I wonder what changes they have made/will make before next E3?

They gotta show a black version at E3, I think the current look is way too similar to a Wii, core gamers are more likely to go for that colour.


My mock up from E3 last year

While they most likely will offer a black model in addition to the white, there's little doubt in my mind the main color they're going to continue to run with will be white. There's a reason the Wii U is so similar to Wii in appearance-- it's the same reason it's still using the "Wii" branding-- they want to duplicate the Wii's success. Nintendo never had an issue with selling the Wii to consumers, just the development community.

Everyone keeps getting stuck on the idea that Nintendo is trying to win back the core gamer, and as a result they tend to make the erroneous assumption that Nintendo is going to have to change their marketing strategy audience to win them over.

However, that's not the case and Nintendo clearly recognizes this. The Wii actually DID appeal, to core gamers. How many core gamers do you know of who DIDN'T own a Wii? The Wii was a huge success because it appealed to everyone-- gamers and non gamers alike. It may not have been their primary gaming platform, but most gamers DID buy one. Appealing to a hardcore gamers was never actually an issue with the Wii, it was appealing to hardcore DEVELOPERS that was the issue.

Specifically targeting the hardcore audience will only turn off the casual crowd, so Nintendo's going to continue pushing the actual hardware towards the "blue ocean" market. The hardcore accommodations are only going to be made on the development side behind the scenes.

Mark my words, the Wii U will be marketed the same way the original Wii was. It won't be pushed as a hardcore machine.

That sounds about right, but as a result I still think there's a lingering concern about third parties "giving it a shot" like they initially did with the Wii, and then totally dropping the system after disappointing sales on a few games. It'll be much easier to port games to the WiiU (until the 1080 comes out), but the big studios are used to only splitting big titles onto two consoles, and taking advantage of the WiiU resources will take extra effort above and beyond straight porting.

I'm seeing brand confusion in people I would consider gamers and especially casual players.  I've talked to people who lament that Nintendo isn't planning on bringing a new Console soon who thinks that the Wii U is an accessory for the Wii.  Thats just marketing fail.

Yeah, absolutely, Ceric. Nintendo has got to distance itself from the Wii name. It's perfectly ok to start a new brand - after all, Nintendo did it with the Wii. Core gamers don't take the Wii name seriously, and I'd be afraid that keeping this horrid Wii U name will only further their stance on the console. Same goes with core game devs, too -- they just won't touch the system with big time games if they know that the main audience is just going to be casual/non-gamers who only play fluffy puff casual games.

I don't want Nintendo to fail in this regard. Honestly, I don't want to go another console generation where I have to wade through all the casual junk just to find the rare gems. Nintendo created success, sure, during this generation; but it also created a bit of travesty, too. As a core-type gamer, I love and hate my Wii.

I don't want that same feeling with Nintendo's next console. It needs a new name, new approach, and new feel. Hopefully E3 will show us all that the real Nintendo is back.

My real issue isn't the Connotations with the Wii name.  Its the fact that Wii U sounds like an accessory or a slight revision.  Not a new console.  There should be no ambiquity that this is the new Gen hotness with the name.

We've had this discussion numerous times. It's a potentially big problem and one Nintendo likely will not address. There's certainly a slight chance that come E3, Nintendo will have reconsidered the design and name (for reasons already stated) by unveiling something altogether different though I wouldn't bet on it. Even making black/platinum and renaming it Wii 2 (numbers denote sequentiality) would get the job done. One would hope for more drastic changes but as long as Nintendo establishes their next console as something entirely new, they'll be much better off.

I'll breathe easier as soon as I see that Rockstar has been confirmed as a Wii U developer. So far that has not happened.

I said it on another thread, but Nintendo would own third party developers if they could get GTA 5 and RE 6 as launch titles on their brand new console. Also, here we go again, but Super Wii would be a much better title than Wii U. Wii U is the most bland and terrible name you could give something. I hope Nintendo changes it at E3 of this year.

Hopefully this means they will show off actual games at this year's E3 instead of just tech videos.

I hope 3rd parties will put their Wii U development kits to much better use than they did with their Wii development kits.

I would be shocked beyond belief if they just have tech videos. The system launches this year, and Nintendo said that E3 will be the big re-reveal of the system.

Good news that developers have the final dev kits now, and the rumor that they are even more powerful than they expected.