According to this CVG report, after receiving at best a lukewarm reception at last years E3 and this years CES Nintendo is considering re-branding their newest home console before it makes it depute on store shelves later this year. Nintendo also believes part of the reason for the 3DS’s initial slow sales were caused by brand confusion.
I never liked the Wii console name to begin with. When I first saw it spelled, I didn’t know how to pronounce it, and the name itself looked childish. I don’t like the Wii U name either, it just seems weird. Although they really tried to tie in the name at their E3 presentation with the tablet controller letting the player continue play while the TV is occupied.
I think Nintendo should try and move itself away from the Wii name. The Wii is looking more outdated by the year and if they stick with the name Wii U consumers might feel it’s just an improved Wii with better graphics instead of it being a brand new one.
I’ve never really understood how Nintendo names their consoles. I actually like the 3DS name I thought it was playful, but I can see how people could confuse the 3DS for a regular DS with 3D features instead of it being the next generation of handhelds. This was probably fueled by there being so many different types of DS’s. I count four different kinds of DS currently for sale on GameStop.com; the regular DS, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL.
