What should the Wii U have been called?

Should they have kept or scrapped the Wii brand? Should it have been called Wii 2 instead of Wii U? Or, scrapping the brand, called it something more appropriate like Nintendo Six? (Or Nintendo Entertainment System 6?) Personally I reckon the latter would be better, as the Wii brand appeals to an audience that's long left Nintendo. (Which they have now realized). ANY name would have been better than the Wii U. I'm not going to go over that again though, as you all know exactly why Wii U is a stupid name.

I hope they look at Sony's very successful consoles and keep it simple next gen. Nintendo 7 (similar to how they started making Mario Karts numbered installments) would do fine, or Nintendo Entertainment System 7.

Wii 2 would have been better than the current name. Since they were trying to go after the core gamer at the beginning of this cycle, they should have name it something completely unique to distance themselves from the casual-centric strategy of the Wii.

I really like this idea. N6 for short. Sort of like Nintendo 64 - N64.

I actually liked Cafe. It was simple and catchy. However it would fit better for a service such as MiiVerse. MiiVerse should have been called The Nintendo Cafe. A spot for everyone to meet and socialize.

Honestly they need to go back to the NES branding.

I hate to say this, but you're going to have to enlighten me on exactly why 'Wii U' is such a stupid name...

Here's the way I see it. The Wii was a brand name inspired by other successful brands, such as Google, Apple's i-products, and even Nintendo's own DS lineup. As a result, it became easily Nintendo'smost successful and embraced console, and just about everything that sported the brand name in a five year span flew off shelves. Based on these facts, the only truly stupid thing Nintendo could have done was not using the brand name again for its upcoming console; the Wii's success justified continuing the brand.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, they forgot that names alone don't sell consoles, no matter how popular a brand may be. The 'Wii U' could be called 'Nintendo's Greatest Console Ever,' but as it stands now, it wouldn't be selling any better. Don't believe me? Look at how the Playstation Vita is selling right now and then come back and tell me that Sony's model is oh-so much better. It's really not that hard to see how this situation has come to be, but you actually have to get out of your own way and look at the truth.

For example, that audience that has supposedly long left Nintendo, who exactly are you talking about? It's all too easy to assume that you're referring to the mass audience that made the Wii such a hit, since it's such a regurgitated notion these days, but I wouldn't say that they left at all. Nintendo left them by focusing on a more expensive, more complicated, and ultimately, a far less appealing platform. When I think of audiences that have "long left" Nintendo, I look at the 40+ million additional players Nintendo had doing the NES days that have drifted away from Nintendo since, and I suspect many of those players actually came back around with the Wii, only to leave again with Wii U.

I realize that I'm probably wasting my time trying to explain any of this, so I'll just cut to the chase: The Wii U isn't a high-quality console. That's no knock on anyone that has and enjoys the system, but a better product wouldn't have so many trivial questions about what it's called nearly two years after its release. Just ten years ago, Nintendo's console had the most straightforward name you could ask for, and it didn't fare too well itself. The sooner this industry develops a mind of its own again, the faster everyone will start to see what's taking place... if it's not too late.

You aren't wasting your time, I get what you're saying. I do not, in any way shape or form, think that the Wii U's name is its biggest problem. Its main problems is being severely under powered, having no third party support (and missing out on most of the big multi-plats), poor marketing and having, as you said, a ridiculously complicated controller which ties back into poor marketing. Nintendo doesn't know how to convey why the average consumer needs the controller. So yes, I get all that. It's name isn't the only problem, it's just one of them. However, you seem to suggest that it's name ISN'T part of the problem. I'm going to have to disagree with you there.

My biggest concern with the Wii U name is that it doesn't properly distinguish itself from it's predecessor. There are STILL people who look at the Wii U and assume that its simply a peripheral. Of course, this is due to poor marketing, but guess what? The name of the console is part of its marketing. If the console was named more appropriately such as Wii 2, the consumer would immediately recognize it as being a sequel to a previously popular console. However, for many people, this isn't whats happening. They shouldn't need it explained to them that it's a new console, it should be blatantly obvious based off its name (which it isn't).

My second issue with its name is, yes, the branding. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly reasonable for them to stick with their popular brand name. It makes sense, if the previous Wii sold as well as it did, why wouldn't the Wii U? I will respond directly to your fourth paragraph. I remember the Nintendo Wii craze. EVERYONE I knew was talking about it. My entire family, non-gamers, and gamers alike. Everyone was talking about it, everyone was excited about and most importantly, everyone wanted one. My sister promptly received one from her boyfriend at Christmas, and my own household got one the next year. Even to this day, I think it was an awesome experience to see even my grandmother giving it ago. That's the audience I am talking about. It wasn't long until this fad died out. Almost every household I visit has a Wii that is severely underused. Most people I know who own one, haven't used it since they pretty much got it and the only game they bothered with was Wii Sport (and maybe a party game or two that they picked up along with it). It was a fad. And even before the Wii U came out, I doubt they would ever duplicate this success with the same market. This is what I mean by appealing to an audience that has already left them. Even if this audience is still playing the Wii, hardware certainly doesn't matter them. They only got it for the basic motion controls and if that's the case, how can a Wii 2 appeal to them? Especially since the Kinect has already snatched them away. They would have to do something even flashier then the Kinect. Is it possible? Perhaps, but clearly Nintendo had no ideas (hence the tablet-controller). My point is that this audience is unreliable and difficult to predict, and I therefore think it was a bad idea to try and appeal to them a second time. Feel free to disagree though, I don't claim authority on this.

None of this is to say that it was the Wii's only audience. I truly think that the Wii U's userbase consist of mostly Nintendo fans who have been with them since NES, Super NES, N64, Gamecube etc. They are already on board, so the name of the console or anything else probably won't do terribly much to sway them. However, this is slowly diminishing and Nintendo needs MORE people in their userbase, not just old-school Nintendo fans, if that makes sense. I hope it makes sense why I think they should have gone back to the Nintendo brand as opposed to sticking with the Wii brand. I do not think that it would have automatically boosted its sales significantly, but it could have helped improving Nintendo's general reputation. The Wii brand, after all, has a negative stigma attached to it these days.

Again, I'm not implying that this is Nintendo's only problem, or even its biggest problem. It's just one of their many problems with the Wii U. Most of what you said is correct and the console isn't very high-quality.

Gutbuster4000 and the controller should have been shaped like a fat little pig.

I don't really see a problem with the name but Wii 2 would have made more sense. It's not as bad as Xbox One though, that's truly moronic.

Wii 2 would have been much clearer and cause less confusion. Nintendo has been horrible with naming devices recently. I really think they need to drop the Wii brand for their next console though.

It should have been called the Dolphin Revolution... ;)

Took the words right out of my mouth!

@simuseb2 At the time the Wii U was being made, the Wii was at a record high. So Nintendo, rightfully so (imo), capitalized on the name and kept the Wii brand. I agree that "U" is stupid. Honestly, in name alone, I saw how it turned people off. Wii 2 would probably have been fine. In general, I think consoles need to adopt a more universal naming scheme, where people can make the connection that its the same product line, but improved. Kinda like Playstation, where you know the 4 is better than the 3.

I also don't see the game pad as a problem in and of itself. Again, Nintendo capitalized on the success of the 3/DS and that everything is now a touchscreen. I can imagine the thought process at Nintendo was "people love the Wii, people love their ipads, let's combine the two. People will love a more powerful Wii with this input method". I believe gamers also have expressed interest in some sort of screen on their controllers. The problem with the Wii U has been all about execution. Nintendo simply didn't.

However, that's not what this thread is about.

So with that said, I do think Wii 2 would have been the better way to go. It would have been a chance for Nintendo to establish that as its gaming brand. At this point, I do believe its best for them to rebrand, and keep that for the forseeable future. It takes more effort for the general public to know the succession from Super NES, to N64, to Gamecube. I would love to see them go back to the NES brand.

I don't think Wii U is all that terrible. Wii was about getting everyone involved, hence sounding like English word "We". Wii U places emphasis on the U, or You as in now you can play games by yourself on the Game Pad when TV is taken.

But for some reason the market sees a brand new controller they've never seen before, a new device behind it (oh, but its TOO far behind it! This one promo image of the controller has to be the only promo image released!), the huge jump in graphics from Wii and think its a Wii add-on despite never thinking the Xbox One, various Android and iOS phones/tablets, etc were a "add-on"

I suppose Wii 2 would have been better though I do think the system should've shipped in 2011 to get more momentum. 2011 was the year, despite Skyward Sword, that people largely gave up on Wii brand due to lack of "compelling" releases. Don't know why, I believe it got a Kirby game along with Zelda. Heck, it even got MW3 that year.

Though I love the Game Pad, I do wonder what things would be like had Nintendo shipped the Wii U without the Game Pad (taking $80 out of the costs right there) and up'd the specs, shipped Pro controller and Wii Remote in box. I'd imagine the CPU might have gotten a few more cores and 4GB RAM total (since the 750 PowerPC in the system I think only supports up to 4GB)

@simuseb2: Awesome. I'm now feeling better about posting that reply, and thanks for offering a meaningful one of your own. I don't have much time to spend, but I will continue to elaborate on my points in response to yours.

When it comes to the Wii U's name, it's not that I think it has never caused confusion. Heck, I still come across people that try to find differences in the Playstation consoles (and at times, I think it's justified... lol), so I know there is meaning there. The problem is that this sort of thing doesn't last for two years; by now, people are either embracing your product or leaving it to rot, and the Wii U fits closer to the latter category. I don't think I've ever come across a console where I've literally seen next to no interest in from anyone I've met. Disinterest is the Wii U's biggest problem, and Nintendo has become totally incapable of combating it.

Now, that could be because the Wii U doesn't distinguish itself enough from the Wii... or it could be because it's too different from everything that made the Wii successful. I actually think the masses are educated enough about what the Wii U is and have simply made the decision that it's not worth the investment. It may carry the 'Wii' name, but from a philosophical standpoint, the Wii U is almost completely different in who it tries to attract and the experience it tries to provide. It doesn't try to break barriers, disrupt the market, or do anything that's fresh; it just tries to hang with the rest of the crowd, while hoping that its branding can convince a few others to join along. Mission failed.

As for the mass market, the so-called "Wii audience" itself, I think I'll take up your offer to disagree. I simply think it's an all-too-easy misconception to say that most Wii owners got the system for a week of Wii Sports and forgot about it. That's an extreme group, which is no different from those who got an NES to play Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and PS2 owners who only cared about GTA. If nothing else, the fact that the Wii had a 9:1 software ratio and franchises like Just Dance and Skylanders are still viable on the console should show that there were plenty of Wii owners that wanted more games to play. My point is that the mass market, even if there are those who have similar preferences, isn't some completely like-minded alien race that uses a product in the exact same way, which is exactly how most people in the video game industry tends to view them nowadays.

Nintendo's problem wasn't that the mass market isn't reliable, but Nintendo simply did nothing to attract them. It's the exact same point the so-called "core gamers" use when they talk about the Wii U, only if they're as dedicated gamers as they claim to be, then they have a much longer history of being unreliable to Nintendo than anyone else. That's the most ironic thing about this "hardcore/casual" nonsense this industry likes to throw in its own face when it concerns Nintendo. Ultimately, those who call themselves "core" are no more likely to be helpful to Nintendo's cause than a supposedly "new" audience that Nintendo can find and cater to.

One thing is certain, and that is based on the continual decline of Nintendo consoles in userbase, Nintendo won't have much of a userbase left if it doesn't cultivate a new audience of some sort. On that account I agree with you, but I don't think the Wii branding has hurt Nintendo that severely, as the Wii itself was actually the exception to an unfavorable trend. The more legitimate problems exist with Nintendo's direction, and based on things like the 3DS, New 3DS, Wii U, and Miyamoto-san's recent comments, I don't see the situation being fixed anytime soon. We shall see, though.

Wii 2, this isn't even a discussion

If you don't pick Wii 2, congratulations, you fail as much as Nintendo picking a console name.

@Jaysonguy: You know in Japanese you pronounce 2 like Knee. So fans on the web would have inevitably (like with X-bone) call it Wii Nee.

Agree! they tried to be complicated, it ultimately fail.

@ Wii Deuce, Wii, 2, Wii Two. Wii 2 in HD. I do understand that Nintendo wanted to continue the Wii Brand as they did with the Nintendo Entertainment System and then the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

But Wii U with the U as a blue stylized symbol in the upper corner. Didn't really stand out from the Wii logo. Thus looking like just a add on for the original Wii.

So Wii 2 HD or something would have been better.

+1 vote for Wii 2.

Yeah, Wii 2 would have been just fine. Don't think they'll call their next system a Wii anything though.

WiiNi!

Why not just call it Nintendo entertainment system. It's not like anyone would confuse it with the original

the nintendo trend

Hindsight 20/20, pretty much ANYTHING would have served better.

Wii HD

if they insisted on the Wii name

It's not really hindsight, everyone knew it was going to be a bad thing except the people at Nintendo because they don't care about anything besides themselves.

Haha you may have a point there. I am fine with them thinking about themselves as long as it is strategic. They are out of touch with their audience, which is largely Western gamers. They still want Japan to matter, but it is continually a shrinking market. The age group is largely getting older in Japan and they are flocking to mobile games.

They need new management and everyone except Nintendo accepts this.

I think the Wii, Mii, TVii thingy is catchy. Even though its childish, nintendo does have a childish brand. Mario etc. And thats not said in a negative way.

It's a name, it doesn't matter, they could have called it the Nintendo Fluffy Bunny and I would have still bought it. If you buy a console based off it's name, well then...your a noob.

Super Nintendo was a lot like the NES, but better, therefor "Super". Why not do that again with Super Wii?

If we're sticking with Wii, I'd have called it Wii 2, launched with camera built into sensor bar and improved Wii Remote 2.0. Throw in Pro Controller while you're at it. Up hardware specs to at least Quad-Core CPU, 1Tflop of 800Gflop GPU and 4GB RAM all for $299 and no Game Pad.

If we're sticking with the Game Pad, I'd have called it the Nintendo U, dropped Wii from it entirely and shaved as much costs down on that controller as possible, starting with a 5-inch or so screen instead of 6.2 inches

What is wrong with selling consoles to noobs? obviously selling to fanboys on only isn't going to cut it

Name is confusing to the masses...people think its an add on. There are posters at walmart informing people mario kart 8 wont work on their wii console. Marketing fail

Nintendo Neptune.

The reason for the past issues of the Wii U was NOT the name, the issues were LACK OF GAMES, LACK OF ADVERTISING, AND CASUALS NOT WANTING HAVING AN INTEREST IN GAME CONSOLES ANYMORE. The name only confused ignoramuses who have a lower IQ then a dead guy. Look at Xbox One, your going to say that didn't confuse people aren't you.

You're a fool who has no idea how the real world works, I'm glad that you're a pathetic Nintendo fanboy but thankfully you're in the minority with more jumping ship every day

You don't want Nintendo to try to get people back that's fine.

Oh look, the bot is back. I wonder why Gamespot made troll bots on their site? No actual human would ever say the shit this bot does. I'll play along though, how am I a Nintendo fanboy? I have a PC, Wii U, and PS4...how exactly am I a fanboy? Your the one the brought the others into this, this topic was the name of a Nintendo console, the other consoles have nothing to do with this topic.

Wii 2 if the Wii name were to stick.

Otherwise, honestly, anything else. That, and advertising the fact that Wii U wasn't just a tablet but a console. Heck, even in the forums we were confused for a bit. And we're the informed gamers.

Barren Wasteland

The reason for the past issues of the Wii U was NOT the name, the issues were LACK OF GAMES, LACK OF ADVERTISING, AND CASUALS NOT WANTING HAVING AN INTEREST IN GAME CONSOLES ANYMORE. The name only confused ignoramuses who have a lower IQ then a dead guy. Look at Xbox One, your going to say that didn't confuse people aren't you.

@Master_Of_Fools said:

@dino7c said:

@Master_Of_Fools said:

It's a name, it doesn't matter, they could have called it the Nintendo Fluffy Bunny and I would have still bought it. If you buy a console based off it's name, well then...your a noob.

What is wrong with selling consoles to noobs? obviously selling to fanboys on only isn't going to cut it

Name is confusing to the masses...people think its an add on. There are posters at walmart informing people mario kart 8 wont work on their wii console. Marketing fail

The reason for the past issues of the Wii U was NOT the name, the issues were LACK OF GAMES, LACK OF ADVERTISING, AND CASUALS NOT WANTING HAVING AN INTEREST IN GAME CONSOLES ANYMORE. The name only confused ignoramuses who have a lower IQ then a dead guy. Look at Xbox One, your going to say that didn't confuse people aren't you.

^ Point!

Point!

Easy. I would have Called it Rev 2. Short for Revolution 2. Either that or I would have copied the DS idea and named it the Nintendo HS (home screen). Then again I also would have made it so that it played DS and 3DS games right out of the box so who knows.

People... Using "Wii" would have only been ok with the other part of the name immediately indicating a direct sequel. "U" can easily be infered as a newer addition of an existing platform. 2, Two, New, Nu, Super, Mega, or a number of other gimmicky names would have driven the purpose of an entirely new piece of hardware.

Wii 2

Wii U is such a crap and confusing name for many casuals out there.

@OreoMilkshake: I was thinking

Wii Uranus

N6, NES 6, Revolution, Wii Next, ReMiinisce, etc...anything than vague sounding Wii U...

Every single name you listed there is pure garbage

How can you say the wii u is not a high quality console..do you own one? I think everyone likes to jump on the bandwagon and bash nintendo for not releasing a super computer console. 1st party games look stunning on wii u and if developers pull theirs heads out and see all the great potential the system has, with a small learning curve to code for (as opposed to xbox one) they would jump aboard.

I like that nintendo had the stones to be different from competetors instead of having 3 identical black boxes. Dont get me wrong, I love my xbox one, but the wii u is fantastic. It has a bright future, and if it only has 1st party and indie support, then so be it. They will be wonderful experiences thatt I can find nowhere else other than wij u.

Wii u is a stupid name though. I agree with cafe, or something else entirely. Oh well, the name does t make a system great so I dont mind the name anymore.

Wii U(nsold), Wii U(nplayed)...

I never said it wasn't a high quality console.

The way I see it is that it's got an audience... it does. It was an idea with a lot of potential which I'm afraid will never be fully realised. It unfortunately has niche appeal. It doesn't make it bad, it's just not good for their business. Look at it this way: you could make the best game in the world using every cent you own, but if you don't make that money back you're going to end up in the streets and won't be able to make more.