shouamabane
Member
Both were. MS did a better job of course-correcting.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Why is "Wii U" confusing to consumers but "Xbox One" isn't?
- Thread starter family_guy
- Start date
SmartWaffles
Member
Both Sony and MS have one consistent brand for their consoles, Nintendo doesn't.
I have a niece and nephew who play their Wii all the time, and they don't realize or care that their console isn't up-to-date. For a lot of parents, it's almost like the Wii never died. Their response to the Wii U is "why would I buy another Wii when we already have one?", kinda like the response gamers have to the PS4 Pro. I don't think people see the Wii U as being a generation leap.
family_guy
Member
I think it's less the name though and more about how it was marketed. The name on its own was not a failure in my opinion.
Manmademan
Member
Nintendo and various third parties spent the previous gen releasing a ton of add ons to the original Wii console called Wii (fill in the blank).
Wii Fit
Wii Motion Plus
Wii Zapper
Wii Wheel
Wii Music
Wii Bowling Ball
Plus tons of games being named "Wii _____"
Combine this with the Wii's userbase being low information casual consumers, and you get brand confusion. Joe Average consumer is going to assume "Wii U" is yet another add on with a weird accessory and ignore it.
Microsoft didn't do this.
The previous console was called the Xbox 360, the previous version just the Xbox.
There weren't a flood of games and add ons labeled "Xbox fill in the blank" and they targeted core gamers who are reasonably well informed as their audience.
Wii Fit
Wii Motion Plus
Wii Zapper
Wii Wheel
Wii Music
Wii Bowling Ball
Plus tons of games being named "Wii _____"
Combine this with the Wii's userbase being low information casual consumers, and you get brand confusion. Joe Average consumer is going to assume "Wii U" is yet another add on with a weird accessory and ignore it.
Microsoft didn't do this.
The previous console was called the Xbox 360, the previous version just the Xbox.
There weren't a flood of games and add ons labeled "Xbox fill in the blank" and they targeted core gamers who are reasonably well informed as their audience.
Blaming the name and marketing was typical Nintendo defense force excuse. The name didn't help, but it was fundamentally a terribly designed product, with a confusing matrix of controllers, lack of third party support, and a pitiful digital infrastructure. It would've failed just as badly no matter what it was called.
When the switch bombs, it should finally send this line of reasoning to the trash heap.
When the switch bombs, it should finally send this line of reasoning to the trash heap.
LOLCats
Banned
Sorry i meant a name a child might give an item. or a name appealing strictly to children.
enigmatic_alex44
Whenever a game uses "middleware," I expect mediocrity. Just see how poor TLOU looks.
The Xbox One represented Microsoft's One chance to turn things around after it's disastrous reveal.
The Wii U represented the U-turn customers made when they saw the system on store shelves.
Both are flops in a way.
The Wii U represented the U-turn customers made when they saw the system on store shelves.
Both are flops in a way.
sleepwalkcapsules
Member
Xbox One is just a dumb name, it's passable.
WiiU was a dumb and huge mistake. It tried to ride on the Wii brand but it backfire.
WiiU was a dumb and huge mistake. It tried to ride on the Wii brand but it backfire.
Wii was a brilliant name for many reasons, both linguistically, culturally, conceptually, and in it's ability to stand out in the marketplace.
The Wii is one of the best named consumer products of its kind.
maniac-kun
Member
I have no Idea what a U is supposed to be. I see it in a store and I would think oh a tablet that looks shitty for a Wii.
Triggerhappytel
Member
The Xbox One is a terrible name, but at least it had better marketing and MS made clear it was a new console. Nintendo struggled with marketing the Wii U pretty much throughout.
KingdomHeartsFan
Member
MS did a better job of promoting it. When the Wii U was revealed they showed the gamepad working with the regular Wii controllers further confusing people. Also using quotes like "Stay Fit with the new controller" and "Play across the new controller an your TV" all the quotes never mentioning a new console, only mentioning a new controller.
Both are confusing just that the Xbone is less confusing of the two and Microsoft worked hard to change the image of the Xbone.
It also help that the Xbone was following after the 360 and not the original Xbox.
This too, Nintendo thought that it would be a good idea to have the console be in the background or not shown off during marketing material, not that it would help as both system did look similar to the casual.
It also help that the Xbone was following after the 360 and not the original Xbox.
This too, Nintendo thought that it would be a good idea to have the console be in the background or not shown off during marketing material, not that it would help as both system did look similar to the casual.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Who says it isn't confusing to some consumers?
I mean there are many reasons why it has sold only half as many as the PS4.
I mean there are many reasons why it has sold only half as many as the PS4.
gunstarhero
Member
Both are bad names. WiiU's marketing was confusing lots of people as a wii add-on.
outunderthestars
Banned
This right here. A casual market needs more consumer education, which Nintendo did a shitty job with.
That said,have we ever really seen any data that proves that consumers wanted a new Nintendo system and were just confused by it? I wonder it had way more to do with casual consumers moving onto smartphones and tablets for their occasional gaming fix.
staticneuron
Member
Remember who they were marketing to. They sold the Wii to people would use a Wii remote, that most likely had a Wii remote Jacket and Wii Motion plus to play the latest Wii sports game. Using this naming convention repeatedly, what do you think the non-invested people think when they hear Wii u?
^ what this guy said.
Sammy Samusu
Member
Messaging.
Wii U reveal got people on Neogaf confused. It was that bad.
I remember watching the press conference and thinking, is it a new console or a controller? And I'm a hardcore gamer. My friends who were watching with me felt the same way.
That's why Switch is already off to a great start, at least compared to Wii U.
Wii U reveal got people on Neogaf confused. It was that bad.
I remember watching the press conference and thinking, is it a new console or a controller? And I'm a hardcore gamer. My friends who were watching with me felt the same way.
That's why Switch is already off to a great start, at least compared to Wii U.
i don't buy it was the name that sunk the wii u. sure it wasn't the greatest label, a few soccer moms here and there were probably thrown off. but it was the muddled concept that ultimately tanked it.
i mean, people are dumb. i get that. but i'm sure like 95% of any discerning customer knew it was a standalone console
i mean, people are dumb. i get that. but i'm sure like 95% of any discerning customer knew it was a standalone console
Wii U was bad because of the target audience for Wii.
Families don't keep up with tech, and didn't understand that the $300 thing at Walmart was a new "better" system that would play all of their Wii games still, plus new ones. They just got mad that it was an expensive peripheral (which it obviously isn't). It also didn't help that most gaming specialty stores are full of edgelord teens that just told families to buy a PS360 "because it was better anyway", or later, to spend the money on "better" HW like PS4 or XB1.
All that being said, if Nintendo's messaging would have been half way competent, they probably could have done better than they did.
Families don't keep up with tech, and didn't understand that the $300 thing at Walmart was a new "better" system that would play all of their Wii games still, plus new ones. They just got mad that it was an expensive peripheral (which it obviously isn't). It also didn't help that most gaming specialty stores are full of edgelord teens that just told families to buy a PS360 "because it was better anyway", or later, to spend the money on "better" HW like PS4 or XB1.
All that being said, if Nintendo's messaging would have been half way competent, they probably could have done better than they did.
A bit.
Basically
As awful as the Xbox one marketing was at times, even it did not come close to the awfulness that was Wii U marketing.
Zen_Arcade
Banned
It was more about the marketing strategy behind it. I can't see why anyone would mistake a Wii for a Wii U with proper marketing.
I don't really think Wii U was that confusing of a name on its own, Nintendo's marketing of the console was just confusing.
Its bigger problem was being a bad name. Xbox One is a bad name as well but it's sort of trendy and fits with Microsoft's branding ("OneDrive"). Wii U was Nintendo using a brand that was about to be dead no matter what and attaching a nonsensical letter at the end of it.
Its bigger problem was being a bad name. Xbox One is a bad name as well but it's sort of trendy and fits with Microsoft's branding ("OneDrive"). Wii U was Nintendo using a brand that was about to be dead no matter what and attaching a nonsensical letter at the end of it.
Masterspeed
Member
The Xbox One was advertised right.
Ninja Scooter
Member
No two products are built alike. They had different demographics and marketing campaigns that you have to take into context, you can't just compare the naming conventions 1:1. The Xbox One targeted core gamers, who are familiar with generational shifts. It was easy to differentiate to these people that "this is the new Xbox" and for them to understand what that meant. The Wii, on the other hand, was bought by a lot of casual gamers who were maybe not as familiar with how these console generations work. On top of that, it wasn't just the brand name recognition Nintendo was banking on, they reused the same font (look at other accessories/spin offs like Wii Play or Wii Fit and Wii U looks like it naturally fits in with those), and the Wii U hardware looks strikingly similar to the Wii (and it didn't help that they seemed to hide the hardware in a lot of promotional material, putting the Pad front and center and probably again leading people to think it was an accessory).
In short, speaking strictly in terms of brand power and recognition, Nintendo misread their market completely while Microsoft did not.
In short, speaking strictly in terms of brand power and recognition, Nintendo misread their market completely while Microsoft did not.
Came here to say this.
TwEE-N-Toast
Banned
THere was Wii and Wii U console stuff in stores side by side. It was confusing.
And the type of people who would get confused by the names aren't even going to know what the Xbox original is. It was released 15 years ago and isnt sitting on the shelf beside the Xbox one.
And the type of people who would get confused by the names aren't even going to know what the Xbox original is. It was released 15 years ago and isnt sitting on the shelf beside the Xbox one.
This 100%.
I think Nintendo could have rolled with the Wii U name better, if they did more actual better marketing and advertising of it. I think to the average consumer, not only did they not know it was a new console, they didn't even know it existed.
Also another thing that didn't help was the fact that Nintendo released the Wii Mini not long after the launch of the Wii U.
That was not a bright idea and just added another layer of confusion and made the Wii branding toxic.
Assuming that Nintendo just called it the Wii 2 but did exactly the same thing they did when promoting the Wii U then no, it would still yield the same result.
That was not a bright idea and just added another layer of confusion and made the Wii branding toxic.
Assuming that Nintendo just called it the Wii 2 but did exactly the same thing they did when promoting the Wii U then no, it would still yield the same result.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Ultimately I don't think the name would have mattered anyway. The Wii U in execution and as a product simply did not have mass market appeal, regardless of what the name was.
Chezzymann
Member
Because they focused on the controller in the Wii U reveal
Came to post this. After all the "Wii __" items released, it's no surprise some of the general consumers originally mistook the Wii-U as another Wii accessory. MS didn't do this with the Xbox brand so there was less confusion.
Plus the marketing for the Wii-U was flat out horrible.
Spyder_Monkey
Banned
Xbone got third party support, Wii U didn't.
Basileus777
Member
Xbox One fits in with established naming conventions for consumer electronics. And the target demographic was different. But yeah, the WiiU name isn't as big of a deal as people sometimes make it out to be.
"Is it an add on to your first kid?"
TAJ
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I agree, but only because 'The New iPad' was such a spectacularly dumb name for the iPad 3.
Tavernacle12
Member
As someone who worked retail I can add a bit of personal experiance with this (so take it with the requisite amount of salt). The Wii U demographic was young kids who didn't know console generations yet and adults who never knew it to begin with. The Wii sold on the power of Wii Sports and Wii Fit, while the Wii U didn't have any thing nearly as massive as those two were. Nothing about the Wii U got into the bubble of people for whom gaming wasn't that big. It lost the casual market and couldn't keep up with the hardcore market. The Xbox One, in addition to already having a core demographic who were going to upgrade anyways, had Minecraft. Minecraft is HUGE, so when little Timmy says he wants to play Minecraft but he only has a Wii, that means the family needs to be buy a new system. The Xbox 360 was, for awhile, the cheapest way to get little Timmy Minecraft. I'm not sure if the numbers back me up on this, but anecdotally the 360 was doing better with Nintendo's kid demographic than the Wii U was. Instead of upgrading to the next generation, families were moving to the cheaper 360 once the Wii ran out of steam and they wanted Minecraft. I think if Nintendo gets the Switch to really click with people they'll avoid this, since the selling point of the Switch is unique and something kids and adults would understand.
Tom Nook Sawyer
Member
The Xbox One looked like a system worth not being confused about