# Nintendo message Wii owners about the Wii U; "it's an entirely new system."



## emigre (May 1, 2013)

Spoiler














> Apparently Ninty have taken the direct approach and have messaged Wii owners to state the Wii U is a completely new system rather than some sort of add on. It looks like Ninty have worked out their marketing for the Wii U has been less than stellar. What is also slightly amusing is that Wii Mini owners won't get this message because it lacks wifi. Someone probably didn't think that through too much.


 
Source​


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## NiGHtS (May 1, 2013)

This is just....sad.


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## Deleted member 473940 (May 1, 2013)

That just shows how desperate they are?


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## FAST6191 (May 1, 2013)

Scene 1 - Almost 6 months since launch marketing meeting.

"Why is the Wii U not selling Wii numbers? My second boat was depending upon it selling that much and more."
The unwise engineer- "We released a soon to be underpowered console and have not either ensured games come out or made them ourselves"
"you are fired"
One that can think on their feet- "Maybe there is marketing confusion in that the plebs do not know the Wii U is not just another addon piece of junk"
"Watch your tongue: those addons paid for my third mansion... but you are right, the boys in naming did a bad job... again. Now it is up to us"
Jenkins- "I have a mailing list of confirmed Wii owners"
"Jenkins you are a genius"


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## xist (May 1, 2013)

I'm actually quite stunned by how little television advertising there has been for the Wii U. The DS, Wii and 3DS were all over the TV, but the Wii U is curiously absent. Whilst that may be in direct relation to games worth advertising it does seem odd that they think a message like this will work. It's probably fair to say that if you don't know about the Wii U then your Wii is sitting unused in a corner or you're 5.


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## Snailface (May 1, 2013)

Nintendo marketing used to be unflappable. Now look at it.

That message should have been communicated last November.


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## RupeeClock (May 1, 2013)

I voiced my concerns about the Wii U's naming sometime before, citing that it may repeat the mistakes of the 3DS's namesake causing brand confusion.


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## YamiHoshi.nl (May 1, 2013)

Meanwhile, "Buy a Wii Mini!".
While promoting the Wii Mini: "Fuck Wii, get a Wii U!".


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## NightsOwl (May 1, 2013)

Oh, Nintendo. How funny you are.


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## Nah3DS (May 1, 2013)

I already have the Wii
where can I buy the U? 

It's even funnier when you realize that U is the first letter of Upgrade


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## Clydefrosch (May 1, 2013)

RupeeClock said:


> I voiced my concerns about the Wii U's naming sometime before, citing that it may repeat the mistakes of the 3DS's namesake causing brand confusion.


 
brand confusion is a terrible explanation for anything. its also the reason why apple is allowed to harrass a german cafe called apfelkind (applechild) for using a logo that looks like an apple http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4672/apfelkindlogo.jpg
because you're obviously going to want to buy the new iphone and instead buy 700€ worth of coffee mugs instead.

anyone who knows about videogames or who cares about videogames knows that a wiiu is not a wii, or that a 360 is not just a spinning xbox.


though i dont really see the problem of advertising their new console on their old console, they should have done that twice a week for the last year. to make sure everyone gets that buying a wiiu will stop the messages.


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## RupeeClock (May 1, 2013)

Clydefrosch said:


> anyone who knows about videogames or who cares about videogames knows that a wiiu is not a wii, or that a 360 is not just a spinning xbox.


 
Never underestimate consumer ignorance.




http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=192150

We the invested gamers know, but we're in the minority, a large number of people that got Wiis got the system for board-game appeal and to play Wii Sports.
A lot of people thought that the 3DS was just the same DS but with an added 3D gimmick, because that's what was primarily marketed, the 3D effect.
Likewise people think the Wii U is just a Wii that comes with that tablet controller, not knowing it's a new system altogether.


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## Taleweaver (May 1, 2013)

Is this some sort of joke?

The "all-new home console"? It's been out for nearly half a year now! Worse...the wii owners are very likely exactly the people who know that the wiiu ISN'T a *wii u*pgrade (I really wonder how they got that idea  *). And they either found out because they follow what nintendo is doing, or they had tried to buy some wiiu game to find out that it doesn't work.

I wonder what the next messages will be like...

"Go out and buy a wiiu now! Get rid of this piece of junk and get a console of this generation while you still can!"
"yes, we know there aren't many wii releases this year. It means you should get a hint and buy a wiiu already"
"This message is sent out because of the numerous confused mails we've received about the wiiu. It is a new console. No, its gamepad will not come to the wii. No, there will be no more wii releases. Again: no, it's NOT the same console or an upgrade. This one has a 'u' at the end, which signals it's completely new. And finally: no, we will not fire the person who came up with the name. Please stop bothering him about it."



*credits to NahuelDS for pointing out the u for upgrade.


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## raulpica (May 1, 2013)

Nintendo's advertising team should be FIRED. Oh, the naming guys, too. Even "Nintendo Cappuccino" would've been a better name than "WiiU".

I mean, I still get customers asking:
"I want that new Luigi game on my DS"
"It's for 3DS"
"I have a DS"
"But it's a 3D game, for 3DS"
"Can I play it on my Nintendo DS without the 3D? I don't care about the 3D"

Which is caused from the WAY too similiar names.


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## Tom Bombadildo (May 1, 2013)

Woah woah woah stop the presses! The Wii U _isn't _an upgrade for the Wii? Bullshit


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## Veho (May 1, 2013)

> What is also slightly amusing is that Wii Mini owners won't get this message because it lacks wifi. Someone probably didn't think that through too much.


People who would buy a Wii Mini probably can't afford a Wii U anyway. And the Wii Mini has been out for less than a month, I doubt the owners would be interested in getting a new console a month after buying the previous one.


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## LightyKD (May 1, 2013)

So... that's why my Wii was glowing last night lol. 

Seriously, this was a stupid move by Nintendo. I'm surprised that the damn included link actually worked. Here's the issue. Nintendo is about to nix the message board and the Nintendo Channel. -um, stupid move Nintendo! The reason why I like the Nintendo Channel these days is because it makes me "jealous".  Whilst I'm super hyped over my coming Ouya, I still find myself watching Wii U and 3DS clips on the Nintendo channel and saying to myself, "hmmm, I can see myself enjoying this game on said consoles". How can you advertise to current Wii owners if you're taking away a really good advertising channel?


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## RupeeClock (May 1, 2013)

raulpica said:


> I mean, I still get customers asking:
> "I want that new Luigi game on my DS"
> "It's for 3DS"
> "I have a DS"
> ...


 
Reminds me of how Gameboy Advance games or Gameboy Color games would have appropriate warnings on the front and back.
Super Mario Bros Deluxe (GBC)
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/5/0/198850_50499_front.jpg
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/5/0/198850_50499_back.jpg

Super Mario Advance (GBA)
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/7/7/2/457772_50773_front.jpg
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/7/7/2/457772_50773_back.jpg

Now if you look at New Super Mario Bros 2, no warning that this software is not compatible with the Nintendo DS.
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/1/9/667819_259043_front.jpg
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/1/9/667819_259043_back.jpg
It does say "Plays on Nintendo 3DS systems sold for the Americas only." This is only concerning the region lock of the 3DS though, and doesn't mention lack of compatibility with the DS.



raulpica said:


> Nintendo's advertising team should be FIRED. Oh, the naming guys, too. Even "Nintendo Cappuccino" would've been a better name than "WiiU".


 
I want a Nintendo Cappuccino.


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## WiiUBricker (May 1, 2013)

If you think Nintendo's advertising team is bad, how bad must be Sony's advertising team for you? PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4...


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## Gahars (May 1, 2013)

Sheesh, it's just getting worse and worse for them, isn't it?

In the paraphrased words of Mr. T, "I pity the U."



WiiUBricker said:


> If you think Nintendo's advertising team is bad, how bad must be Sony's advertising team for you? PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4...


 
While Sony's certainly had its fair share of bad ads, I don't think they ever had to explain to people that, say, the PS2 and PS1 were totally different things. The name alone got that across pretty well; numbers are useful like that.


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## Nah3DS (May 1, 2013)

WiiUBricker said:


> If you think Nintendo's advertising team is bad, how bad must be Sony's advertising team for you? PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4...


bad? nah, I don't think so
boring, monotonous, predictable and uninspiring? yes


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## WiiUBricker (May 1, 2013)

NahuelDS said:


> bad? nah, I don't think so
> boring, monotonous, predictable and uninspiring? yes


That's not the point.


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## Guild McCommunist (May 1, 2013)

WiiUBricker said:


> If you think Nintendo's advertising team is bad, how bad must be Sony's advertising team for you? PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4...


 
Except the numbers indicate a new and advanced console compared to the last. There's a reason there's been no fiasco with a new Playstation getting mixed up with an old one. Everyone knows a Playstation 2 and a Playstation 3 are different. Why? Because one has a bigger number.


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## RupeeClock (May 1, 2013)

Guild McCommunist said:


> Except the numbers indicate a new and advanced console compared to the last. There's a reason there's been no fiasco with a new Playstation getting mixed up with an old one. Everyone knows a Playstation 2 and a Playstation 3 are different. Why? Because one has a bigger number.


Pretty much, meanwhile I suppose Nintendo's previous new hardware installments avoided confusion by making their systems sound technologically superior, whilst also looking significantly different.
The SUPER Nintendo, the Gameboy ADVANCE, etc.
The 3DS looks remarkably similar to the DSi, whilst the Wii U looks very much alike a Wii.
Heck let's not forget the confusion when the Wii U was announced at E3 2011, they showed off the controller in great detail but they neglected to show off the actual console!


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## dickfour (May 1, 2013)

Kind of dumb to call the new console a wii


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## Guild McCommunist (May 1, 2013)

RupeeClock said:


> Pretty much, meanwhile I suppose Nintendo's previous new hardware installments avoided confusion by making their systems sound technologically superior, whilst also looking significantly different.
> The SUPER Nintendo, the Gameboy ADVANCE, etc.
> The 3DS looks remarkably similar to the DSi, whilst the Wii U looks very much alike a Wii.
> Heck let's not forget the confusion when the Wii U was announced at E3 2011, they showed off the controller in great detail but they neglected to show off the actual console!


 
The actual Wii U console does look a bit like a curvy Wii. If I was uneducated in the field (although I think "educated" and "video games" in the same sentence is worth a chuckle) I'd say it's just a revised Wii with an add on.


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## Nah3DS (May 1, 2013)

WiiUBricker said:


> That's not the point.


yeah, I know... I just wanted to point that out
I guess Sony naming scheme is dumb-proof enough


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## chavosaur (May 1, 2013)

I wonder if all the 3DS confusion would have been solved, had the console been named a DS3. 
I really don't know what they could have called the wii u :/
Anything but really.


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## BORTZ (May 1, 2013)

Well Nintendo. 

1. You shouldn't have tried to play the "casual" market again, you already knew that it was tapped out from the amount of wiis you sold. 
2. You shouldn't have named it so ambiguously. As mentioned above, its the same thing as consumers that think the 3DS is just the next step in the "DS" hardware line. (DS, DS lite, DSi, DSiXL, 3DS) and while you clearly know it isn't, your [potential] buyers don't. 
"Well I already have a DS lite so I don't need a 3DS."
"Well I already have a Wii so I don't need the WiiU."
3. You should have built a console that wasn't old news. AKA something more powerful than the competition's last hardware generation. 

The crowd that you generated with the GC and have forsaken with the Wii is all but dried up now.


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## Rizsparky (May 1, 2013)

I don't see anything wrong with this, when Nintendo don't market the WiiU people get mad, when they do market, people get mad too. They simply can't win..


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## slingblade1170 (May 1, 2013)

Now, I do agree that the Wii U's name is a bit stupid but Nintendo could sell the system but it needs to be marketed correctly. Once they figure a way to advertise and market the Wii U it will take off!


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## The Catboy (May 1, 2013)

NiGHtS said:


> This is just....sad.


What's sad is how many people a day I talk to who think you can just buy the Wii U gamepad and games and they will work on the Wii.

It's the same amount of people who think you can just buy 3DS games, cut off the little nub and it will work on the DS.

These are also the same people who ignore me when I correct them or yell at me telling me I am wrong.

People are stupid and need the direct approach.



RupeeClock said:


> Reminds me of how Gameboy Advance games or Gameboy Color games would have appropriate warnings on the front and back.
> Super Mario Bros Deluxe (GBC)
> http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/5/0/198850_50499_front.jpg
> http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/5/0/198850_50499_back.jpg
> ...


I am pretty sure they stopped doing that because they were sure enough people weren't _that stupid_, without realizing people really are that stupid.


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## Chary (May 1, 2013)

Honestly, Nintendo made a stupid choice when naming the WiiU. When I told my parents about it, they either thought it was a software update, or a u-shaped hardware add-on.

You be surprised at how many ignorant people there are. If you're trying to draw back in the casual crowd that you had from the Wii days, you need a name that defines it as a brand new product, because those casual gamers aren't going to know it's a whole new game system. They're just going to think it's some new game, or that you just buy the gamepad, and hook it up to the original Wii.


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## FAST6191 (May 1, 2013)

BortzANATOR said:


> "Well I already have a DS lite so I don't need a 3DS."



I would hold that is actually true at present.


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## BORTZ (May 1, 2013)

FAST6191 said:


> I would hold that is actually true at present.


Well, yeah to a degree. It's a different argument, but you know that.


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## Engert (May 1, 2013)

Where are the Nintendo fanboys in this thread?
ShadowSoldier? Where are you?


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## Veho (May 1, 2013)

Chary said:


> If you're trying to draw back in the casual crowd that you had from the Wii days, you need a name that defines it as a brand new product, because those casual gamers aren't going to know it's a whole new game system.


Or maybe they wanted to use a familiar and reassuring name and not scare them off with something new and unexpected like Razor or Shrike or Deathbox 3000. 

Besides, Nintendo claimed they wanted to appeal to "hardcore" gamers with this one. Apparently. So they didn't mind confusing the casual crowd. 

I don't think it's the name, I think it's the marketing. The horribly ambiguous marketing.


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## KingVamp (May 1, 2013)

ShawnTRods said:


> That just shows how desperate they are?


1) They are marketing it badly.
ok

2) A good attempt of marketing it.
(Desperate)
Come on now. smh


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## Maxternal (May 1, 2013)

Hey, I feel left out. I didn't notice this new message.
Of course, lately, my kids just turn on the console and go right into Netflix to watch things like Barney and Blues Clues before I even have a chance (not my ideal concept of what it should be used for but at least it keeps them from climbing up the walls.) so the message is probably sitting there waiting for me to find it.

Anyway, looks like they'd realized that when they shut down their message board servers here in the near future they're not gonna get another chance like this. Worst thing they'll do is alienate people who never would have bought a Wii U anyhow.


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## Fear Zoa (May 1, 2013)

Yes yes how dare they attempt to market their new product. 

In all seriousness though it seems like a decent idea, it's not like it costs them any money to send that message and I'm sure Microsoft and Sony will both be doing something similar.


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## Mantis41 (May 1, 2013)

Christ almighty!!! It has nothing to do with the fricken name!!! It is an expensive underpowered system, hence the low sales.

Name confusion! Really? Does Ninty think all westerners are fucken stupid.


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## Ergo (May 1, 2013)

Snailface said:


> Nintendo marketing used to be unflappable. Now look at it.
> 
> That message should have been communicated last November.



Exactly this: it should have been rolled out in the run up to Christmas, virtually every week as some form of countdown via the Wii messaging system, starting in, say, September.

Oh well.


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## Veho (May 1, 2013)

Mantis41 said:


> Christ almighty!!! It has nothing to do with the fricken name!!! It is an expensive underpowered system, hence the low sales.


I think the biggest problem is the NOGAEMS.


> Name confusion! Really? Does Ninty think all westerners are fucken stupid.


You'd be surprised/shocked/appalled at the number of people who can't understand why they can't play PS2 games on the Wii. "It's a thing you plug into the TV, what do you mean they're not all the same?" So yes, people are... _uninformed_, to put it diplomatically.


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## BenRK (May 1, 2013)

Sigh... you're all idiots, you know that, right? Well, not ALL of you. Some people are decent enough... Most of you though are being jackasses about this.


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## Hop2089 (May 1, 2013)

The WiiU has no relevant games in any region, that's right, even the Japanese 3rd party developers don't want to make games for the system, it's the modern equivalent to the Casio Loopy.


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## Issac (May 1, 2013)

I really think it is an unfortunate name "Wii U", there are so many who doesn't realise that it isn't just a redesign of the Wii. My sister (who is a lot older than me) had a really hard time grasping why a 3DS game wouldn't work on her daughters DS Lite. Now, the sales person at Game told her that it would work, but that the 3D effect would disappear, so I guess that confused her even more.

But the fact that they send this message out to wii users? What about it? I think it's perfectly fine!


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## TyBlood13 (May 1, 2013)

RupeeClock said:


> Reminds me of how Gameboy Advance games or Gameboy Color games would have appropriate warnings on
> Now if you look at New Super Mario Bros 2, no warning that this software is not compatible with the Nintendo DS.
> http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/1/9/667819_259043_front.jpg
> http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/1/9/667819_259043_back.jpg
> It does say "Plays on Nintendo 3DS systems sold for the Americas only." This is only concerning the region lock of the 3DS though, and doesn't mention lack of compatibility with the DS.


Funny thing is, the people at my Walmart (you know where this is going), are now REQUIRED to ask people if they realize those aren't Nintendo DS games because too many people were confused about DS/3DS differences. I found this out when I bought NSMB2.


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## Rydian (May 1, 2013)

Veho said:


> Or maybe they wanted to use a familiar and reassuring name and not scare them off with something new and unexpected like Razor or Shrike or Deathbox 3000.


Super Nintendo, N64, Gamecube, Wii...  Yeah, Nintendo really likes scary-sounding games like BloodBathBox 666 and are highly apt to choose a new name that scares people itself!

Oh wait, no, people would just be unsure because the name is !!!DIFFERENT!!!, not that the name itself is inherently angry-sounding.



Mantis41 said:


> Christ almighty!!! It has nothing to do with the fricken name!!! It is an expensive underpowered system, hence the low sales.
> 
> Name confusion! Really? Does Ninty think all westerners are fucken stupid.


You haven't actually read this thread, have you?  Yes, most people DO confuse the two, and it DOES impact sales.


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## chavosaur (May 2, 2013)

Believe me, working in retail is where you get the funniest shit. 
I work the electronics desk at target sometimes and I'll never forget when this BIG black lady and her son came up to the desk. 
Her: Do you do returns here sir?!
Me: No ma'am, returns are done at the service desk, may I ask what you need help with?
Her: I bought this damn game here, and it don't work on my sons Gameboy. 
Son: It's A DS mom!
Her: BOY SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK 
Me: (amused) May I ask what the problem was?
Her: WELL, y'all's damn department never took the security tab off the game!
Me: (confused) well let me take a look at the game, an ill see what I can do. 
(Hands me a 3DS cart of Luigis Mansion Dark Moon)
Me: Uh ma'am, this is a 3DS cart. 
Her: Yea... What's yo point. 
Me: So it does not work on a Regular DSlite. 
Her: NU-UH, don't gimmie dat shit, it says DS on the box, so it's a DS game, it'll work on a DS, just take off that security tab right there!
Me: Ma'am that's not a security tab, that's just a part of the cart to differentiate between a DS game and a 3DS game. 
Her: BOY, I ain't dealin with this shit, don't be lying to me now, just do what I asked you. 
Me: (slightly annoyed now.) Allow me to show you ma'am.
(Pulls 3DS out of pocket and pops Cart out of slot) 
Me: You see ma'am, this isn't a security tab. It's a part of the game, all 3DS games look like this. And a 3DS is COMPLETELY different from a regular DS. Notice the cameras and other added features? It's an entirely new entity. 
Her: ... Well Damn then, y'all need some different advertising or some shit, call it something else, take that DS out of the title or some shit. 
Me: Well ma'am, we don't call it that, Nintendo gives the names, we just sell them. 
Her: WELL TELL THEM THEIR NAMIN PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE SOME BETTER MUTHAFUCKIN NAMES THEN. 
(Storms off) 
... I'll do that.


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## trumpet-205 (May 2, 2013)

So far all the advertisement effort (this and couple Wii U ads showing families playing party games) are all targeting casual gamers.

Seems to me like Nintendo gave up on hardcore audience.


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## Maxternal (May 2, 2013)

chavosaur said:


> (Pulls 3DS out of pocket and pops Cart out of slot)


LOL
Never leave home without it.
Did she take her game with her when she stormed off or did you get to keep it?


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## chavosaur (May 2, 2013)

Maxternal said:


> LOL
> Never leave home without it.
> Did she take her game with her when she stormed off or did you get to keep it?


Oh yea she picked it right up, I assume taking it to the service desk. Ironically the game I showed her was also Luigi


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## ShadowSoldier (May 2, 2013)

trumpet-205 said:


> So far all the advertisement effort (this and couple Wii U ads showing families playing party games) are all targeting casual gamers.
> 
> Seems to me like Nintendo gave up on hardcore audience.


 
The thing is Nintendo is fucked no matter what.

They go casual: "Nintendo is all casual, they need hardcore games!"
They bring out hardcore games: "Nintendo needs to do casual to increase their sales"
They go back to casual: "Nintendo has given up on the hardcore audience"


Nintendo seriously can't catch a break at all.

But imo, this is a great idea. It should have been done sooner. People still think that the WiiU is just an Add-On and they play their Wii's. They see that blinking notification, click on it, "Oh wait, you mean WiiU is a new console? WTF WHY DIDN'T ANYBODY TELL ME!"

Now if only Nintendo can take the money they saved from E3 and flood the TV with ads.


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## chartube12 (May 2, 2013)

The Nintendo 3DS should of been called, the Nintendo Mii 3D or The Nintendo 3D or The Nintendo Mii.

The Wii U should of been called the Game Rectangle or The Nintendo HDs, short for the nintendo home dual screen. The s purposely smaller to give it a double meaning. Or it should of been called The Nintendo H2S (home two screens)


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## Maxternal (May 2, 2013)

I'm still voting for ANES (Almighty Nintendo Entertainment System)

... and then I just read that out phonetically and decided against it. Never mind.
(But what could I do? Technically Ultra Nintendo was taken by the N64)


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## The Milkman (May 2, 2013)

I call bullshit. 

The Wii U is just a Wii with a new controller, right? 

RIGHT!?


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## Necron (May 2, 2013)

They should have reused Nintendo Revolution and done.


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## Maxternal (May 2, 2013)

The Milkman said:


> I call bullshit.
> 
> The Wii U is just a Wii with a new controller, right?
> 
> RIGHT!?


No, of course not. It's JUST a controller and a new faceplate for your existing Wii.  Duh.


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## GameWinner (May 2, 2013)

Mantis41 said:


> Christ almighty!!! It has nothing to do with the fricken name!!! It is an expensive underpowered system, hence the low sales.
> 
> Name confusion! Really? Does Ninty think all westerners are fucken stupid.


The average customer does not care about the power of the system but they do care about the price tag so I'll give you that.


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## kehkou (May 2, 2013)

Nintendo should cut their losses and pull a "Virtual Boy", so to speak. quietly put this in the back closet and make a system that will stand up to the competition if the want the core gamers back without the 'Wii' branding. Yeah it will definitely piss off the early adopters (like it hasn't already), but that's the price they pay for shooting themselves in the foot like that.



GameWinner said:


> The average customer does not care about the power of the system but they do care about the price tag so I'll give you that.


 
You're right. They don't. They care about good games. Nintendo should know that the developers (the ones *making* the games) really care about the power of it so it still rebounds back to the consumer.


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## GameWinner (May 2, 2013)

kehkou said:


> Nintendo should cut their losses and pull a "Virtual Boy", so to speak. quietly put this in the back closet and make a system that will stand up to the competition if the want the core gamers back without the 'Wii' branding. Yeah it will definitely piss off the early adopters (like it hasn't already), but that's the price they pay for shooting themselves in the foot like that.


I don't think they would do that since they already put so much into it. Nintendo could possibly turn it around so it would be like the GameCube.


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## JoostinOnline (May 2, 2013)

Mantis41 said:


> Christ almighty!!! It has nothing to do with the fricken name!!!


With the DS, a modified name meant an upgrade.  Many people are going to assume the same is true for the Wii.  If that wasn't the case, why do you think that Nintendo has been doing the "it's a new system, not an upgrade" thing for weeks?

Btw, you really don't know it's underpowered, and it's certainly not expensive compared to average launch prices.


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## kehkou (May 2, 2013)

GameWinner said:


> I don't think they would do that since they already put so much into it. Nintendo could possibly turn it around so it would be like the GameCube.


 
I hope so. I for one can't wait to get one, I'm just sick of the developers shrugging it off as an underpowered toy.



JoostinOnline said:


> Btw, you really don't know it's underpowered, and it's certainly not expensive compared to average launch prices.


 
The devs certaily think it is.


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## Veho (May 2, 2013)

Rydian said:


> Super Nintendo, N64, Gamecube, Wii...  Yeah, Nintendo really likes scary-sounding games like BloodBathBox 666 and are highly apt to choose a new name that scares people itself!
> 
> Oh wait, no, people would just be unsure because the name is !!!DIFFERENT!!!, not that the name itself is inherently angry-sounding.


That's what I meant, but then when I used the term "reassuring" in the sentence my brain got away with me. What I meant was that any new completely unrelated name would have scared and confused Wii owners.  


Also, Rydian can't into hyperbole.


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## Rydian (May 2, 2013)

Veho said:


> Also, Rydian can't into hyperbole.


It's not my fault they always tell me it's 6 inches and I believe them.


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## JoostinOnline (May 2, 2013)

kehkou said:


> The devs certaily think it is.


Not really.  There is so much back and forth on it, it's hard to know what's right.  At the moment, very little is known for sure.  It is definitely more powerful than current gen, the GPGPU destroys the PS360,  and the CPU is thought to be only slightly better than the PS360.

Only time will tell.


----------



## kehkou (May 2, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Not really. There is so much back and forth on it, it's hard to know what's right. At the moment, very little is known for sure. It is definitely more powerful than current gen, the GPGPU destroys the PS360, and the CPU is thought to be only slightly better than the PS360.
> 
> Only time will tell.


 
So I've read. But *some* are to lazy to fully take advantage of the GPGPU, which is odd, considering it will soon be a standard in gaming hardware a la PS720 and PC as well.


----------



## kehkou (May 2, 2013)

the_randomizer said:


> Underpowered is a reason for failure?
> 
> And here I was thinking about the games being the main reason why consoles sell. Silly me, I should be punished for being so ignorant!


 
The two aren't mutualy exclusive. Devs care about specs, consumers care about the games made by said devs.


----------



## Rizsparky (May 2, 2013)

chartube12 said:


> The Nintendo 3DS should of been called, the Nintendo Mii 3D or The Nintendo 3D or The Nintendo Mii.
> 
> The Wii U should of been called the *Game Rectangle* or The Nintendo HDs, short for the nintendo home dual screen. The s purposely smaller to give it a double meaning. Or it should of been called The Nintendo H2S (home two screens)


Its not a rectangle...


----------



## heartgold (May 2, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Not really. There is so much back and forth on it, it's hard to know what's right. At the moment, very little is known for sure. It is definitely more powerful than current gen, the GPGPU destroys the PS360, and the CPU is thought to be only slightly better than the PS360.
> 
> Only time will tell.


devs have been saying Wii U has a modern GPU. CPU seems not to be so good, but Nintendo has said CPU isn't weak because it backed up by lots of cache and GPGPU functionality. Lets not forget Wii U's processor is out-of-order executing CPU.

We have to wait for Nintendo first party to see what the machine is capable of.

Here's their take.


> Takeda: Wii U is a machine that has a lot of performance compared to its power consumption. The GPU is definitely more pronounced than the CPU. There are people saying that the CPU is weak but that is not true. It is a trend that the cash memory is what’s getting bigger with CPUs, not the processing power. I do not think at the CPU is underpowered. Its just a design where the memory is more stressed.


----------



## Rizsparky (May 2, 2013)

heartgold said:


> devs have been saying Wii U has a modern GPU. CPU seems not to be so good, but Nintendo has said CPU isn't weak because it backed up by lots of cache and GPGPU functionality. Lets not forget Wii U's processor is out-of-order executing CPU.
> 
> We have to wait for Nintendo first party to see what the machine is capable of.
> 
> Here's their take.


This is really pleasing to hear, I'm really looking forward to the Smash 4 trailer at E3..


----------



## Veho (May 2, 2013)

This is from the web page of Asda. 






"All Nintendo Wii consoles." 


It seems the retailers are a bit hazy on the difference as well.


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 2, 2013)

heartgold said:


> devs have been saying Wii U has a modern GPU. CPU seems not to be so good, but Nintendo has said CPU isn't weak because it backed up by lots of cache and GPGPU functionality. Lets not forget Wii U's processor is out-of-order executing CPU.
> 
> We have to wait for Nintendo first party to see what the machine is capable of.
> 
> Here's their take.


Source?


----------



## Janthran (May 2, 2013)

xist said:


> It's probably fair to say that if you don't know about the Wii U then your Wii is sitting unused in a corner or you're 5.


Or 50.


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 2, 2013)

Janthran said:


> Or 50.


My 84 year old grandpa knows about the Wii U.


----------



## Janthran (May 2, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> My 84 year old grandpa knows about the Wii U.


And my 5 year old friend does too. There are exceptions to everything.


----------



## emigre (May 2, 2013)

Janthran said:


> And my 5 year old friend does too. There are exceptions to everything.


 
Why are you friends with a five year old?


----------



## Janthran (May 2, 2013)

emigre said:


> Why are you friends with a five year old?


I use the term loosely. Most of my friends are in large families.
Also, it's not really any of your business


----------



## emigre (May 2, 2013)

Janthran said:


> Also, it's not really any of your business


 
For the safety of the child, I think it is my business as a semi responsible adult.


----------



## Janthran (May 2, 2013)

emigre said:


> For the safety of the child, I think it is my business as a semi responsible adult.


It's not, actually.
You must be confusing me with your mother.


----------



## emigre (May 2, 2013)

Janthran said:


> It's not, actually.
> You must be confusing me with your mother.


----------



## deshayzilla (May 2, 2013)

Maybe they will release a gamecube preview disc about the Wii U being out, to all current gamecube owners. That will certainly drive sales up .


----------



## heartgold (May 2, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Source?


http://gamingeverything.com/39023/nintendo-wii-u-gpu-more-pronounced-than-cpu-but-cpu-not-weak/


----------



## Foxi4 (May 2, 2013)

xist said:


> I'm actually quite stunned by how little television advertising there has been for the Wii U. The DS, Wii and 3DS were all over the TV, but the Wii U is curiously absent. Whilst that may be in direct relation to games worth advertising it does seem odd that they think a message like this will work. It's probably fair to say that if you don't know about the Wii U then your Wii is sitting unused in a corner or you're 5.


Well, for TV ads you need footage and for footage you need games.

Oh... 


heartgold said:


> http://gamingeverything.com/39023/nintendo-wii-u-gpu-more-pronounced-than-cpu-but-cpu-not-weak/


Oh gee, Nintendo representatives saying that a Nintendo console isn't weak, showing no figures or comparisons whatsoever and admitting that their development teams are completely unprepared for Next Generation development since they've only just begun hiring specialists. 

Good, good.


----------



## Maxternal (May 2, 2013)

heartgold said:


> http://gamingeverything.com/39023/nintendo-wii-u-gpu-more-pronounced-than-cpu-but-cpu-not-weak/


I liked the part in there where Miyamoto commented that they had to hire new people who knew how to use shaders. Nintendo was just TOO used to programming for old tech ... but they were really good at it, too.


----------



## Qtis (May 2, 2013)

No surprise here.. The console isn't doing well and selling well below what Nintendo has expected.

As for the confusion around the console, Nintendo is much to blame here. The Wii has a ton of accessories named Wii XXX (WiiFit, Wii Remote, Wii Remote Plus, Wii Wheel, Wii Zapper, need I continue?). Considering something like the balance board is bigger than the WiiU controller, but still a peripheral for the original Wii, naming a new console Wii U can easily lead to the previous example's way of thinking.

ps. I actually wonder how many Wii owners actually received that message. Don't see that many people online with them anymore, especially with quite a few games being local multiplayer/party games on top of the optional online.


----------



## Subtle Demise (May 2, 2013)

trumpet-205 said:


> So far all the advertisement effort (this and couple Wii U ads showing families playing party games) are all targeting casual gamers.
> 
> Seems to me like Nintendo gave up on hardcore audience.


Games are casual just in the nature of their name. Hardcore and gaming should never exist in the same sentence. What defines a "HARDCORE" game anyway? FPS with lots of blood and gore with a bunch of 5 year old kids on shitty headsets yelling at each other through their noses?


----------



## Maxternal (May 2, 2013)

You know, I STILL haven't got the message. I'll have to turn standby connection on and let it sit a while and see what happens.

... Maybe Nintendo doesn't want ME to buy a Wii U


----------



## heartgold (May 2, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> Oh gee, Nintendo representatives saying that a Nintendo console isn't weak, showing no figures or comparisons whatsoever and admitting that their development teams are completely unprepared for Next Generation development since they've only just begun hiring specialists.
> 
> Good, good.


U troll.  Wii U is uber powerful than U know.


----------



## Foxi4 (May 2, 2013)

heartgold said:


> U troll.  Wii U is uber powerful than U know.


I'm sure U know what U're talking about.


----------



## heartgold (May 2, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> I'm sure U know what U're talking about.


U will be here for Wii, won't you? XD

Seriousness, Wii U is somewhat between current gen and next gen so not bad for graphics if built from ground up using the Wii U tech. It will be great for Nintendo fans as they will get their pretty 1st party games. I'm not seeing third parties supporting this properly once next gen gets rolling. No easy porting down, engine issues, etc. Not to mention bad sales and unpopular.


----------



## Foxi4 (May 2, 2013)

heartgold said:


> Seriousness, Wii U is somewhat between current gen and next gen so not bad for graphics if built from ground up using the Wii U tech. It will be great for Nintendo fans as they will get their pretty 1st party games. I'm not seeing third parties supporting this properly once next gen gets rolling. No easy porting down, engine issues, etc. Not to mention bad sales and unpopular.


That's a bit of an overly-dramatic viewpoint, I see the WiiU getting support... for the first 3-4 years, then it'll start falling behind in terms of technology, but that's still ahead of us. We have to consider the fact that many multiplatform titles are withheld for now because there are no other Next Gens to develop for - I honestly believe that the WiiU will start getting games once the PS4 and the 720 are released since then developers will have three outlets. _Technically_ they have three now, but they can't exactly spread their wings considering the limitations of the PS3 and the XBox 360 - they're literally holding the WiiU back a little.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

That's an interesting way of looking at it... though with the Wii being PPC and an older CPU at that, Idunno' if too many companies will be keen on porting to it from the everything-else-x86 continent.  I don't want to see Wii U ports with features cut like the Wii.


----------



## heartgold (May 3, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> That's a bit of an overly-dramatic viewpoint, I see the WiiU getting support... for the first 3-4 years, then it'll start falling behind in terms of technology, but that's still ahead of us. We have to consider the fact that many multiplatform titles are withheld for now because there are no other Next Gens to develop for - I honestly believe that the WiiU will start getting games once the PS4 and the 720 are released since then developers will have three outlets. _Technically_ they have three now, but they can't exactly spread their wings considering the limitations of the PS3 and the XBox 360 - they're literally holding the WiiU back a little.


I don't know, even if it has dev support behind I can't see the sales improving to the masses so that impacts support and I haven't even included the inferior specs. You have true two next gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft with a huge install base willing to jump the gun to the next graphical leap, while the Wii U isn't going to attract those gamers. Wii's core audience was family and casual. Now that demographics isn't there anymore.

Did you see killzone on the PS4, that's miles ahead of what Wii U can do. You will end up with far watered down ports for Wii U, making a day and night difference for consumers to see the superior version and devs might not bother if they know games aren't going to sell very well. We are seeing some devs ignoring the Wii U, i feel matters are about to worsen. All in all IMO third party support will be very poor.


----------



## Foxi4 (May 3, 2013)

Rydian said:


> That's an interesting way of looking at it... though with the Wii being PPC and an older CPU at that, Idunno' if too many companies will be keen on porting to it from the everything-else-x86 continent. I don't want to see Wii U ports with features cut like the Wii.


Price they pay for being different - they've been sticking to the same design since Gamecube times. Then again, they couldn't exactly predict that the entire industry will suddenly switch - heck, I didn't expect that turn of events either, I found it very unlikely after reading the initial rumours.



heartgold said:


> Did you see killzone on the PS4, that's miles ahead of what Wii U can do.


That's the thing - we haven't really seen the WiiU going full-blast yet. That Killzone engine is a Next Generation one, so far we've seen only Current Generation engines working on the WiiU like with CoD BLOPS2, but that doesn't mean it can't pull off more - it only means that nobody's ever attempted pushing it. Case and point, Mario Galaxy on the Wii. For all intents and purposes, that game shouldn't have been _"that pretty"_ on this hardware but it was.


----------



## Maxternal (May 3, 2013)

Well, going from one processor type to another, while it changes some things if you're doing technical stuff like dealing with microcode optimization or if you're playing dirty little tricks where you have to worry about the processor's endianess (which you really shouldn't do anyhow.) all you have to do is run it through a different compiler. The real trick when going from one platform to another, even ones that share the same processor, how to access the peripherals like the GPU, controllers, drives, network, etc and that has more to do with the change in SDK that does with the change in OS than it does with the change in hardware.

*It's a lot less work porting Linux software from one hardware to another completely different one than it is to port from Windows to Linux on the exact same computer.* The hardware has little to do when your dealing with high level source code. The libraries and OS take care of that. It's swapping libs or changing OS that sucks.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

Maxternal said:


> Well, going from one processor type to another, while it changes some things if you're doing technical stuff like dealing with microcode optimization or if you're playing dirty little tricks where you have to worry about the processor's endianess (which you really shouldn't do anyhow.) all you have to do is run it through a different compiler.


Assuming that both CPUs in question support the same things...
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/841446
Take that for example.  Firefox needs the SSE2 instruction set now.  Older CPUs do not have this, so Firefox will not work on them even though they may be 100% legit Intel/AMD CPUs and run XP and everything on a Dell or whatever.


----------



## heartgold (May 3, 2013)

Foxi4 said:


> That's the thing - we haven't really seen the WiiU going full-blast yet. That Killzone engine is a Next Generation one, so far we've seen only Current Generation engines working on the WiiU like with CoD BLOPS2, but that doesn't mean it can't pull off more - it only means that nobody's ever attempted pushing it. Case and point, Mario Galaxy on the Wii. For all intents and purposes, that game shouldn't have been _"that pretty"_ on this hardware but it was.


Then the question arises what has Nintendo been doing? They have let the Wii dry up for years without any software, so they have been sitting on their arse's, not planned a next gen engine for their HD console and they're late to the party. It should have been showcased when the revealed Wii U at E3. That tech demo of Zelda was based on Twilight princess assets made in quick time. Very lazy or carefree company.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

Ehhh, Nintendo's not really in the engine department itself.  Some groups will re-use their older engines for new ones, but generally Nintendo's stuff is pretty custom.


----------



## Maxternal (May 3, 2013)

Rydian said:


> Assuming that both CPUs in question support the same things...
> https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/841446
> Take that for example. Firefox needs the SSE2 instruction set now. Older CPUs do not have this, so Firefox will not work on them even though they may be 100% legit Intel/AMD CPUs and run XP and everything on a Dell or whatever.


True, I guess in my perception that would fall under the my concept of "microcode optimizations", though (assuming I'm understanding the term, of course.) I'm now also kinda curious how that's implemented in code. I know some things can be emulated away by the compiler if you set the right options. I remember a DOS compiler I used to use that had the option to compile for 8088, 80186 or 80286 with or without the floating point co-processor and it would emulate floating point if you told it not to expect the co-processor ... but that's still all within the same x86 architecture anyhow.

It was interesting to me reading your link there that the guy still ended up being able to run 5.0 even though his processor didn't have SSE2. I wonder how that worked.

Either way, I guess gaming more than likely DOES usually need a lot of optimization unless porting to a machine that's vastly superior so I guess x86 CAN be a more important detail than I first thought.


----------



## Deleted_171835 (May 3, 2013)

heartgold said:


> Seriousness, Wii U is somewhat between current gen and next gen so not bad for graphics if built from ground up using the Wii U tech. It will be great for Nintendo fans as they will get their pretty 1st party games. I'm not seeing third parties supporting this properly once next gen gets rolling. No easy porting down, engine issues, etc. Not to mention bad sales and unpopular.





heartgold said:


> You seriously took that as a fact?
> 
> Have you seen the bird demo at last years E3,* it puts X360 and PS3 to shame.*


 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯


----------



## heartgold (May 3, 2013)

soulx said:


> ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


What? This is PS4 now. Come on O_O

Obviously Wii U is gonna be stronger than a 7 years old system.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

Maxternal said:


> ~


Guess I linked to the wrong once, since his CPU does have SSE2, whoops.

Anyways when programs run regardless, it's either because they detect the lack of instruction set and fallback to a slower (but specifically-programmed-in) method to do the same task, or they simply do not do that task at all.


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 3, 2013)

Btw, using my USB Gecko and super 1337 awesome hyper techno powerful gfx skillz (was that enough adjectives?), I made a screenshot (it's actually 10 shots put together) of the message and posted it here.


----------



## the_randomizer (May 3, 2013)

More MHz != something being faster




heartgold said:


> I don't know, even if it has dev support behind I can't see the sales improving to the masses so that impacts support and I haven't even included the inferior specs. You have true two next gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft with a huge install base willing to jump the gun to the next graphical leap, while the Wii U isn't going to attract those gamers. Wii's core audience was family and casual. Now that demographics isn't there anymore.
> 
> Did you see killzone on the PS4, that's miles ahead of what Wii U can do. You will end up with far watered down ports for Wii U, making a day and night difference for consumers to see the superior version and devs might not bother if they know games aren't going to sell very well. We are seeing some devs ignoring the Wii U, i feel matters are about to worsen. All in all IMO third party support will be very poor.


 

Right, because we've seen everything the Wii U can do...oh wait.


----------



## Nathan Drake (May 3, 2013)

I have a question:
How much of the casual crowd Nintendo so heavily tapped into with the Wii actually takes their console online? I could see a few million definitely using the internet on their Wii for either Netflix or the VC, but otherwise, very very few games presented a reason to go online. I feel that in the long run though, you'd be lucky to reach maybe 10 million people, tops, with this message. Of those people, you'd be lucky if even 25% were considering getting the console to begin with or if they found this message good enough to warrant deeper investigation.

Nintendo seems to be running out of options, and although this would have been a good idea to periodically send messages from when the Wii U was announced to when it released, only sending one this late into the game was a fairly bad idea. I'm sure they might recover eventually, but this naming thing was a huge fuck up that won't be easy to fix.


----------



## Maxternal (May 3, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> Btw, using my USB Gecko and super 1337 awesome hyper techno powerful gfx skillz (was that enough adjectives?), I made a screenshot (it's actually 10 shots put together) of the message and posted it here.


Oh, and nice ending there

"Still clueless about what Wii U is? read more at http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/what-is-wiiu/ "


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

Nathan Drake said:


> I have a question:
> How much of the casual crowd Nintendo so heavily tapped into with the Wii actually takes their console online? I could see a few million definitely using the internet on their Wii for either Netflix or the VC, but otherwise, very very few games presented a reason to go online. I feel that in the long run though, you'd be lucky to reach maybe 10 million people, tops, with this message. Of those people, you'd be lucky if even 25% were considering getting the console to begin with or if they found this message good enough to warrant deeper investigation.
> 
> Nintendo seems to be running out of options, and although this would have been a good idea to periodically send messages from when the Wii U was announced to when it released, only sending one this late into the game was a fairly bad idea. I'm sure they might recover eventually, but this naming thing was a huge fuck up that won't be easy to fix.


1 - You don't need to regularly play online, just have given your Wii access to your internet at least once before.

2 - The message probably cost them all of $100 to send, including bandwidth charges (bulk is cheap for big names).

Even if the message only reaches 10% of Wiis sold, and even if only 10% of _those_ even read it, and even if 10% of _those_ check the WIi U site after reading it, and even if only half the people _that even do that_ buy one... 

That's almost 50,000 sales.


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 3, 2013)

Rydian said:


> 1 - You don't need to regularly play online, just have given your Wii access to your internet at least once before.
> 
> 2 - The message probably cost them all of $100 to send, including bandwidth charges (bulk is cheap for big names).
> 
> ...


Well if you have notifications turned on (it's default), the the disc slot glows blue until you read the message, so I'd say more than 10% would read it.


----------



## the_randomizer (May 3, 2013)

Hey, I appreciated the censored posts. No really.


----------



## Arm73 (May 3, 2013)

They should have named it Wii HD, plain and simple.
People would upgrade in a heartbeat,(provided the games do come out ) like it's a Wii, but it's HD !
Too much emphasis on the game pad, of course, it's kind of revolutionary,that's why some people think it's an add on, but Wii HD sounds more like a worthwhile upgrade,denoting better graphics and bigger games,  like Nintendo > Super Nintendo.

Anyway, E3 is not that far away. Let's see what they manage to pull out, then the market will judge.
I always said it the system has been around for merely months and it need more time.


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 3, 2013)

Arm73 said:


> Anyway, E3 is not that far away. Let's see what they manage to pull out, then the market will judge.
> I always said it the system has been around for merely months and it need more time.


They aren't doing E3 this year.


----------



## TyBlood13 (May 3, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> They aren't doing E3 this year.


Oh for the love of GOD you are wrong!
This is misinformation, Nintendo is still doing E3, just in 2 smaller presentations, one for investors and one for the real consumers and the press.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-not-hosting-big-e3-conference.346866/
You aren't the only one getting this wrong, even "major" gaming news sites misread that announcement.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

TyBlood13 said:


> You aren't the only one getting this wrong, even "major" gaming news sites misread that announcement.


Well don't you think that would be a reason he's getting it wrong, because he (like most people) was fed incorrect info?


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 3, 2013)

TyBlood13 said:


> Oh for the love of GOD you are wrong!
> This is misinformation, Nintendo is still doing E3, just in 2 smaller presentations, one for investors and one for the real consumers and the press.
> http://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-not-hosting-big-e3-conference.346866/
> You aren't the only one getting this wrong, even "major" gaming news sites misread that announcement.


I know that.  I guess my post was poorly worded, but I'm rather distracted (watching a Castle marathon right now) and I linked to the article so that Arm73 could read about the two smaller presentations (one of which won't be public IIRC).


----------



## TyBlood13 (May 3, 2013)

Rydian said:


> Well don't you think that would be a reason he's getting it wrong, because he (like most people) was fed incorrect info?


I wasn't directing my anger at him specifically, that's why that last sentence was there. It was more of me fuming at everyone (especially the news sources) getting this wrong.  It's the new sources fault for giving people incorrect information that few seem to want to correct because "Nintendo am doooooooooooomed".


----------



## JoostinOnline (May 3, 2013)

TyBlood13 said:


> I wasn't directing my anger at him specifically, that's why that last sentence was there. It was more of me fuming at everyone (especially the news sources) getting this wrong. It's the new sources fault for giving people incorrect information that few seem to want to correct because "Nintendo am doooooooooooomed".


Well I was aware and I linked to a source that made that mentioned the smaller conferences.

PS: I love that so many people are copying Bunny now.  I've had him in my signature for years and it seems just recently people are helping him gain world domination.  Your contribution will not be forgotten when he rules the world.


----------



## Veho (May 3, 2013)

Arm73 said:


> They should have named it Wii HD, plain and simple.
> People would upgrade in a heartbeat,(provided the games do come out ) like it's a Wii, but it's HD !


It would cause just as much confusion as the U.


----------



## Lanlan (May 3, 2013)

It's sad how dumb some people are. Not saying that to be mean, but god damn. Try working in retail. Not just the customers, either. When I bought my Wii U, one of my managers thought it was just a controller. Same managers that made handwritten signs that said "HOID FOR NISSIAN DEALERSHIP" and "SAFETY HARZARD".


----------



## Arm73 (May 3, 2013)

JoostinOnline said:


> They aren't doing E3 this year.


Yeah, you know, I know....everybody knows about the two smaller presentations, which is fine with me.
My logical guess, is that they are so desperate and so much under pressure from investors that they will present a shitload of games, literally.
There will be no big ass Hollywood premiere style presentation ( thank God ) but they'll have a showroom with dozens of games in playable form.
That's my ( optimistic )  guess .
If they don't, too bad for them . I won't loose my sleep over it.
But I think this coming E3 ( and Nintendo direct ) will be a moment of make it or brake it for Nintendo, that's why I've been patiently waiting all this months.
Deeming the Wii U a failure so early in it's life it's a little premature IMO.
Just saying.


----------



## lokomelo (May 3, 2013)

Anyone here can imagine a bright scenario for Nintendo for the next 5 or 6 years? Let's see: mobile and social games, powerful hardware for Microsoft and Sony, cheap gaming with android devices (ouya, etc), hackers knocking on the Wii U doors, financial crisis affecting many families, etc.

I see 3DS surviving like GBA did (It is cheap, portable and fun), but Wii U? Maybe it will sell like another gamecube.


----------



## NakedFaerie (May 3, 2013)

Its not a new system, its just a HD version of the Wii so its like an addon.
The Wii is still a better system as there are many more games for it so the WiiU wont really catch on till there are a LOT more games. By the way Nintendo are going it'll be at least 2 years before the WiiU comes close to being better than the Wii.


----------



## the_randomizer (May 3, 2013)

NakedFaerie said:


> Its not a new system, its just a HD version of the Wii so its like an addon.
> The Wii is still a better system as there are many more games for it so the WiiU wont really catch on till there are a LOT more games. By the way Nintendo are going it'll be at least 2 years before the WiiU comes close to being better than the Wii.













You must show me this crystal ball of yours. You probably got it from eBay; they're pretty cheap.


----------



## narutofan777 (May 3, 2013)

Get to work nintendo.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

NakedFaerie said:


> Its not a new system, its just a HD version of the Wii so its like an addon.


The Wii U is not something you hook into your original Wii to make it do new stuff, it's a new system itself.


----------



## the_randomizer (May 3, 2013)

Rydian said:


> The Wii U is not something you hook into your original Wii to make it do new stuff, it's a new system itself.


 
He can't help being a troll.


----------



## GameWinner (May 3, 2013)

narutofan777 said:


> Get to work nintendo.


...get to work doing what...?


----------



## Mantis41 (May 3, 2013)

Rydian said:


> You haven't actually read this thread, have you? Yes, most people DO confuse the two, and it DOES impact sales.


You must be Kidding! I could understand a small minority being a bit misinformed but for a enough to make a large impact on sales beggars belief.


----------



## Rydian (May 3, 2013)

Mantis41 said:


> You must be Kidding! I could understand a small minority being a bit misinformed but for a enough to make a large impact on sales beggars belief.


You might be surprised how little the average person knows about some subjects.


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## Guild McCommunist (May 4, 2013)

To be fair I think it's really unjust for all gamers to assume that everyone knows as much about gaming as them. It's a hobby like anything else and it's not something that everyone knows about.

Try explaining how Warhammer 40k or Magic the Gathering works to someone who knows little to nothing about it and they'll be lost by what seems to be the most pedestrian concepts to you.

I think "gamers" just suffer from a degree of tunnel vision when they're surrounded by just "gamers". Or ignorance. You can call it that too.

tl;dr not everyone knows about video games


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## Rydian (May 4, 2013)

Guild McCommunist said:


> I think "gamers" just suffer from a degree of tunnel vision when they're surrounded by just "gamers".


Getting worse when they just hang out with people who have similar interests (most often seen in the younger ones, thus console wars).


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## SnAQ (May 4, 2013)

I can't help to wonder if there will be this much debate if/when the upcoming PS4 and Xbox3 (yeah I know, but nobody knows the real name so yeah!) will be hacked early or if people will just be happy and celebrate and share their cookies and milk?


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## dragonblood9999 (May 4, 2013)

Rydian said:


> You might be surprised how little the average person knows about some subjects.




I am glad that my sister wasn't on that, she pronounces google as "googlo" or "Googly"
She's not the smartest with anything PC


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## Maxternal (May 4, 2013)

What they really need to do now is just put a survey in the everybody votes channel asking
"What is the Wii U?"
"Wii accessory?" or "New console?"
(It would have been slightly more subtle that way.)

EDIT : I can see how this could backfire if everyone votes that it's an accessory and then the fact that that option won just solidifies the ides for everyone...

... nonetheless I just used that channel to propose this exact survey. 

EDIT2 :  I wonder if everyone proposing the same survey would make it more likely for it to come up or if they would notice and automatically ignore organized propaganda out of principal.


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## Videomanman87 (May 5, 2013)

Well I think that the name Wii U could have been better.  I think Wii2 would have generated much less confusion.  I haven't got the message yet, so I think they are still in the process of sending it out.  I think it was a smart move, although wayyy too slow.  It should have been sent out when the Wii U was first announced  "The Wii U is coming! It is a all new much improved console! Check it out at _______"  Then several times during launch "The Wii U is OUT!  It is the most amazing console Nintendo every created..check it out at _____" (now I don't believe this but that is what most marketing says or the equivalent lol).  I was surprised they didn't.  They use to send out messages about new channels, or updates on features way back.  And this is far more important to them (in the aspect of survival).

I like the idea about asking it on everybody votes channel.  Might help lol.  As for how many wii consoles are online, well that varies.  Many are not to be sure, but I am certain Nintendo has a rough idea how many that are based on their bandwidth/log in statistics.  And WHY in the world they are pulling their best advertising on the wii (Nintendo Channel) is just plain crazy.  Let alone pulling features when its replacement is less than a year old.


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## GHANMI (May 5, 2013)

Its biggest problem is that it needs games badly.
Now, how about localizing that Dragon Quest X... (runs away)


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## Videomanman87 (May 5, 2013)

Ahhh I finally got it.  Turning on WiiConnect24 for a bit wasn't enough (probably wasn't waiting long enough in my case).  I Turned on Wiiconnect24, looked at the weather, then the news channel.  After I read a article the blue light came on.  I have to wonder if checking for such emails are last on the queue and only happens if everything else is satisfied..


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## FAST6191 (May 5, 2013)

Videomanman87 said:


> I think Wii2 would have generated much less confusion.


It would also have had the added bonus of when Nintendo gets their copy on of deriding it with "oh the mii2".


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## Maxternal (Nov 13, 2013)

I FINALLY got this message over the weekend which I thought was weird because the message board servers were shut down months ago. This probably means It's been lying in wait on my Wii for several months and only now showed up when I change my country settings to U.S. so it would accept my debit card adding Wii points to my account.


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## FireGrey (Nov 13, 2013)

I got this message so long ago on my Wii, everyone is talking about how it's so late, I disagree with you all, you're just stupid and are either recieving the letter late or they are sending it again after you forgot about the last one.
EDIT: As for the whole discussion on bad marketing, they've been doing this with new Wii Store releases, so I don't see why they wouldn't with a new console too. They even did one for the 3DS on the Wii.


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