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Nintendo: We Should Have Explained Wii U Better (Gamasutra)

Dynamite Shikoku said:
It's funny that even after nintendo themselves admit that they didn't explain it properly, nintentards are still defending the conference.
'

Well aren't you just cute as a button. Think of that slur all by yourself?
 
I still don't get how anyone was confused. The first Mii-centered demos they showed were of Wii quality, but Wii wouldn't be able to stream like that. Any confusion should have been laid to rest when they showed off the HD videos, but some people mistook videos of PS360PC games running on PS360PC for Wii level graphics.
 
Maiar_m said:
Well, that's Tesco *wink wink*

The most seen and arguably efficient form of advertising is TV anyway. I don't know how they have approached TV ads in the UK, but if you watch French TV and still don't get what the 3DS is about, your cradle has been rocked too close to the wall.
I have no figures, but Tesco is surely one of the most important retailers of games in the UK. For them to stock it in such a low key and confusing way is quite bad.

I don't watch TV so I can't comment on the adverts. I will say GAME have pimped it a lot more, as you'd expect.
 
Dynamite Shikoku said:
It's funny that even after nintendo themselves admit that they didn't explain it properly, nintentards are still defending the conference.

herp derp
 
It was a very crappy reveal.

No details about online.
No details about specific capabilities (beyond "hey, it's HD!")
No mockup on stage/handled by presenters
No concrete, impactful games announced beyond "hey look at this showreel, we might get some of it!"
No games being played live (or on devstations, whatever) on stage.

In a nutshell, it sucked. It felt like a paper launch.

Also, the same way some people were lead to think it was just a controller add-on for the wii, some people still have the impression the 3ds is just a ds with a 3d screen. I think Nintendo is too fearful of breaking with their succesful platforms which ends up in unclear and confusing branding.
 
Foliorum Viridum said:
I have no figures, but Tesco is surely one of the most important retailers of games in the UK. For them to stock it in such a low key and confusing way is quite bad.

I don't watch TV so I can't comment on the adverts. I will say GAME have pimped it a lot more, as you'd expect.
Most probable, I was winking at Tesco's usually badly arranged gaming / multimedia departements. At least from my experience.
 
Where I live 3DS games are currently mixed in with DS games on the shelves, it's all just jumbled up. I sure hope that doesn't happen to the WiiU.
 
Maiar_m said:
Most probable, I was winking at Tesco's usually badly arranged gaming / multimedia departements. At least from my experience.
3DS also has very little shelf presence in places like GAME, and it too is together with the DS games. Only difference being the odd demo unit available to sample.
 
Dynamite Shikoku said:
It's funny that even after nintendo themselves admit that they didn't explain it properly, nintentards are still defending the conference.

I believe that's a big no-no.
 
hamchan said:
Where I live 3DS games are currently mixed in with DS games on the shelves, it's all just jumbled up. I sure hope that doesn't happen to the WiiU.

Oddly it didn't start that way at places like Wal Mart around here, but it starting to become that way.
 
BlazingDarkness said:
3DS also has very little shelf presence in places like GAME, and it too is together with the DS games. Only difference being the odd demo unit available to sample.
Funny, it's been handled (no pun intended) better around here. The 3DS gets its own part of the shevles and the regular DSs are kind of pushed away.
 
It also didn't help that when they first showed the controller, they showed the new Mario Bros game on it, which when I was viewing it on TV, looked exactly like NSMB Wii. It only furthered my momentary confusion of thinking: 'wait, is this just a Wii peripheral? What is this?'
 
gerg said:
I really think that some people are overstating this. People will realise that the Wii U is a new console, in the same way that customers aren't actually stupid enough to think that the 3DS is just a revision of the DS. (Well, some may be, but they won't represent millions of other consumers who can rub two brain cells together.)

And, I'd also say that there may be merit in emphasising the "Wii" part of the "Wii U" logo that much, because it allows that everything that brand means for the casual audience can stand prominently among the console's image. The core audience will come with the games - I think that attracting casual gamers is that much more difficult.
Iwata himself blamed public confusion about the value and new features of 3DS for the slow sales following release.

Or is he wrong again, just like he is in the OP article?
 
BlazingDarkness said:
3DS in the UK is marketed exactly the same as, and alongside the DS. If I didn't frequent GAF as I do, I'd believe it was essentially the same hardware only with a 3D screen.
Entirely Nintendo's fault, not the customer.

I'm not denying that Nintendo may be to the blame regarding poor 3DS sales, but I'd prefer to submit that that's because consumers don't see any value to it than them being so stupid that they don't understand that it's a brand new console (and not just a revision of the DS).

Sage00 said:
Iwata himself blamed public confusion about the value and new features of 3DS for the slow sales following release.

Or is he wrong again, just like he is in the OP article?

If you read the article you linked to nowhere does Iwata hypothesise that the failing of the 3DS to have mass success is down to people thinking that it's just a revision of the Nintendo DS hardware. What he suggests include: Nintendo's failing to sell the consumer of the value of glasses-less 3D, the lack of other (passive) software for users to enjoy, and stronger software. He does not once state that most potential consumers do not think that the 3DS is just a revision of the DS.

I'm struggling to see how I'm coming off as suggesting that Iwata is wrong here.
 
Takao said:
You guys also probably shouldn't have given it the kind of name that gives the impression it's a revision, but you guys did anyways.

Such a missed opportunity to call it Super Nintendo Wii..... or NesCafé
lol
 
trudderham said:
OK, so I just wasted 10 minutes going through the Wii U launch trailer. There's not a single reference to a new console.
Reggie presented that video by saying "this is the new controller for Wii U" after a long, long speech that clearly set the stage for and announced a brand new system, the Wii U, "a system we will all enjoy together". So yes, the controller video does only demonstrate the controller. What else would it do? Lol? That obviously wasn't all of their presentation.
 
I think the presentation was fine for what they were trying to show.

They do, however, need to change that name.
Calling it Wii U is just going to confuse people.
 
"The console is not drastically different, and Wii U is about the controller. The console itself will be almost invisible."
that statement doesn't not make things any clearer. It sounds too much like marketing language that just insults consumer's intelligence
 
Alextended said:
Reggie presented that video by saying "this is the new controller FOR WII U" after a long, long speech that clearly set the stage for and announced a new system, the Wii U, "a system we will all enjoy together". So yes, the controller video does only demonstrate the controller. What else would it do? But that wasn't all the presentation.

What are you arguing? Iwata himself said they screwed up.
 
gerg said:
I'm not denying that Nintendo may be to the blame regarding poor 3DS sales, but I'd prefer to submit that that's because consumers don't see any value to it than them being so stupid that they don't understand that it's a brand new console (and not just a revision of the DS).
That's because Nintendo have at large, failed to sell it as a brand new console and so the perceived value is not there.
 
gerg said:
I really think that some people are overstating this. People will realise that the Wii U is a new console, in the same way that customers aren't actually stupid enough to think that the 3DS is just a revision of the DS. (Well, some may be, but they won't represent millions of other consumers who can rub two brain cells together.)
People will realize, especially when the Wii gets phased out :p
But being more clear upfront with everyone, including those who can't rub two brain cells together (lowest common denominator, still a significant part of the audience), would certainly be more effective, and without any downside.

gerg said:
And, I'd also say that there may be merit in emphasising the "Wii" part of the "Wii U" logo that much, because it allows that everything that brand means for the casual audience can stand prominently among the console's image. The core audience will come with the games - I think that attracting casual gamers is that much more difficult.
Logo design is very important in communicating what a product is about, and big companies know this perfectly.
Putting more weight on the Wii part keeps it central, which may be good if you want to attract your previous audience but it has negative sides as well (preconceptions about the Wii, potential unwillingness of current users to upgrade if the product isn't perceived as different enough, etc.).
A viable alternative would probably have been something more similar to the Xbox360 logo in structure: Xbox is still more stressed by a bright green color, but both parts have the same weight.
 
I just think it's funny how in most PR situations they go ON AND ON AND ON AND...










... ON AND ON AND ON about their product, the benefits, the amazing elements, factors, innovations, blah blah blah, to the point it gets grating.

But for the most important thing of all -- a new goddamn console that will affect our lives in some meaningful way for 6 or 7 years -- they did the complete opposite. In other words, seemed absolutely determine not to "sell" their product in any way or with any conviction.

The conference was sagging a bit in the middle so you would have thought the console reveal would have been this epic megaton but it was the biggest whimper of the whole conference.
 
Wolves Evolve said:
What are you arguing?
Exactly what I typed. Obviously ignorant of the presentation user implied they presented the console with a video that didn't mention it, and I explained to him that video wasn't meant to announce the console, it was meant to show the just previously announced console's controller, and did its designated task just fine.

Even if there was confusion you'd think our expert highly regarded journalists would clear it up within seconds. Obviously that didn't happen since they prefer to sensationally write about bad presentations and confusion they themselves transmit to the audience instead of help their audience understand it, and yes, in retrospect Iwata thinks they should have used English most people could understand instead of try to form proper sentences and formal speeches that he now sees are beyond the average critic.

Something like, Wii U. New console. Not plain Wii. New games. New plastic thing in hands. Buy next year. Watch, example moving pictures. Ug.
 
AceBandage said:
I think the presentation was fine for what they were trying to show.

They do, however, need to change that name.
Calling it Wii U is just going to confuse people.

Why? Did Xbox 360 confuse people? Did PS3 confuse people? Did GBA confuse people? They need to demonstrate the new features of the console which is exactly what they didn't do with their 3DS marketing initially, refusing to show game footage as it couldn't be shown in 3D. I'm sure they will have learned their lesson once the WiiU launch rolls around.
 
Bitmap Frogs said:
Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS XL, Nintendo 3DS.... gee I wonder why people are confused.

i want see a 3DSiliteXL.....

Its fucking huge and has like 6 cameras 3 styli and cant play games unless its 8cm power cord is plugged at the wall.




it also shoots bears.
 
Why would the casual audience that purchased the Wii buy this? The controller brings nothing substantively new to the table. It seems more an accessory to the original console than anything else. I can't see them buying a new console just to have this accessory. The Wii sold on a gameplay mechanic that was easy to grasp and quite frankly captivating to most people.

The Wii U is pure gimmick in comparison. You can dress it up in anyway you want but it's just Remote Play.

Nintendo have had 2 brilliant systems, DS and Wii. They were bound to run out of ideas, this thing is cyclical.
 
Sadist said:
Nintendo never attends TGS.

They're at Gamescom though - although considering their European 3DS event managed to make people less enthusiastic about that launch, I don't know if I want another one hosted by NOE.
 
Here at Nintendo, we were bold enough to ask the question: What if a console could be for everyone?

The answer is... lame.

Our new console is not just for 'we', but 'you' too. So we put 'you' in the name of the console. Wii... U. Genius, isn't it. 'Wii' thought of it ourselves. Thank you.
 
Majanew said:
Gee... ya think, Nintendo? Now, throw that garbage you're calling a gaming controller in the trash and start over.
The Controller is the least of problems considering how well it was received by people at E3.

Just because you hate it doesn't mean its trash
 
Majanew said:
Gee... ya think, Nintendo? Now, throw that garbage you're calling a gaming controller in the trash and start over.

Hey, I remember you--You were trolling in the E3 thread, too. Looks like you're still at it.

Judging by the huge positive reactions of the gaming journalism industry, it appears the controller is about the only thing they've done right this year.
 
Jocchan said:
People will realize, especially when the Wii gets phased out :p
But being more clear upfront with everyone, including those who can't rub two brain cells together (lowest common denominator, still a significant part of the audience), would certainly be more effective, and without any downside.

Well, sure, (apart from claiming the audience to be stupider than I would want to suggest) it's always better to be clear than imprecise. In any case, as I've said, Nintendo has a year and a major marketing campaign with which to hammer the correct message home.

Putting more weight on the Wii part keeps it central, which may be good if you want to attract your previous audience but it has negative sides as well (preconceptions about the Wii, potential unwillingness of current users to upgrade if the product isn't perceived as different enough, etc.).

Indeed. But, as I said, core gamers will go where the games will. I don't think that what Nintendo did was necessarily wrong, just different.

A viable alternative would probably have been something more similar to the Xbox360 logo in structure: Xbox is still more stressed by a bright green color, but both parts have the same weight.

I do think that making the "U" part of the logo bigger might help, but that's a relatively small alteration. Changing the name is unnecessary.

BlazingDarkness said:
That's because Nintendo have at large, failed to sell it as a brand new console and so the perceived value is not there.

Or it's because people understand that it's a brand new console but still don't care. The two aren't mutually exclusive - it's not like that realising that it's a new console suddenly makes people want to buy it. They've still got to assess whether or not it has value to them.
 
avaya said:
Why would the casual audience that purchased the Wii buy this? The controller brings nothing substantively new to the table. It seems more an accessory to the original console than anything else. I can't see them buying a new console just to have this accessory. The Wii sold on a gameplay mechanic that was easy to grasp and quite frankly captivating to most people.

The Wii U is pure gimmick in comparison. You can dress it up in anyway you want but it's just Remote Play.

Nintendo have had 2 brilliant systems, DS and Wii. They were bound to run out of ideas, this thing is cyclical.

I've seen this argument a lot over the past couple days and I still can't understand why it's put out there.
 
This is where hiding the specs are also hurting them. I saw an article by four well known analysts yesterday who all said Wii was a lateral move from 360 and PS3. If this thing truly is as powerful as gaf speculates, why not release the info? Those speculated specs would make it the PS2 of the coming generation and plenty powerful to compete the entire cycle. As it is, without evidence, many are assuming it will be a lateral upgrade and Nintendo becomes a huge investment risk because only Nintendo fanboys are truly going to buy the system. Nobody else will have real incentive. Hardcore? Why give up their friends list and have to pay 400 dollars for a lateral move. Casuals? There are already plenty of options. And the controller is named U, not Wii More.
 
Bitmap Frogs said:
Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS XL, Nintendo 3DS.... gee I wonder why people are confused.

Prefixes denote progression, suffixes denote remodels.

Clearly, therefore, the new home system should be called UWii. (Boll?)


Edit: while that was a joke, thinking further: claim the U stands for 'Ultra', and I think you might just satisfy most groups.
 
I thought people had learned from 5-6 years ago. It's nice to know there will be another crow-eating thread when Wii U (or whatever they ultimately call it) ends up being successful.
 
Plinko said:
I've seen this argument a lot over the past couple days and I still can't understand why it's put out there.

Because:

1. They have no imagination
2. They are trolls

1-D_FTW said:
Hardcore? Why give up their friends list and have to pay 400 dollars for a lateral move.

We are a year away from release. Do you think this is all the information Nintendo is going to release before it goes on sale? God damn this has been the stupidest week I've ever seen on GAF.
 
Catchpenny said:
I thought people had learned from 5-6 years ago. It's nice to know there will be another crow-eating thread when Wii U (or whatever they ultimately call it) ends up being successful.
I love it when people assume successful companies will always have the same level of success, just because...
 
Plinko said:
I've seen this argument a lot over the past couple days and I still can't understand why it's put out there.

Consider first reactions to Tennis/Golf on Wii Sports. One is "OMFG I WANT THAT" the other is "heh, that's nice".

It brings nothing worth paying another $250+ for.
 
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