Kotaku readers are letting us know that Nintendo has this evening taken the very direct step of sending out messages to Wii owners. Not to tell them that their system is being updated. To tell them their system is now out of date.
Continuing a recent exercise in the company finally realising “holy shit we really should have called this thing something else”, Nintendo’s message spells out as explicitly as it can that the Wii U is “an entirely new system”. Not a re-release of the Wii, not an add-on, not a variant, an entirely new system. OK?
I’ve never seen a console need to be marketed like this before. When you need to spell things out so clearly, and directly message every single owner of your previous console, well. You appear to have a marketing problem. And a sales problem.
[thanks @Starfireturtle!]
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18 responses to “Wii Owners, Nintendo REALLY Wants You To Buy A Wii U, OK?”
“Gentlemen, we need to market the Wii U to boost our atrocious sales. Suggestions?”
“Message everyone who owns a Wii regardless of the fact 90% of them would have packed it away in their closets gathering dust a long time ago!”
“PERFECT!”
Poor Wii U 🙁
THAT aside. I’d love to rip on the marketing effort here but it’s free and it might, just maybe, get someone out there to buy a Wii U. It would be nice. I would like to be able to purchase more one game a year I’m interested in.
You mean the watermark that says Kotaku???
Edit: Lol, you caught on 😉
Are there watermark shenanigans again?
I was really hoping no one would see that! :p
Have so been there. Also, logic failure in arguments. Sometimes you just leave it there and really hope no-one will notice it… then six months later someone must’ve been trawling archives and they point out the error in your reasoning! All you can do is post: “Shhh. I was really hoping no-one would point that out.”
I actually like the Wii U. I think it’s pretty neat. It’s gimmicky, but unlike the Wii, the gimmick doesn’t get in the way of functionality.
So i can play easier Mario games and then let my Wii collect dust in the garage after a while? Yeah alright, as soon as I get funds I can throw on things I care very little for.
Will this message reach those that have tossed their Wii’s in a cupboard?? Or haven’t turned them on in years??
Wii-U owners are getting the same message…
HIYOOOOO
They should have built a better console. With a better name. Oh and better marketing wouldn’t hurt.
Guess they really dropped the ball on this console…
Not surprising, considering that the average person either doesn’t know it exists or thinks it’s an update or a re-release.
It’s such a shame; it looks like an awesome console. I’ll hold off until the tablet controller’s battery life has improved.
There are aftermarket batteries that you can get to extend the life of the gamepad. A friend was supposed to be getting one and let us know how it goes, but haven’t heard anything on that front in ages.
That said though, I haven’t really had any trouble with the gamepad’s battery life. It generally lasts as long as I’ll be playing for, and even if the little red light does come on at some point, the power cable for it is light and very long, so it’s no hassle at all to have plugged in while playing.
I’d have to turn on my Wii to see that…
I think that is the downfall of the name. People think it is simply an add on or upgrade.
I wonder if their research has lead to this and thus forced the message.
Their research should have lead to it before even releasing the product. Sony are the ones who do it right. They just slap the next number on the end.
I’d buy one if it had some decent games on it yet. Chop chop ninty
its because it doesnt have a number or a new name.
psone, ps2, ps3
xbox, xbox360
nes, super nes, n64, gamecube, wii
wii u…. should have just called it wii2 or maybe something cool and stupid sounding.
I wont be buying a Nintendo console for a looooong time. I made the mistake to jump on the hype wagon and buy a Wii and its my least used console ever. A handful of good games, crappy support and a whole lot of swinging shit around and doing weird crap. I even bought a traditional controller and most of the games dont even support that. Also from what Ive played and as much as I try i just cant get used to using a big ass tablet as a game controller… its horrible. /Rant/
I can’t say im interested in the Wii u given the fact games are moving to the 3DS.
I dont want 3d, i have an old bulky DS that was cast aside so soon with a short lifespan..
profits are down cause no one wants to buy the same garbage again.
Should have just called it the U
Hello I would like U
You want me?
No, U, the console
I’m not a console
I turned on my Wii for the first time in a few weeks this morning when I saw that Nintendo sent this message around, but it wasn’t there. Was it only sent in America?
Nintendo are loosing, and i’m loving every minute of it.
After a decade of shite, it’s time to get their heads out of their rear-ends and start making some real games again.
I hate to say it, but this is in a way really sad, like depressingly sad that they have to resort to near begging their previous fanbase to upgrade to Nintendo’s new console. Despite the fact that as @samtheman said, the vast majority of them wouldn’t even have their Wii’s plugged in anymore.
This coupled with the rumour going around that the Wii U’s piracy prevention setup might have already been circumvented. . . things are not looking good for the Wii U right now. . .
Should have just called the Wii U the Wii 2, and called the 3DS the DS 2 or Super DS or something. Everyone probably thinks they’re re releases like the DS lite and the DS i