Remember when the Wii U was announced and we all had a good chuckle about how its name sounded like a fire truck siren? Looks like Nintendo might get the last laugh after all. A new report claims the company is considering changing the name of its next generation console, though not for the reasons you might think.
A source close to Nintendo told CVG that the company is concerned the Wii U's name won't do enough to differentiate the console from its current generation counterpart, the Wii. The similarity could potentially confuse average consumers, leading to lower sales and erroneous game purchases.
Shortly after the 3DS launched last year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata cited similar confusion as an explanation for the handheld's sales. As the 3DS is remarkably similar to the DS in name and appearance, Iwata said that many consumers were unable to see the added value and opted not to upgrade.
Later marketing campaigns sought to remedy this confusion, with eye-catching red stickers being used to differentiate game boxes and one UK ad bearing the tagline "This is not DS. This is Nintendo 3DS."
If the report is true, the rebranding would need to happen soon, as the system is scheduled to launch worldwide by Holiday 2012.
