Current Events > Someone explain the Wii U to me

(+) Yeah! (+)

Why, pray tell, did Nintendo think it was a good idea to market a system with a very similar name to the Wii, inevitably confusing the consumer base? How long has Nintendo been in business?

I know that Nintendo has made up for it with the Switch, but the Wii U naming convention and overall marketing is still a head scratcher for me.

how is this even confusing? super nintendo didn't confuse people in the 90's.
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It's currently the best Nintendo system to own if you can only have one. Hack it and it can play games for everything released before it aside of the 3DS.
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Wewillrocku posted...

how is this even confusing? super nintendo didn't confuse people in the 90's.

8-bit to 16-bit was a big deal back in the day. Bits were heavy marketing ploys in the 90s.

People don't really care about bits anymore, so there's more confusion on what the Wii U actually was compared to the Wii.

People would buy a bag of dog shit if it had the Nintendo Logo on it
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Yeah, I never got how it's confusing either, but it definitely was to the general public that doesn't follow gaming.

The Wii U had some good games, but it was always a weak system with a stupid gimmick tablet controller.
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Wii U gamepad is unique

It's dead.
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I always laugh at posts like this. The GameCube has a HANDLE! You somehow ignored that, completely missing the easy transport factor that would come with using a GameCube. The genius of the Nintendo GameCube is shown through the handle and can only be appreciated when utilizing it. It's so miraculously designed that many people can't even feel the weight of the GameCube once they pick it up. The design staff worked hard on the handle, maybe even more than on the rest of the parts of GameCube combined, but people like you fail to realize the beauty crafted by the ascended beings that are the Nintendo dev team. Some fools have even gone so far as to say that the Switch was the first real 'portable' console from Nintendo. Are they blind? The GameCube may not have sold as many units as the Wii, but that was solely due to the strict quality assurance that Nintendo has about their products. And do you know what the main issue was that caused most of the units not to be shipped from the factory to the public? The handle. Every handle had to be perfect and custom crafted. Barely one out of ten handles could live up to this lofty standard.
Nintendo wanted us to use the handle. To bring our GameCubes to the park with us for picnics, or to go to the beach with. Yet I ask people about this, and most of them haven't even built a sandcastle with their GameCube. Instead they leave it locked in some small cupboard in the dark. You people should be ashamed of yourselves. GameCubes have helped us all through difficult times and we have repaid them poorly. Most people don't even take their GameCube for a walk once a week, let alone the daily walk that a GameCube should have. The handle is there for a reason guys. Use it. Your GameCube doesn't deserve this kind of treatment, and I know you'll both be happier once you start embracing the power of the handle.
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if anything xbox one is the most confusing name to me. but it still isn't really confusing. it's the new xbox. just like the wii u. it's the new wii. people know new consoles come out, so what's there to be confused about?
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pauIie posted...

if anything xbox one is the most confusing name to me. but it still isn't really confusing. it's the new xbox. just like the wii u. it's the new wii. people know new consoles come out, so what's there to be confused about?

Xbox and PlayStation have had consistent naming conventions.

Nintendo has not. Wii to Wii U is the first time they kept a quirky name.

Shroobsworth posted...

pauIie posted...

if anything xbox one is the most confusing name to me. but it still isn't really confusing. it's the new xbox. just like the wii u. it's the new wii. people know new consoles come out, so what's there to be confused about?

Xbox and PlayStation have had consistent naming conventions.

Nintendo has not. Wii to Wii U is the first time they kept a quirky name.

what's conventional about xbox, to 360, to one?
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i wonder if the public just doesn't consider nintendo in the same light it once did. i don't think the most popular brand would get so much bad feedback about their name.
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Wewillrocku posted...

how is this even confusing? super nintendo didn't confuse people in the 90's.

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@Medzzz posted...

Wewillrocku posted...

how is this even confusing? super nintendo didn't confuse people in the 90's.

Shroobsworth posted...

8-bit to 16-bit was a big deal back in the day. Bits were heavy marketing ploys in the 90s.

People don't really care about bits anymore, so there's more confusion on what the Wii U actually was compared to the Wii.

And also, you guys are in the know, not a common consumer. Of course it's not fucking confusing if you're a member on GameFAQs, a website for video games.

Wii 2 would have probably been better. Same with the PSP 2 instead of the Vita.

Garioshi posted...

It's currently the best Nintendo system to own if you can only have one. Hack it and it can play games for everything released before it aside of the 3DS.

No thanks. The Switch is infinitely superior.
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Wii U? More like P U, amirite?

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0JElywbkSbY
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wii brought in a lot of casual gamers. my best guess is that they were counting on the casual gamers to hear/see the name wii u, recognise the wii brand, and rely on word of mouth for marketing. problem is the console was marketed terribly. if i remember right, the first bunch of ads didn't even show the console, just the tablet, so a lot of the people that did see the ads thought it was an expansion for the wii. i was working in a video game store before it released, and we had a demo unit. i would point it out to people to give it a go and consider pre-ordering one, and the most common question was if the tablet was the entire thing, not noticing the console in the case directly in front of them.

it was a massive marketing blunder on nintendo's part. they assumed it would just sell itself because the wii was such a commercial success, and it just blew up in their faces.
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Shroobsworth posted...

And also, you guys are in the know, not a common consumer. Of course it's not fucking confusing if you're a member on GameFAQs, a website for video games. You already know a thing or two about gaming products.

you have a point, but you haven't answered how xbox to 360 to one is conventional naming.
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WerewolfPaws posted...

Garioshi posted...

It's currently the best Nintendo system to own if you can only have one. Hack it and it can play games for everything released before it aside of the 3DS.

No thanks. The Switch is infinitely superior.

Because
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Garioshi posted...

Because

Because switch has a touchpad that doubles as a dual screen OH WAIT

pauIie posted...

Shroobsworth posted...

And also, you guys are in the know, not a common consumer. Of course it's not fucking confusing if you're a member on GameFAQs, a website for video games. You already know a thing or two about gaming products.

you have a point, but you haven't answered how xbox to 360 to one is conventional naming.

When you see the Xbox you turn 360 degrees and start back at One
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DuranOfForcena posted...

i worked in the electronics department of a walmart when the Wii U came out.

you cannot comprehend how many customers i got asking for the new touchscreen controller for the Wii.

Makes sense. Almost every advert for it focused on the controller, and in commercials with groups, they would show them using the original wiimotes in conjunction with the Wii U touchpad. Add in the fact that the Wii itself had a bunch of accessories (wii fit board, wheel, zapper, motionplus, 3rd party "sports" attachments, etc..), and it would make most casuals assume it was just another add-on.

Also didn't help that the consoles themselves had very similar designs, so even if they did see it in the background of a commercial, it didn't stand out as something new (At best, it would be no more than a special model)
https://s.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/dsc05098.jpg
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Tired-Insomniac posted...

pauIie posted...

Shroobsworth posted...

And also, you guys are in the know, not a common consumer. Of course it's not fucking confusing if you're a member on GameFAQs, a website for video games. You already know a thing or two about gaming products.

you have a point, but you haven't answered how xbox to 360 to one is conventional naming.

When you see the Xbox you turn 360 degrees and start back at One

nice
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Conflict posted...

The consumer base was confused because Nintendo poorly marketed the system and people were unaware it even existed.

This.

It had nothing to do with the name. I had to do with the way it was marketed. All the focus was on the tablet, with the actual console an afterthought.

Plus, there was virtually no marketing for it outside of gaming circles.

So the average consumer either didn't know it existed, or assumed it was a peripheral for the Wii.
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sLaCkEr408___RJ posted...

Because switch has a touchpad that doubles as a dual screen OH WAIT

It doesn't even double as a dual screen

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Here is Reggie Fils-Aime explaining the absolutely flawless logic behind the Wii U at its E3 announcement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eToRfMrjbzM

I loved the Wii U. It was a good system with great games - most of which have been ported to the Switch, rendering the system completely futile at this point, unfortunately. Still, I hope TWWHD is eventually ported. <_<

Regardless, it had some awesome features, and I genuinely enjoyed the GamePad; it was great using its internet browser when I didn't have a laptop, and to use it when the TV was being occupied.
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Shroobsworth posted...

@Medzzz posted...

Wewillrocku posted...

how is this even confusing? super nintendo didn't confuse people in the 90's.

Shroobsworth posted...

8-bit to 16-bit was a big deal back in the day. Bits were heavy marketing ploys in the 90s.

People don't really care about bits anymore, so there's more confusion on what the Wii U actually was compared to the Wii.

And also, you guys are in the know, not a common consumer. Of course it's not fucking confusing if you're a member on GameFAQs, a website for video games. You already know a thing or two about gaming products.

lmaooo
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8yMugpwm0
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Thinking of getting a Wii U to play VC games because piracy is bad.