plagiarize
Banned
They should have used this name:
I have no idea what that is supposed to be. Wii ES? Wii CS? Wii GS?
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what should Nintendo do to put a stop to consumer confusion about what the Wii U is?
- Thread starter nickcv
- Start date
I have no idea what that is supposed to be. Wii ES? Wii CS? Wii GS?
They should have used this name:
is it Wii ES? It took me a while to read those as E and a S
The name sure is a problem but you are all overestimating it. The wii u do not have the same appeal to casuals the wii had at lunch (motion controls! Wii sports! Easy to play!), and does not offer much more than the 360/ps3 do to the traditional gamers. Just a screen on the controler... Not to mention software (Not worth a new console purchase at all IMO.)
Ninja Scooter
Member
Because apple has cache that no other company has. When they launch a new product, it makes the front page of every blog and news site, nearly every news paper, and late night talk shows and daytime tv joke about the lines being around the block. It's everywhere.
BossLackey
Gold Member
They should not have called it the Wii U
I knew the second I heard it that there would be confusion. The console itself even looks like a Wii. How did they not see this coming?
I knew the second I heard it that there would be confusion. The console itself even looks like a Wii. How did they not see this coming?
Steve Youngblood
Member
There's also the factor of "what's to understand?" in regards to the iDevice line. They just iterate on it every year. The presumption is that every X years, you buy a new one. And if you're confused as to whether to get the Y Device or the Y + 1 device, you've probably seen 100 of the same commercial that demonstrates what precise feature is new in the latter.
BossLackey
Gold Member
Not to mention the fact that they have pretty self explanatory names with sequels and what not. They name things consistently.
Wii U is such a fuckin stupid name. I'm sorry for reiterating this. I just can't get over it, STILL.
Mariah Carey
Member
The type of people that don't know the difference between the two systems already can't really tell the difference in graphics.
Ship out giant posters to all stores selling the Wii U. Put the Wii on the left with a Wii game box and the Wii U (controller not in front of the system) on the right with the Wii U game box. In big bright letters simply say. "These are two completely separate systems. The Wii U is newer and more powerful. It will be the system supported now and into the foreseeable future. The Wii is an older system that has a great collection of games already available and is a cheaper price."
Not sure how much more straight forward and simple you can be. Make sure it's in plain sight.
Not sure how much more straight forward and simple you can be. Make sure it's in plain sight.
Spirit Icana
Member
The confused consumers will catch on that the Wii U is a brand new platform once the Wii fades off completely and Wii U games dominate the store shelves. This could happen sooner than it currently has for DS/3DS.
Confusion is one thing though. Interest/disinterest will ultimately apply to whether or not one buys the hardware and software to go with it.
For now, Nintendo will have to bank on you informed players to buy the machine and persuade others of its newness and awesomeness.
Confusion is one thing though. Interest/disinterest will ultimately apply to whether or not one buys the hardware and software to go with it.
For now, Nintendo will have to bank on you informed players to buy the machine and persuade others of its newness and awesomeness.
Was in HMV @ lunch at while its not the Wii u some lady asked a member of staff the difference between the 3DS and DS. I listened in and gotta say this guy @ HMV really laid it out clearly. Told her it that the 3DS XL was not another version of the DS, explained how it was more powerful and how the 3D effect cannot be done on the DS. He mentioned that the new Layton game, NSMB 2 and Mario Kart 7 are exclusive to the 3DS and done a great job in clearing up any confusion the lady may of had on whether she should she buying a DS or 3DS.
Unfortuantly not all shop staff are as clued up as this!!
Unfortuantly not all shop staff are as clued up as this!!
Maybe i am not getting it, One is called the Wii, the other is called Wii U.
What is the confusion. Two different names, two different systems.
Why is this so difficult to grasp? People do not confuse cars, other electronics, other consumer products, yet two different consoles are such a problem. Can people REALLY be that stupid?
What is the confusion. Two different names, two different systems.
Why is this so difficult to grasp? People do not confuse cars, other electronics, other consumer products, yet two different consoles are such a problem. Can people REALLY be that stupid?
You know how there was a Nintendo DS and a Nintendo DS Lite and they both did the same thing? It's kind of like that. The "U" is not something that clearly says THIS IS A COMPLETELY NEW ITEM. So people are not sure if it's some sort of Wii (U)pgrade or Tablet controller for the Wii or if it is a brand new system.
Because Nintendo used Wii ____ as the naming convention for everything they released on the Wii. It's quite logical that someone might think Wii U is a Wii add-on, just like the Wii Wheel, Wii Motion Plus, Wii Fit, etc.
It also doesn't help that the new console looks exactly like the old one. I think that's Nintendo's biggest mistake of all.
But yet "360" and "3" are perfectly fine.
Even a cursory glance at nintendo's site you can easily tell its a new console.
As far as looking like the old one, im still not seeing it. Rounded edges, bigger, new controller, buttons in different places.
The only differences between them is theyre both black rectangles.
Thats like saying the iphone is the exact same phone as the lumia 900, as theyre both black rectangles. but people dont have this same problem with phones or ANYTHING else.
If people pay attention, they would see that the Wii U is much longer and "rounder" than the Wii.
But yeah, i guess they should have made it more different for the ones who do not pay attention.
Working retail, the Wii U is just as nightmarish as the 3DS explaining it to customers. No its not a handheld wii, no its not a controller add on, yes it can play the old games, no the new games wont work on the old system. The one that make me wanna throw a tantrum is the "whats the difference?" Question.
Nintendo needs to either advertise it better, make an infomercial or go back in time and rename it Nintendo Café.
Nintendo needs to either advertise it better, make an infomercial or go back in time and rename it Nintendo Café.
reddwarf42
Member
Say what?
You can't see those differences from the box or Nintendo's promotional material.
jts
...hate me...
Even for the attentive casuals who notice the differences, it can come off as a mere restyling/redesign, like the PS3 and 360 had.
Yeah i know about that, but there is usually a demo kiosk nearby, and if they're anything like the ones i've seen, the console is clearly shown behind a window. And then, there is the UI itself on the demo kiosk's screen that is quite different from the Wii.
People don't even need to do some big internet research to find out what the Wii U truly is, just a quick look at a demo kiosk, or at the game boxes themselves, and there you go. If they still haven't realized it by now, then they're just dumb.
The only thing Nintendo can do at this point is making more TV/movie ads and put a bunch of posters in Gamestop, Walmart, etc. that say "brand new console!".
Renaming it or dramatically changing the design is too late at this point.
The 360 might have been confusing but Microsoft completely killed the OG Xbox, so that solved part of that problem. They also had a massive ad campaign that made it clear that it was a new machine. The new design also looked nothing like the old design.
As for the PS3, the "3" pretty much says it all. Much like a movie sequel, the number denotes it is a new item in a series. Also, Sony did it's part with Marketing.
Nintendo has failed in this regard, hence the confusion.
Fonz72
Member
People really are that stupid. Android phones are a perfect example. The use of the word "Droid" in phone names across brands and Android as the operating system baffle people all the time. I can only imagine how many people have gotten screwed this Holiday season by the free RAZR promo Verizon is running. Hell, I even had a Verizon employee tell me that the original RAZR and the RAZR HD were the same phone one was just a little newer. People even get confused with the different "i" devices.
Big N should have went with a retro look, the finish should be matte grey and purple and they should have called it Super Wii.
shinra-bansho
Member
Are you really implying a "3" indicating the third console in a series is as ambiguous as adding a "U" to the end of a brand that's been slapped onto all sorts of devices and software?
You really can't see how these could look similar to people:
And how this:
And this:
And this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=7dbGJieRaH0
Could make it appear as if the controller is the "Wii U" and simply an add-on for the Wii.
Really?
Ninja Scooter
Member
Sony already had people conditioned with the ps1 to ps2 to know that "new number=new system". PS3 just became a logical progression of that.
As for Xbox 360, this an example of what Nintendo maybe should have done. Ms has a success with the Xbox, it got their foot in the door of the market, but aside from the name they went out of their way to completely refresh the brand when they launched the 360. New design philosophy, new colors, new font and logo. They pushed this hard. What they did and what Nintendo has done are like night and day and not very comparable at all.
Fatalmephisto
Member
They don't have to do anything at all. They have already done enough PR for the system. People just don't see it. That whole "Wii U Experience" was a start, putting up Demo units at big name stores, and lets not forget about the mother load one and that is Social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Remember that post someone made of people questioning what the Wii U is? That's good in a sense for those people to research what it is. Nintendo's PR comes on its own now from US, the articles we right, the tweets/posts on facebook we make, ect.
Is this the best Nintendo can do? NO but it sure does save them money in the PR side of things. Now i know most of you on here will think what I'm saying is stupid and i understand that but really think about it.
Is this the best Nintendo can do? NO but it sure does save them money in the PR side of things. Now i know most of you on here will think what I'm saying is stupid and i understand that but really think about it.
I think you're putting the cart before the horse here. Why would anyone travel to a store to check out boxes and demo pods if they aren't even aware that there's anything in the store worth looking at?
You think casuals drop into GameStop every week and scour the demo pods just in case Nintendo drop a new console? And even then do you think they'll really even notice the difference? I replaced a PS3 with an Xbox 360 and my girlfriend didn't even notice the different console, controller, UI or games until I pointed it out.
EternalGamer
Banned
They need to ditch the "lifestyle" commercials. Those only work for products that are self explanatory: phones, MP3 players, jeans, etc.
They need more traditional commercials that explicitly highlight the features: play off screen while TV is on, play multiplayer games while hiding info from the group, high definition graphics, etc.
Same with the back of the box and the displays. Nintendo is going for a minmalist Apple style product image marketing but they no longer have a minmalist product. It makes no sense.
They need more traditional commercials that explicitly highlight the features: play off screen while TV is on, play multiplayer games while hiding info from the group, high definition graphics, etc.
Same with the back of the box and the displays. Nintendo is going for a minmalist Apple style product image marketing but they no longer have a minmalist product. It makes no sense.
Ninja Scooter
Member
That's another thing, are any of the wii u kiosks even playable? Maybe it's just me but because of the season I've been out to various stores like crazy the last few weeks and I don't think I've run into a single actually playable kiosk. They all just let you play these slide shows/videos. This is causing people to generally ignore them while the 3ds, 360 and even pS3 units have groups of kids huddled around them. Seems like a missed opportunity.
Count Dookkake
Member
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EternalGamer
Banned
What is the visual pun? I don't get it.
Count Dookkake
Member
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sketchsanchez
Member
This whole name thing is overblown.
Ok, so there are people out there who get confused at first, but it doesnt take long or much to figure out its different. Nintendos Gameboy line all had very similar boxes, the only difference beingsomething different at the end of th name. Gameboy pocket, gameboy color etc and im sure there was confusion at first there too.
Basically, if this thing sells poorly, it wont be because of the name. It would be because no one wants it.
I feel the same way about the 3DS. Its not lighting up the sales charts because it isnt that desireable, not because people think its another DS.
Ok, so there are people out there who get confused at first, but it doesnt take long or much to figure out its different. Nintendos Gameboy line all had very similar boxes, the only difference beingsomething different at the end of th name. Gameboy pocket, gameboy color etc and im sure there was confusion at first there too.
Basically, if this thing sells poorly, it wont be because of the name. It would be because no one wants it.
I feel the same way about the 3DS. Its not lighting up the sales charts because it isnt that desireable, not because people think its another DS.
Twenty7KVN
Member
I think rayman legends is the only playable game in the kiosk right now.
But Nintendo didn't insist on calling all of it's software and accessories Game Boy ______ so you knew when you saw something with GameBoy on the box, it was a hardware revision of some kind
Even the Game Boy was properly differentiated between revisions in spite of often retaining a similar outward look. The Pocket was sold alongside the original as a premium option, The GBC used dramatically bright and different casing colours and had a massive "COLOR" written on the box and the front of the hardware. Obviously the GBA went landscape, then portrait with a clamshell.
And all of Nintendo's home consoles have looked as different to each other as could be. It's only with the DS and now Wii that they've decided to make new hardware look the same as the old.
The two problems aren't mutually exclusive.
Depends on the person and what info is readily available to them.
The Game Boy line had different boxes, advertising, packaging, as well as different product design.
No one is saying that the confusion is the main reason why there isn't that much interest in the Wii U. What people are saying though is that the confusion doesn't help.
Confusion can lead to disinterest. Sadly, a lot of people would rather be ignorant than to spend time looking up info. That fact is definitely true in terms of video games (something that's widely viewed as not being important).
Yeah, I did this logo when somebody brought up the fake screenshot of the japanese Nintendo page with WES mentioned.
sketchsanchez
Member
How are these not similar?
the systems actual design isnt all that different between versions either. The gba showed completely hardwar, but again similar packaging.
Whatever differences you see between the packaging and hardware are not unlike what was done with the DS to 3DS and Wii to WII U.
regardless, I think my larger point was that the issue is overblown, not that it doesnt exist. i just personally think initial confusion means little, that similar naming/packaging neither hurts nor helps.
There's examples of products with similar names to their predecessor doing well and doing poorly id say.
the systems actual design isnt all that different between versions either. The gba showed completely hardwar, but again similar packaging.
Whatever differences you see between the packaging and hardware are not unlike what was done with the DS to 3DS and Wii to WII U.
regardless, I think my larger point was that the issue is overblown, not that it doesnt exist. i just personally think initial confusion means little, that similar naming/packaging neither hurts nor helps.
There's examples of products with similar names to their predecessor doing well and doing poorly id say.
Compare the changes to the packaging of the game boy line to the changes of the packing in the DS line and now Wii --> Wii U.
It's night and day.
In terms of the Game Boy line, the major differences in comparison to other (previous) Game Boys are stated right on the front of the box.
I would say it matters quite a bit since this is likely to be the only holiday sales period that the Wii U has to itself. This is the perfect opportunity to sell a boatload of systems and improve their position with 3rd parties. As it stands, they will have to wait until next year for sales to catch fire and by that time, the hype machine for the next Xbox (and possibly PS3) will be in full effect.
Yes.
Because N has done a piss poor job of differentiating the 2 systems.
With something like this you have to approach it as if customers are idiots. You have to clearly explain the differences and why the new one is better.
The other thing to remember about the Game Boy is that it had a captive audience of children who were really into their video games. All it took was a few kids with a copy of Nintendo Power and you could guarantee everyone in their school yard would know about the latest games and hardware and be harassing their parents ASAP.
With the Wii they targeted the casual audience who just aren't going to know or maybe even care about the difference between a Wii and a Wii mini and a Wii U. You really have to hit them hard with concise detailed information. The last two E3 conferences have been anything but concise so it's hardly surprising the mainstream press and media haven't picked up on it like they did the original Wii back in 2005 and that those who have have gotten some very basic facts wrong.
With the Wii they targeted the casual audience who just aren't going to know or maybe even care about the difference between a Wii and a Wii mini and a Wii U. You really have to hit them hard with concise detailed information. The last two E3 conferences have been anything but concise so it's hardly surprising the mainstream press and media haven't picked up on it like they did the original Wii back in 2005 and that those who have have gotten some very basic facts wrong.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
1. Make it more powerful than the Wii
2. Call it Wii 2
2. Call it Wii 2
