Yes, that would be better, but as yourself note, it's a big change that's unlikely to happen in one go. On the other hand, specialized journals are not a novelty, and considering that at least some folks took that specific specialization up, it appears to be more an issue of advertising than invention.
But nobody said this problem should be attacked on just one front. More (different) attempts mean more chances of success, no?
The coolest thing about the visualized experiment journal is that it exploits current computer technology to extend the scope of what a scientific publication means. Provide a new channel to communicate ideas on a higher bandwidth using the new but cheaply and generally available infrastructure of the net.
I agree that starting a journal like you mentioned can't do any harm.
Still, I think that for the specific purpose you have in mind (replication studies,critics, follow-up) a technologically more advanced solution would be essential. The reason is that mos...
One of Seed Magazine's "Revolutionary Minds" is Moshe Pritsker, who created the Journal of Visualized Experiments, which to me looks like a very cool idea. I imagine that early on it may have looked somewhat silly ("he can't implant engineered tissue in a rat heart and he calls himself a scientist?!"), so it's nice to know JoVE is picking up pace.
Many folks keep pointing out how published research is itself biased towards positive results, and how replication (and failed replication!) trumps mere "first!!!11" publication. If regular journals don't have good incentives to publish "mere" (failed) replication studies, why not create a journal that would be dedicated entirely to them? I can't speak about the logistics, but I imagine it can be anything from a start-up (a la JoVE) to an open depository (a la arxiv.org).
I am not part of academia, but I understand that there are a few folks here who are. What do you say?
[EDIT: Andrew Kemendo notes two such journals in the comments: http://www.jnrbm.com/ and http://www.jnr-eeb.org/index.php/jnr.]