58 replies to this topic

[Soul]

I already know how it's going to made fun of by Nintendo haters. Wii pu, or Wiiner pu.


I would like a name like the Mega N,Ultra N, Hardcore Nintendo, NHG Nintendo Hardcore Gaming, Nintendo Infinite, I'd probably rather have Wii Infinite, or NMM Nintendo Mega Motion.

[Gruff]

I'm okay with the name, after all this time it has really grown on me, so I kinda like it now. The only thing I don't like about the name is I'm worried it will make some people think it is still a Wii, just with upgrades...

[Andy]

Considering that there's only been one Wii redesign, and it still has the name Wii with nothing added on to it, I'd say there's probably going to be a lot less confusion than with the 3DS.

[DANT3]

I think the name works. It's nothing incredible, but it does have a certain ring to it.

Now, on the topic of 'it's just another wii lol': I'm seeing this split perfectly down the middle - fifty fifty. 'Home consoles aren't quite the same as handhelds' is gonna be my first point here. For example, the Gameboy. The difference between, say, a Gameboy and Gameboy Colour isn't really a huge difference. Of course the Colour will be stronger, but beyond that, all it really had were the multiple colours. And yet, the differnce between a Gameboy Colour and Gameboy Advance was huge. And, to me at least, it came down to that one: Advance. When you hear about it for the first time, and it's got the word 'advance' tacked on the end, you know it'll be great. And it was, wasn't it? Of course it was, it sold about 80 million units worldwide, in all of its forms.

Sadly, this wasn't really the case with the DS and 3DS. The 3DS had a crappy launch, and quite a few people that I know genuinely thought it was a DS that had 3D; nothing more, nothing less. In reality, it's the complete opposite of this - a unit all itself, with exclusives and the lot, all that technical stuff I don't really want to get into or understand in full. Now, eventually, Nintendo started making it sell really well, which was cool. But, was it just from the price drop? That helped, but by the time the drop happened, people had realised it wasn't just another 3DS, so boom, alright.

How does this affect the Wii and Wii U, though? Quite a lot. Home consoles are very different to how they're sold, marketed, put out, everything. One of the biggest things you'll think about without even noticing sometimes is the name itself. It's glaringly obvious that a PS3 is the successor of a PS2, which followed the original Playstation. You know this without even really caring, simply because of the numbers. It's the same with the XBox and the XBox 360 - you just have this gut feeling that tells you they're completely different. Sadly, it's not quite working for Nintendo.

Now, I'm not saying they should've called it the 'Wii 2' or 'Wii HD', but at the same time, it would've been straight up moronic for them to ditch the 'Wii' name itself. Ask most people what a Wii is, and they should give you the correct answer between quiet giggles or whatever. Kinda forgot where I was really going with that, but, the point stands.

The fact of the matter is, Nintendo have semi-screwed themselves with naming the system 'Wii U'. Majority of people - at least gamers - understand it's a brand new console, but some will think it's just another Wii, and in turn think they don't need it. Hell, Nintendo captivated casual gamers with the Wii, and now they're trying to get a Hardcore audience; imagine if these two 'styles' of gamer could co-exist on one console? For every Ghost Recon, Smash, Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Darksiders, there could be simulators, rhythm games, things like Wii Sports - whatever. So long as Nintendo can sell the system right, nothing can go wrong for them. They'll need good promos and advertisements, and they'll really need to get it perfect. And yet, at the same time..? Always take one thing to heart. Never look at any one system as a fan or 'anti' of it, think about it from a point of... I dunno, innocence, you know who Nintendo are and maybe nothing more. If they want you to buy this new console, they need to find some way to make it look great through ads, demos, everything. But at the same time, other companies will be doing the same thing, trying to get you to buy their product. So, at the end of the day, Nintendo have one trump card: previous success with the Wii.

It's all in the name, folks. Wii U.

[Link707]

It's all in the name, folks. Wii U.

Well put

[DANT3]

Yeah, I thought that was... 'Professional' of me? I'm no writer, but I figured that'd be a good way to end it.

[Eskimo_sam]

wii u……will u buy it

[Zeuzio]

Wii U is an... alright name I suppose. It doesn't make much sense, but then again, neither does xbox 360.

I just think they could do better, though it's not likely that the name will change at this point.

[Jonke]

I voted yes on both. "Wii U" have started to grow on me, so i kinda like the name yes.x) and i think they should keep the name as it is. More name changes will just cause more angry fans.

[HaoSenVastForest]

I dont care I am getting the WiiU and I think allot of people will to regardless of the name because the WiiU is the system for U!!!

[Crackkat]

the wii wasnt exactly the best name but still sold 90 million units, people wont care its called wii u

[Soul]

True, but imagine how much more units they would sell with a good name. Plus, that was back when the economy was decent.

[Link707]

True, but imagine how much more units they would sell with a good name. Plus, that was back when the economy was decent.

That was also when people were willing to pay 600$ for a game console but that's over. People buy for the price not the name

[Gruff]

That was also when people were willing to pay 600$ for a game console but that's over. People buy for the price not the name

I agree. Some one would probably look at the Wii U and consider buying because it is reasonably priced, I know that is why the Wii sold so well.

Edited by Wii8461, 03 January 2012 - 05:54 PM.

[Soul]

They have a lot of haters because of the name, the name haters won't buy it and that affects their sales. There is probably about 200,000-1 million people in the U.S who don't like it because of the name. That is not that much, but not a little bit either.

[Link707]

They have a lot of haters because of the name, the name haters won't buy it and that affects their sales. There is probably about 200,000-1 million people in the U.S who don't like it because of the name. That is not that much, but not a little bit either.

Yet there are those other somewhat 90 million people worldwide who thought the wii was pretty great

[SleepyGuyy]

I dont like the name too much myself, but i see why it was chosen and the benifits to it. Nintendo seems to be the only modern gaming company that changes the name of their console. The playstation is a series, the Xbox is a series, but because Nintendo is so well know, they dont need to brand themselves through the name of the console. It could say "Super Ultra Box 'O' Entertainment ......... by nintendo. Everyone would buy it (well ok not everyone). But with the casual gaming audience, although the Nintendo name seems to be recognizable now, they aren't a gaming focused audience... you'll need to remind them... so i see the added benifit in the name WiiU.

[Deadly Virus]

I seem to have grown on it actually. "Wii U" has this really high tech feel to it that I quite like. I wouldn't mind at all if they keep the name, it's recognisable to casual gamers and hardcore gamers buy systems based on the games, not the name.

[Nintendoes]

Sony and Microsoft bashed on the Wii's name too now did they. And it was a hit. I wouldn't worry about that if I were you.

[MoH]

While not entirely creative, I have no problem with the name - and it's easy to remember.