The Wii U was a dumb name (Google Plus Reupload, 2013)

Originally posted July 15th 2013, some context, the Wii U was not moving at the time, but Nintendo was into trying to be the next big thing.

So anyone else here think that if nintendo wanted to really move Wii Us, they shouldn't have called it "Wii U" and make it look so much like a Wii? Now I've read articles saying that the Wii U is doing really well in foreign markets and stuff, but not close to the hype of the PS4. I know some of you will say "I don't know what you're talking about, the Wii was amazing and drew circles around PS360," *cough zeldamaster93, but when it came down to it, people preferred PS360 as a gaming console they will play day in and day out over the Wii, primarily because of the motion controls and focus on casual gaming. Now nintendo pulled a complete 180 and with Wii U, they're all "no we changed our ways. We're back to making hardcore games for hardcore gamers." Unfortunately, "but we liked the Wii so much, we're keeping the name and the design, but trust us, this is not a casual game console with strong emphasis on motion controls despite what the name and design says, we made a hardcore machine." I don't hate the Wii U, it's a nice console without DRM, good controls, no fee for online gaming and video services, and no CoD, and I might get one once more games come out for it, but they aren't winning gamers over with the name and cosmetics.

Could you imagine "don't want to deal with DRM or paying a monthly subscription for online gaming and video services, want an experience that rivals nothing you'll experience next generation? Want a console built for the hardcore gamer? Then you need the brand new NStation. It gives you the next generation gaming experience you demand from your next console, in stunning HD. Don't settle for bad business practices. Get an NStation." Sure, they can't call it "NStation" because of Sony PlayStation, but it's not a Wii.

Now for the comments, which continued the rant.

zeldamaster93: Was it a bad marketing idea on their part? Yeah, maybe. Will it matter in the long run? Probably not.

Me: Long run as in next console generation, not next gen but the generation after wii u, ps4, and xbox one? No it won't, it'll be a joke stain like the virtual boy. It might not even matter 3 years into the generation. But right now, with the first release and wii still vivid in every gamer's mind, it was bad on their part. I look forward to the next console name and design, so long as it's not "Wii U 2" with the same wii look. All the nintendo consoles have really differentiated themselves from the last generation or added a name to let you know "it's all you loved about the last gen, but better and super." Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo 64 Bit. Nintendo Game Cube. Nintendo Wii (still wondering where that name came from). But then we get "The Wii College Edition, or Wii U." It's not a Nintendo, because this one is "Super." It's not a SNES because of the 64 Bit graphics. It's not an N64, it's a next gen cube. It's not a gamecube, it's a wii, no not that kind. It's not a wii, just trust us on this one.

And now for some hindsight in 2019 thoughts. I was right, I was right I was right I was right. The Wii U was a giant flop, worst selling Nintendo console next to the virtual boy. Ultimately it was the "no games," but it was mainly the poor marketing that lead them to not having games and ultimately failing.