The fact is that Wii's success has been staggering, and the brand does mean something.
I don't know if you've noticed, but Wii sales have petered out the last few years. Many people bought the console early on and were disappointed in it and now in many homes its just sitting around collecting dust with a blue flashing light which people ignore because they just don't care anymore.
The Wii has a brand name, but its a bad name. The reputation of it has been ruined by shitty casual games and nothing else. The people who bought Wii for Wii sports don't buy other games, and they may just be content with that and not even bother with this new console.
So Nintendo needs to appeal to us because we are the ones who buy games. Casuals do not buy games, and they may not even buy the new system since they already a Wii anyway. So our opinion matters. It actually matters a lot, in fact. Because look how the 360 and PS3 are kicking the Wii's ass in sales as of late. This is what happens when you turn your back on core gamers and cater to a fickle market.
Wii has market appeal to casual gamers. The thing that is hurting Wii at the moment is the lack of games, and over saturation. I'm sorry but maybe you didn't realize that the Wii has a market share that Sony nor MS can even dream of surpassing this generation. Individuals like yourself, Brood and Ian complain constantly, that isn't representative of even the more "hardcore" market. So you may not like it but Wii has a positive image still amongst casual gamers, not to mention it has a large market share. Nintendo would be stupid to jettison the name.
This whole issue is proof positive why Nintendo needs to do their own thing, people whine and complain about Wii's lack of power and little 3rd party support. So we get a system that is able to handle, may even surpass, graphics of 360/PS3 which aren't going anywhere soon with a lot of multiplatform support, and yet people still find something to whine about. Nintendo cannot win with some people. Wii U is an answer to all the complaints about the Wii but, like expected, the usual suspects are still pissy. Once again proving my point they can't jettison the casual market or the Wii brand, and rely on finicky Nintendo "fans" to carry it totally. Heck no one here has even tried the controller and say it sucks and will be uncomfortable despite what other source4s are saying
What do you think comes to mind when a hardcore gamer hears the name "Wii"? The brand name is ruined and should be jettisoned because people associate the Wii with words like "underpowered", "casual", "no games", "no third party support", "kiddie", etc. So naming the console "Wii-U" implies it is an extension and continuation of that philosophy which left a bad taste in the mouths of many gamers.
Broodwars, Ian, and Myself all own both PS3s and Wiis I believe, but guess which one of these were probably playing the most these days. That is the problem Nintendo needs to address. I can't speak for them, but I bought the Wii just a few months after it launched, but I only got the PS3 recently. I was never planning on getting a PS3 at all, but I was burned by the lack of games on the Wii and it all being aimed at casuals.
So you're saying my opinion doesn't matter? I've been a Nintendo fan since I was 7 and that was the only console I ever considered getting each generation until the Wii when Nintendo turned their backs on me. I wasn't the one that changed, they were. So like I said, I can't speak for everyone else, but in my own personal experience the Wii may have have appealed to Casual gamers, but it repulsed me away. So whatever new fickle customers Nintendo is gaining they are gaining at the expense of lifelong fans who they've betrayed.
The new "Wii-U" name is a slap in the face, and puts them on thin ice with me because it shows they are still holding to that same philosophy. Now don't get me wrong, the new console looks like its going to be a powerful beast, and its great to see third parties seem to be on board, but why is Nintendo using the name "Wii-U" if the console is going to be so different than its predecessor? The leap is like from a caveman spear to a space shuttle. We don't name our space shuttles "caveman spear-u" do we? So do you see what I'm saying?