come with a HDMI cable initially, but for some stupid reason Microsoft decided to copy Sony's dumb decision to only include composite only.
As for the launch PS3 SKU's
$500: 20gb hard drive
$600: 60gb hard drive, Wifi, Memory card slots, Chrome(can't forget the chrome)
