What is a Wii U Anyway?
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, there is a lot of power in a name. When a consumer walks into a store, a name gives them an idea of what they’re buying. As unimaginative as it may sound, PlayStation 4 lets you know that this is the fourth console in the series. If you want to know if there’s a newer one, you simply ask “is there a PlayStation 5?” This makes it very easy for non-video game players to purchase the platform as a gift for someone else and know that they’re getting the newest thing.
Nintendo started with the NES so it had to get a bit more creative with its naming. For a while it was clear what was going on, until the Wii and Wii U hit. The Wii was the best selling console of the 7th generation. It was a household name. So Nintendo thought keeping Wii in the title for the next machine wouldn’t hurt, thus, we got the Wii U. Yet, they never did a great job of explaining how it wasn’t just an add-on.
It used the same peripherals, shared a lot of games, and wasn’t a huge leap ahead of the generation it was following. A much more unique name would’ve helped those shopping know that this was completely new.
