Well, the inevitable has begun. Hardcore gamers are wondering if the Wii is wearing out its welcome. Has the controller gimmick lost its appeal?

Actually, I think most gamers are still thrilled with the Wii, and will be for a long time.

But only IF (this is a big if) Nintendo can increase the flow of games.

Before the Wii launched, it seemed like a lot of third party developers were reluctant to invest in the new console, since it wasn't clear what kind of reception the funky control scheme would get from gamers. When the demand for the Wii turned out to be thurmonuclear, I suspect that a lot of game makers were caught flatfooted and had to ramp up their Wii production from scratch.

So expect a rather severe drought over the next several months until the third-party developers are able to get their acts together.

In the meantime, Nintendo has to carry the load. Which is why it's a little disconcerting to see premium Nintendo titles like Metroid Prime 3 being quietly shuffled into next year.

The Virtual Console will only satisfy gamers for so long.

Doug note: Can everyone please start hatin' on the Wii a little more and get some stock back in stores. Maybe after that I can at least buy a couple of new Wii-motes? Then you can go back to lovin' the Wii.