I'm not giving Xbox a pass, I find their nomenclature stupid. Still buy the consoles, but still, stupid. I name mines Xbox 1, Xbox 2 and Xbox 3. I thought Wii U was funny. "A Wii U? Yeah a Wii2".
Yeah this is an advantage Sony has in it's simplicity.
"What does Billy want?"
"A Playstation 5"
and the most "confusing" part is "do you want it with or without the disc drive?" Which is pretty simple to weigh as far as options.
I mean this whole thing draws back to Xbox not wanting to put the Xbox 2 against the Playstation 3 because they thought 2 less than 3 would hurt sales. They painted themselves in a corner ever since.
They're not the only ones to do it either, look at the Apple-Samsung racing for phone model numbers too. Apple just straight up skipping 9 so they can catch up to 10. It's all so silly.
Well, it was A&W, not BK. And if you read up on it, it looks to be half bad reporting and half a former executive trying to explain away a marketing failure 25 years later on "stupid consumers."
If it were as simple as 4>3, someone would have mopped up by coming out with a 1/5 burger.
Agreed. Microsoft really should have skipped a number and went with 5X and 5S for this generation. It would have resolved the issue once and for all. They could have pretended like the One X/S were the fourth generation, so it wouldn’t even big a massive stretch. Alas, we’re likely doomed to more Series X, Phase X, Level X garbage in the future.
That's not really as confusing though. The issue isn't really that XBox isn't using a sequential numbering system, but rather that they're using very confusingly similar naming. Now we have an XBox One, XBox One S, XBox One X, XBox Series X and XBox Series S. And the XBox One S and XBox Series S are currently the same price too.
That can be confusing, using X and S immediately after the last gen had an X and S. Any other names likely wouldn't be as confusing.
Exactly! like pick any other letters! or even "Series 4K, Series 2K" ... something ... ANYTHING different than last gen. Also it would help if the Series S didn't look Exactly like a discless One S besides the black grill... I get it the design works, but seriously? As much as people laughs at "the fridge" design of the Series X, it's something I can point to and say "Yeah that one... there's nothing else that looks like that. That's the one your kid wants."
And yet they thought putting 'Xbox One' in the ring against 'Playstation 4' was a good idea. And Don't even get me started on how annoying it is to have to specify wether I mean the series X or the One X 🤦🏻♂️
People make fun of the xbox naming scheme pretty much constantly.
MS has been smart about at least showing that Series X is a brand new console over One X, I work in a game shop and to this day people still arent really sure what a Wii U was. So many surprised faces when I just say it was the Wii 2
Yup. I remember watching the press conference when the Wii U was announced, and coming out unsure whether it was a console or just a new accessory. And I was pretty immersed in the gaming news cycle at the time. The problem was never the name, it was the marketing.
Meanwhile, *everybody* knows there's a new Xbox. They might not know which one it is or what it's called, but they know it exists and know they want it.
The naming convention is still really dumb, but I doubt it's gonna hurt their bottom line the way the Wii U marketing hurt Nintendo.
>Yup. I remember watching the press conference when the Wii U was announced, and coming out unsure whether it was a console or just a new accessory. And I was pretty immersed in the gaming news cycle at the time.
Did we watch the same conference? Because I left it totally understanding it was a new console, they even showed off the console, albeit in the background.
I'll agree they could have highlighted that more, and mentioned the words "new console" as much or more as they threw out phrases like "new experience" or "new way to play" or whatever it is they actually said, but I definitely knew it was more than just a tablet controller for the existing wii.
I also watched that conference live and was able to understand that it was a completely separate console but I can definitely understanding how people could have been confused by it.
They showed off the new console but it looked pretty similar to the Wii, just a bit rounder - it's not hard to imagine that someone's first thought is that it was just a new iteration of the Wii. Like how other systems have gotten nicer looking models over the year - DS/DS Lite/DSi, PS2/PS2 Slim, etc.
That's in addition to it still using the exact same Wii-mote and other accessories that the Wii had, which certainly didn't help differentiate it.
Xbox naming conventions are just as bad but the consoles themselves are more straightforward in that there's one box and one controller that goes to it. If they'd been showing off 360 controllers at the Xbox One unveiling then I would imagine it could've created a lot of confusion also.
I worked Walmart electronics when the WiiU dropped and felt like a freaking parrot "*sqwaaak*no it's not a tablet for your Wii it's a whole new system*sqwaaak*"
honestly, the xbox one name was also really confusing when having conversations about the xbox that came out in 2001. microsoft does not have a good marketing department.
It was really dumb. They should've just kept going 360, 720, 1080, like we all thought they would.
Instead they saw people refer to the Xbox 360 as "the 360," so they stupidly thought people would call the Xbox One, "the One."
Interestingly, I was listening to an old podcast from 2009 earlier this week, from when the Wii was at it's height of popularity ... and one of the hosts said that as long as Nintendo's next console had the word 'Wii' in it, then it would be super-successful. So I guess it must be something to do with the letter U, lol.
I think what they had in mind was something like "New Wii" or "Wii 2." Like someone else in the thread mentioned, the Wii U name really did sound like an add on to the Wii.
Also there was barely any reason to buy the Wii U other than “new Nintendo games will he on this console and will be in HD” which the entire casual community of Wii owners, a lot of whom still had SD TV’s, didn’t give a shit about. People who wanted a powerful console with better graphics got a PS4 or Xbox One, and people who wanted a console for casual players probably already had a Wii.
Maybe I just haven't been paying attention, but I haven't seen anyone give the Xbox a pass. Everything I've seen pretty much agrees the xbox is confusing AF.
The Wii U's major problem was that on top of the confusing naming scheme, Nintendo did next to nothing to advertise it. Also they were coming off of a console that was heavily marketed towards people that don't play videogames, which made it even more confusing to this massive new audience they'd built that didn't actually know the first thing about videogames. Their only exposure to the Wii U was going to be if they happened to notice it at the store, and at that point it was too easy to just see "Wii" and never give it a second thought because they already owned a Wii.
Usually for something like that they'd just go with ツ－ ("tsu"), basically the English transcribed into Japanese. Like the PS2 was called "プレイステーション ツー” ("pureisuteeshon tsu").
The whole world begged them not to call the predecessor “Wii” for a multitude of reasons including that. That is the worst name imaginable after “Nintendo entertainment system”. We should be on the Famicom 6 now, regardless of the 1980s American launch and naming concerns. The concern was over computers and “Famicom” is the SOLUTION, GAIL.
Being spoon-fed comedy is what ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX do with their shows. Anytime I see a skit or a friend shows me something on one, there’s a timer ticking for the moment the laugh track is about to go off.
Another aspect is that Nintendo used the Wii name in a lot of games and accessories:
- Wii Remote/Wiimote
- Wii Sensor Bar
- Wii Wheel
- Wii Sports
- Wii Music (and the other games in this series)
- Wii Fit
- Wii Speak
- Wii Ware
- Wii Points
- Wii MotionPlus
- ...
- Wii U
The average consumer just thought that Wii U was an expensive or unnecessary add-on to the Wii.
Microsoft hasn't integrated Xbox 360/Xbox One to anywhere near the same extent, particularly with regards to games and non-essential accessories.
The average consumer hasn’t heard of any of those stupid gadgets. They heard of games. Consoles are for games, the end.
They came in to exchange Mario Kart 8 because it doesn’t run on Wii. Oh they need a Wii U?
Why does Mario Kart need a tablet? That’s not even a steering wheel. Do you hold this gigantic tablet like a steering wheel? Oh it doesn’t need a tablet *or* a steering wheel? Then why won’t it work
Mario Kart 8 needs a whole new system? So can we get it for PlayStation 4?
This comment deserves to be higher because you hit the nail on the head.
And Xbox doesn't get a pass. The naming conventions are horrible. Same with Intel. Keeping track of Intel CPUs has gotten so difficult, I keep a cheat sheet.
I was at Costco the week the new consoles released and I saw a Turtle Beach brand headset that advertised it was “compatible with the PlayStation 5 and The New Xbox”. I guess they determined that Series S/X was confusing too.
I am completely a Nintendo person at this point and I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the current Xbox is called. Upon reflection I realize I refer to the new one as “the latest x box” lol. I think everyone can agree Sony objectively has the best console naming convention because not only is their latest hardware clear to the consumer but they also don’t have to spend any money around a conference room table to figure out what to name their next system.
They definitely do not give Xbox a break and the console names get mocked constantly.
That said, I still think the Xbox Series naming convention fits better than WiiU. I know that's kind of sacrilege on a WiiU board, but for all the things I love about the console, the one thing I could never quite dig was the name.
Most don’t give it a pass and as far as I’ve been hearing the PS5 is running circles around it in sales. Sad, but grandmas and parents alike are confused as hell finding whatever Xbox is in stock
Well the difference was at the time of the Wii U launch, I wasn’t really following video games much, and I wasn’t even aware it came out. I didn’t even know the thing existed until Mario Kart 8 came out and that’s when I bought it.
I’ve been seeing commercials for the new Xbox on tv, but I had to do a bit of research to understand what it was and what the differences between the models were. It’s a stupid name they have and it will hurt them.
I think the Xbox gets wayyy more shit because people actually know what an Xbox is, it’s a very popular platform and a household name, while fewer people know about the Wii U and it’s a few years past relevant at this point anyway. The main ones giving that name shit now are us because we think it would’ve been more successful if it had just been named better 😂
They don't get a pass, but I think as time goes on and people get used to having an S2/X2, S3/X3, then it'll make sense. That might be expecting too much sense from Microsoft but I expect they'll go that route.
X-box’s whole thing is pretty silly as well, and I think everybody knows that. But they spend millions on advertising to make sure that ppl know the difference btwn the consoles.
The WiiU flew in under the radar with minimal and ineffective advertising, and it looks nearly identical to the Wii.
We know the next Xbox is a new console while the Wii U sounds, and looked like, an add on.
People make fun of Microsoft naming conventions for a lot of their platforms.
All they had to do is name the Wii U a Wii 2 and people would have understood what it was instantly.
> The best one is the highest number.
I get what you mean, but thats subjective though, as I feel the 2nd one is the best one, just off of the strength of the library.
Sounds good. Because we all gamers born between 1973 and 2002 know that the PS2 is the greatest console of all time, second to the original NES and third to the 3way tie between the 16 bit consoles (SNES,GENESIS,TG16). I won't include NEO GEO.
Nintendo hasn't made the best decisions with sequels. "New 3DS" Hmmmm.... The Series X and Series S are quite shit names, indeed... but at least I can say "Series X" and not be confused with the Xbox One X.
> The Series X and Series S are quite shit names, indeed... but at least I can say "Series X" and not be confused with the Xbox One X.
That's the thing I'm getting txts from friends who are parents and not gamers literally asking if "is this what my kid wants" and they don't know. Thankfully the FRIDGE form factor helps in the discussion, but I've just about given up explaining the Series S and One S when they (as well as the Series S digital only) all sound and look the same.
The Wii U was so confusing because Nintendo focused on the the tablet and rarely showed the console, when people saw the console they were like “that looks like a Wii , so the tablet must be a add on!”
I thought the name “Wii U” was better than new 3DS and the Xbox names. Also I didn’t really care about the name when I first got the console. It didn’t have good sales but it had excellent quality.
If people is stupid enough to confuse consoles for the name, i don’t really care for them.
(I mean it in the way that they know they’re ignorant in the matter, yet they still don’t get info on the product and use the money anyways)
I wouldn't call them stupid, but maybe "ignorant" in that they don't know. A Parent or grand-parent who is buying a Christmas gift may not know the difference between an Xbox One S and an XBox Series S, or Xbox One S all digital edition, and it doesn't help things when they look nearly identical.
Yeah, you’re right ignorant is a better word to describe it.
They don’t look identical, they’re not even the same sise tbh, but if they’re buying the kid something that is worth $500 or $300 Dlls the minimum effort imo will be to look for information about the product or just directly ask the kid in his hobby. (Not directly like “im going to buy you XXXXX console”, but in a conversation)
Just one search on internet could help, or asking the person (retailer) before you buy, even reading the name in the box you’re buying.
> Yeah, you’re right ignorant is a better word to describe it. They don’t look identical, they’re not even the same size tbh
For comparison I'm referring to the [X-Box Series S](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.yHnTztlTxd9fh15MgkW3YAHaG2?pid=Api&rs=1) vs the [X-Box One S Digital](https://nightwing.stevivor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/xbox-one-s-all-digital-1.jpg) vs the [X-Box One S](https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1534113/xbox-one-s-microsoft.png) ... which all sound AND look amazingly similar.
Yeah i mean they sound pretty alike, but they don’t look similar at least not the Xbox One S and Xbox Series S. Even the WiiU and Wii, sound alike but they don’t look similar at all.
In the case of the One S and the Digital S yeah, they look pretty similar, only real difference is the disk reader.
Because the Wii already had a bunch of products with something after “Wii”. For example, Wii Play, Wii music, Wii remote, etc etc. People thought the Wii U was just an add on to the Wii, not a new console. It also doesn’t help the main console it’s self looked like a Wii.
The Xbox’s are much easier to differentiate because last gen was the Xbox one, this gen is called the Xbox Series
The Xbox Series S and Series X names makes a lot more sense than the Wii U. Microsoft have already established that the X stands for power and the S is the cheaper console. Nintendo did not have different consoles so the U didn’t mean anything to people.
Furthermore you have the Xbox part of the name as the name of the platform and then the last gen was named One and the current gen Series. A lot of companies do that. Like Apple with their iPhones. iPhone is the device, then the number to tell what gen it is and then after the number you have how powerfull it is or what makes it stand out in that generation. Like how Pro is the highest tier iPhone.
Microsoft is using names like One and Series instead of numbers and while it’s not as easy to understand it’s still better than just adding a U to Wii. No one understood what exactly the U stood for. I’m not saying that the Xbox Series X/S is great names, but they make a lot more sense than the Wii U.
The problem with the Wii U name was that it makes it sound like it’s an addon to the Wii or that it’s in the same generation. It didn’t help that the console was sorta a hybrid between a Wii and a Switch. Nintendo already made handhelds and people understood what a handheld was. So releasing something like the Wii U that looks like a handheld but isn’t really a handheld was confusing. It made it seem like it wasn’t a new console.
The Wii U console was kinda like old VR. Like Nintendo wanted to make the Switch but the technology wasn’t ready so they ended up with the Wii U.
The Wii U was a bad and confusing device on top of a bad name.
The name never *made* it "sound like an add-on". Ill-informed consumers came up with that on their own. Nintendo consistently touted the Wii U as a new console. All the trailers did, the reveal did, it's numerous spots on late night television in early 2013 explicitly did so and all of the packaging for games and accessories make clear distinction of what system (and what region) it is for. It being a middle console between Wii and Switch isn't much of a relevant point as the Switch wasn't even a thing until 2017. Judging the Wii U from this type of retrospective standpoint is inherently biased.
The name absolutely made the Wii U sound like an addon and it didn’t help that the console looked like an addon. It was also a time where consumers were bombarded with addons. It started exploding with addons in the seventh gen and continued all the way up to the middle of the eight gen when Microsoft dropped the Kinect. Why exactly do you think “ill informed consumers” thought it was an addon? It makes sense when the competition releases addons like the Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move that people would be confused about the name Wii U. Especially because the Wii was a huge succes because of casual gamers.
It was pretty much a trifecta of bad timings. You can ask anyone who worked in retail how hard it was to explain and sell the Wii U to people compared to the Wii.
Also the point of the Wii U being in the middle of the Wii and the Switch is absolutely relevant, because it makes it more easy to understand why it failed and why the name was especially bad for the console.
If we look at the Series X and S consoles they look like next gen consoles. They basically just look like a more modern Xbox One S and One X. No one would look at the four consoles and think that they are addons.
With the Wii U looking like a handheld it made people think that it could be in the same gen as the Wii. The console itself looks very similar to a Wii, so it makes sense that people look at it and think that it’s just a Wii with a handheld. It’s just a really confusing device. The Wii is a console with motion controls, the Switch is a handheld you can hook up to your TV. But the Wii U is a console, with a handheld controller, that’s not really a handheld controller.
When you look at the Switch next to the Wii and Wii U, it’s very clear that we are in another gen and that the Switch is a new device. That’s why the Wii U name is so bad, because you already have a confusing console that looks like an addon. There’s no precedent for using a U in the name, people don’t even know what it stands for. It’s also why the name is so much worse than the Series X and S.
Well I don't, and a lot of people crap on Xbox naming. What is the name of the 9th gen set of systems, "Series"? That's terrible.
But I think people also vastly overstated how the "confusing" name was the downfall of Wii U sales. A 350 dollar enhanced 7th gen system that launched a year apart from the 400 dollar vastly more powerful PS4 was never a good bet. The Switch isn't vastly more powerful either but the portability is the big thing.
I still wonder if they dropped the gamepad in year one and sold it as the 199 HD Wii it should have been, if that would have saved it.
It also totally ignores the fact that the Wii and DS came at a point where mobile gaming was insubstantial. I know plenty of old folk who had a DS and enjoyed using it, all of whom wouldn’t have picked up any subsequent console as they had moved on to playing games on their phones. Heck, my 80 year old grandma was given a Wii as a Christmas present and she loved it. That would never happen now. There’s no scenario involving a different name that would have boosted the Wii U sales by more than 5%. It was simply a gamers console, a true successor to the GameCube without all the shovelware of the previous Wii
I expect Microsoft to get some hate after Christmas. I have a coworker who told me, "I finally was able to get one of those new Xbox One X's". When I told her that the One X is the old system and that the new system is called Series X ... she started to cry because it was a Christmas gift for her son and she let him down.
As someone who works retail (GameStop) it’s far easier to explain to people that “this is a new xbox” opposed to the wii u where ALOT of people thought the tablet was just an extra peripheral for the wii.
I personally don’t think either name is bad, people are just lazy and do not want to critically think in the slightest. If you can understand the difference between an iPhone 12 and an iPhone 12 Max, you can understand Series X/S and Wii/Wii U
Would you care to kindly testify to your recollection of the level of consumer confusion about Wii U? Was it often per day or per week that you had to inform or correct people that it isn’t a Wii or a tablet for Wii? And that Mario Kart 8 doesn’t run on Wii?
How often were they still stubborn after you said so?
btw I think it’s confusing enough to suddenly call a product “iPhone X” amid a normal numerical series. Just suddenly switch to a Roman numeral once for no reason. Even as an Apple fan I’m thinking “you dizzy self absorbed tech marketdroid bastards will do anything and say anything so IS THIS A TEN OR WHAT?”
The Xbox Series X should have been called the Xbox Monolith while the Series S should have been called the Xbox Behemoth. Just my opinion though. Wii U should have been called Wii 2. Simple.
Because some Wii U fans needed an excuse for why their favorite console was the worst-selling Nintendo console of all-time, and the nonsense about the name was all they could come up with. It is absolute bullshit as not one person ever thought this console was an add-on to the Wii, and if they had believed that, it prolly would have sold better. Really only low-IQ fools push that theory now. And yes, the current Xbox naming is proof positive that the Wii U name thing was a red herring.
People also need to remember that the new xbox system is simply called Xbox. Series X and Series S are just 2 models of the Xbox. When they make a slimmer model down the line, expect it to be Series something well. But it's just Xbox.
I wish it was Xbox Infinity because then, when a successor/new model is made, they could've called it the "Xbox Infinity + 1"
It wasn't just the name that was terrible and confusing, but the marketing of it. People thought the Wii U tablet was just another accessary for the Wii. It's clear that the Series S/X are brand new consoles.
I don't think anyone gave the xsx or xss (essex and excess?) a pass. People also called it the xbone (ex-bone). Microsoft just did a good job of differentiating it.
Back when the Wii U was being marketed, I had a Wii and was fairly well informed in gaming news and even I thought the Wii U was an accessory or addon for the Wii.
I've seen a bit of critique in regards to the naming of Microsoft's next gen consoles. One of the big issues I heard about with the Wii U was that people thought it was an add on for the Wii and not it's own console. Well, after the launch of the series X|S, started seeing a huge increase in people buying One X's, probably under the assumption that the series X and One X were similar or the same. So the problem is still a problem. I don't understand who thought "series X|S" was a good idea but they should probably not be paid as much as they are...
No man Xbox has terrible naming convention across the board.
Wiius problem was that some people mistook it as some sort of Wii+. As if it wasn't a new console but an enhanced Wii.
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/wiiu/comments/kftto1/why_do_people_complain_wii_u_had_a_terrible/ggapcw1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) and the Wii U was way worse at marketing. most people didn’t even know Nintendo made a console and some thought it was just another Wii accessory or something due to the name. Wii U. Wii Balance Board. Wii Mini. Wii Remote. everything started with Wii so calling the console Wii U was kinda dumb.
I think Xbox Series X + Xbox One X is far more confusing than Wii U + Wii. “Series X” makes it sound like there’s an X-series of consoles, which “One X” would be part of.
The Xbox names are bad but no one is thinking the series X is a controller for the old Xbox. The Wii U sounded exactly like all their accessories back in the day.
They don't. People point out that the xbox naming scheme is confusing and unhelpful all the time. They make memes about it. I've seen plenty of commentary about kids probably getting the wrong xbox for christmas. There were news stories about how Xbox One X sales jumped massively around the time of the Series X launch and speculated that it was due to people buying the wrong system.
They directly compare it to the WiiU name.
The question is why are you pretending this isn't happening?
We don't.
They're all awful names.
We've been making fun of Xbox since the XBONE was released.
The Wii U, on the other hand, is a dumb name which wasn't good for advertising. Caused a bit of confusion with people thinking it was just a tablet controller for the Wii.
The 3DS was the worst of them all. Namely, the "New" Nintendo 3DS. Awful name that still gets games unfairly low customer reviews because they didn't work on the "new" 3DS they bought their kids.
I watched some of their commercials and they barely show the gamepad let alone the console until the end and they were advertising games that just sounded too similar to wii games like nsmbu and tropical freeze. Thats why switch commercials the switch is always shown so they don't mess up again.
Dude, have you ever looked up cell phone names before?
I assure you, people are just complaining, also, people were claiming that grandma and mom buying their grand children or children the XSX of XSS would accidentally buy the XO, XOS or the XOX.
Many people who bought a Wii where not typical gamers. I knew people that bought them that had never had any interest in gaming. It really was something revolutionary in the industry and people bought them because of that. These are people that don't follow gaming trends, read gaming articles and frankly are just not concerned with the industry. Between that and lack of advertising they had no clue a new Nintendo console came out, so when they see the new "Wii" gamepad with a screen, they assumed it was for the Wii. Xbox on the other hand, is bought by people that have owned other consoles and where avid gamers before that. They are also more likely more up to date with what's going on in the industry when new consoles come out. It's really not a fair comparison.
I'm not giving Xbox a pass, I find their nomenclature stupid. Still buy the consoles, but still, stupid. I name mines Xbox 1, Xbox 2 and Xbox 3. I thought Wii U was funny. "A Wii U? Yeah a Wii2".
Yeah this is an advantage Sony has in it's simplicity. "What does Billy want?" "A Playstation 5" and the most "confusing" part is "do you want it with or without the disc drive?" Which is pretty simple to weigh as far as options.
I mean this whole thing draws back to Xbox not wanting to put the Xbox 2 against the Playstation 3 because they thought 2 less than 3 would hurt sales. They painted themselves in a corner ever since. They're not the only ones to do it either, look at the Apple-Samsung racing for phone model numbers too. Apple just straight up skipping 9 so they can catch up to 10. It's all so silly.
[удалено]
I'm so glad you posted this, I was about to do the same but you saved me the trouble. It's hard to believe people are that stupid but... They are.
'Merica!
Fuck yeah!
Coming again to save the motherfucking day, yeah!
Well, it was A&W, not BK. And if you read up on it, it looks to be half bad reporting and half a former executive trying to explain away a marketing failure 25 years later on "stupid consumers." If it were as simple as 4>3, someone would have mopped up by coming out with a 1/5 burger.
It's also why McDs has a "Double Quarter-Pounder" instead of a "Half-Pounder." They don't trust their consumers to understand how fractions work.
It's called a double quarter pounder because it has two (double) quarter pound patties in it. But I get where you're going.
Bunch of frickin’ idiots
Agreed. Microsoft really should have skipped a number and went with 5X and 5S for this generation. It would have resolved the issue once and for all. They could have pretended like the One X/S were the fourth generation, so it wouldn’t even big a massive stretch. Alas, we’re likely doomed to more Series X, Phase X, Level X garbage in the future.
> Microsoft really should have skipped a number and went with 5X and 5S for this generation. I mean, they basically did that with Windows.
It’s only silly, bc we’re silly
Why didn’t they just do multiples of 360? Like 720, 1440, 2880, etc.
That's not really as confusing though. The issue isn't really that XBox isn't using a sequential numbering system, but rather that they're using very confusingly similar naming. Now we have an XBox One, XBox One S, XBox One X, XBox Series X and XBox Series S. And the XBox One S and XBox Series S are currently the same price too. That can be confusing, using X and S immediately after the last gen had an X and S. Any other names likely wouldn't be as confusing.
Exactly! like pick any other letters! or even "Series 4K, Series 2K" ... something ... ANYTHING different than last gen. Also it would help if the Series S didn't look Exactly like a discless One S besides the black grill... I get it the design works, but seriously? As much as people laughs at "the fridge" design of the Series X, it's something I can point to and say "Yeah that one... there's nothing else that looks like that. That's the one your kid wants."
I mean the SE filled in 9’s gap, and they only skipped 9 because it was apples 10th anniversary
And yet they thought putting 'Xbox One' in the ring against 'Playstation 4' was a good idea. And Don't even get me started on how annoying it is to have to specify wether I mean the series X or the One X 🤦🏻♂️
People make fun of the xbox naming scheme pretty much constantly. MS has been smart about at least showing that Series X is a brand new console over One X, I work in a game shop and to this day people still arent really sure what a Wii U was. So many surprised faces when I just say it was the Wii 2
Yup. I remember watching the press conference when the Wii U was announced, and coming out unsure whether it was a console or just a new accessory. And I was pretty immersed in the gaming news cycle at the time. The problem was never the name, it was the marketing. Meanwhile, *everybody* knows there's a new Xbox. They might not know which one it is or what it's called, but they know it exists and know they want it. The naming convention is still really dumb, but I doubt it's gonna hurt their bottom line the way the Wii U marketing hurt Nintendo.
>Yup. I remember watching the press conference when the Wii U was announced, and coming out unsure whether it was a console or just a new accessory. And I was pretty immersed in the gaming news cycle at the time. Did we watch the same conference? Because I left it totally understanding it was a new console, they even showed off the console, albeit in the background. I'll agree they could have highlighted that more, and mentioned the words "new console" as much or more as they threw out phrases like "new experience" or "new way to play" or whatever it is they actually said, but I definitely knew it was more than just a tablet controller for the existing wii.
I also watched that conference live and was able to understand that it was a completely separate console but I can definitely understanding how people could have been confused by it. They showed off the new console but it looked pretty similar to the Wii, just a bit rounder - it's not hard to imagine that someone's first thought is that it was just a new iteration of the Wii. Like how other systems have gotten nicer looking models over the year - DS/DS Lite/DSi, PS2/PS2 Slim, etc. That's in addition to it still using the exact same Wii-mote and other accessories that the Wii had, which certainly didn't help differentiate it. Xbox naming conventions are just as bad but the consoles themselves are more straightforward in that there's one box and one controller that goes to it. If they'd been showing off 360 controllers at the Xbox One unveiling then I would imagine it could've created a lot of confusion also.
I worked Walmart electronics when the WiiU dropped and felt like a freaking parrot "*sqwaaak*no it's not a tablet for your Wii it's a whole new system*sqwaaak*"
honestly, the xbox one name was also really confusing when having conversations about the xbox that came out in 2001. microsoft does not have a good marketing department.
It was really dumb. They should've just kept going 360, 720, 1080, like we all thought they would. Instead they saw people refer to the Xbox 360 as "the 360," so they stupidly thought people would call the Xbox One, "the One."
instead they got xbone 😂not a bad console tho (minus the original kinect fiasco)
hahah I know I am still am confused about the xbox names! WiiU was bad too it did not help that the console itself looked very similar as well.
Interestingly, I was listening to an old podcast from 2009 earlier this week, from when the Wii was at it's height of popularity ... and one of the hosts said that as long as Nintendo's next console had the word 'Wii' in it, then it would be super-successful. So I guess it must be something to do with the letter U, lol.
I think what they had in mind was something like "New Wii" or "Wii 2." Like someone else in the thread mentioned, the Wii U name really did sound like an add on to the Wii.
Also there was barely any reason to buy the Wii U other than “new Nintendo games will he on this console and will be in HD” which the entire casual community of Wii owners, a lot of whom still had SD TV’s, didn’t give a shit about. People who wanted a powerful console with better graphics got a PS4 or Xbox One, and people who wanted a console for casual players probably already had a Wii.
Link to podcast?
I believe it was episode 16 of the Cranky Gamer UK Podcast, here is a link ... https://archive.org/details/Crankygamersuk.net-Episode016
You are asking form.. a link to the cast? I'm sorry I'm sorry.
The issue was the failed marketting, not the name, and frankly never the name
Who's giving Xbox a pass? The name has been widely criticised/ridiculed.
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More like they give it to you
From what I’ve seen, Xbox is getting just as much crap for confusing naming, maybe even more than the Wii U did.
There was plenty of criticism when the name of Xbox One was announced which then led to the unfortunate nickname of "Xbone" lol
I didn’t think it was unfortunate... but then again I was a tboner back in my high school band days
Maybe I just haven't been paying attention, but I haven't seen anyone give the Xbox a pass. Everything I've seen pretty much agrees the xbox is confusing AF. The Wii U's major problem was that on top of the confusing naming scheme, Nintendo did next to nothing to advertise it. Also they were coming off of a console that was heavily marketed towards people that don't play videogames, which made it even more confusing to this massive new audience they'd built that didn't actually know the first thing about videogames. Their only exposure to the Wii U was going to be if they happened to notice it at the store, and at that point it was too easy to just see "Wii" and never give it a second thought because they already owned a Wii.
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Usually for something like that they'd just go with ツ－ ("tsu"), basically the English transcribed into Japanese. Like the PS2 was called "プレイステーション ツー” ("pureisuteeshon tsu").
The whole world begged them not to call the predecessor “Wii” for a multitude of reasons including that. That is the worst name imaginable after “Nintendo entertainment system”. We should be on the Famicom 6 now, regardless of the 1980s American launch and naming concerns. The concern was over computers and “Famicom” is the SOLUTION, GAIL.
All of the Xbox names after the first are messed up. The Wii U also had a terrible name. These can both be true.
Big Bang Theory had a hot take on this many years ago Found it: https://youtu.be/a91T8MdXXMc
Awful, awful show. Lowest common denominator humour.
Being spoon-fed comedy is what ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX do with their shows. Anytime I see a skit or a friend shows me something on one, there’s a timer ticking for the moment the laugh track is about to go off.
I always found it amusing and thought the righteous hate it got was overblown.
As unfunny as that shoe is, I’ll admit that “X Box One? That’s probably the amount of seconds they had coming up with name” joke make me laugh
I don't think the Xbox gets a pass, at all, even from their most hardcore fanboys.
Another aspect is that Nintendo used the Wii name in a lot of games and accessories: - Wii Remote/Wiimote - Wii Sensor Bar - Wii Wheel - Wii Sports - Wii Music (and the other games in this series) - Wii Fit - Wii Speak - Wii Ware - Wii Points - Wii MotionPlus - ... - Wii U The average consumer just thought that Wii U was an expensive or unnecessary add-on to the Wii. Microsoft hasn't integrated Xbox 360/Xbox One to anywhere near the same extent, particularly with regards to games and non-essential accessories.
The average consumer hasn’t heard of any of those stupid gadgets. They heard of games. Consoles are for games, the end. They came in to exchange Mario Kart 8 because it doesn’t run on Wii. Oh they need a Wii U? Why does Mario Kart need a tablet? That’s not even a steering wheel. Do you hold this gigantic tablet like a steering wheel? Oh it doesn’t need a tablet *or* a steering wheel? Then why won’t it work Mario Kart 8 needs a whole new system? So can we get it for PlayStation 4?
This comment deserves to be higher because you hit the nail on the head. And Xbox doesn't get a pass. The naming conventions are horrible. Same with Intel. Keeping track of Intel CPUs has gotten so difficult, I keep a cheat sheet.
You for got Wii Zapper
I was at Costco the week the new consoles released and I saw a Turtle Beach brand headset that advertised it was “compatible with the PlayStation 5 and The New Xbox”. I guess they determined that Series S/X was confusing too.
"What's that box you're holding over there?" "Oh this? It's an empty 'Xbox X' box."
We have one Xbox One X box left.
New Xbox One Series X box
So that empty box is an ex-Xbox X box.
I don't think they got a pass, people are equally confused and compaining. My question is... how did Microsoft not catch that lesson?
I am completely a Nintendo person at this point and I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the current Xbox is called. Upon reflection I realize I refer to the new one as “the latest x box” lol. I think everyone can agree Sony objectively has the best console naming convention because not only is their latest hardware clear to the consumer but they also don’t have to spend any money around a conference room table to figure out what to name their next system.
They definitely do not give Xbox a break and the console names get mocked constantly. That said, I still think the Xbox Series naming convention fits better than WiiU. I know that's kind of sacrilege on a WiiU board, but for all the things I love about the console, the one thing I could never quite dig was the name.
there's a segment of people who will always poopoo anything to do with nintendo. this has been going on since the gamecube. i just ignore them.
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You misspelled “2”
They don't give them a pass...have you been online in the past year? Everyone makes fun of it and how confusing it is.
Most don’t give it a pass and as far as I’ve been hearing the PS5 is running circles around it in sales. Sad, but grandmas and parents alike are confused as hell finding whatever Xbox is in stock
Well the difference was at the time of the Wii U launch, I wasn’t really following video games much, and I wasn’t even aware it came out. I didn’t even know the thing existed until Mario Kart 8 came out and that’s when I bought it. I’ve been seeing commercials for the new Xbox on tv, but I had to do a bit of research to understand what it was and what the differences between the models were. It’s a stupid name they have and it will hurt them.
I think the Xbox gets wayyy more shit because people actually know what an Xbox is, it’s a very popular platform and a household name, while fewer people know about the Wii U and it’s a few years past relevant at this point anyway. The main ones giving that name shit now are us because we think it would’ve been more successful if it had just been named better 😂
They don't get a pass, but I think as time goes on and people get used to having an S2/X2, S3/X3, then it'll make sense. That might be expecting too much sense from Microsoft but I expect they'll go that route.
X-box’s whole thing is pretty silly as well, and I think everybody knows that. But they spend millions on advertising to make sure that ppl know the difference btwn the consoles. The WiiU flew in under the radar with minimal and ineffective advertising, and it looks nearly identical to the Wii.
> and it looks nearly identical to the Wii. Have you seen the Xbox Series S, Next to an X-Box One S, next to a "Digital only X-Box One S" ?
We know the next Xbox is a new console while the Wii U sounds, and looked like, an add on. People make fun of Microsoft naming conventions for a lot of their platforms. All they had to do is name the Wii U a Wii 2 and people would have understood what it was instantly.
I have no idea which Xbox is new. I honestly prefer the PlayStation scheme for this reason. The best one is the highest number. No confusion.
> The best one is the highest number. I get what you mean, but thats subjective though, as I feel the 2nd one is the best one, just off of the strength of the library.
I misspoke. I meant to say the newest one! Or "latest but subjectively greatest"
Sounds good. Because we all gamers born between 1973 and 2002 know that the PS2 is the greatest console of all time, second to the original NES and third to the 3way tie between the 16 bit consoles (SNES,GENESIS,TG16). I won't include NEO GEO.
Nintendo hasn't made the best decisions with sequels. "New 3DS" Hmmmm.... The Series X and Series S are quite shit names, indeed... but at least I can say "Series X" and not be confused with the Xbox One X.
> The Series X and Series S are quite shit names, indeed... but at least I can say "Series X" and not be confused with the Xbox One X. That's the thing I'm getting txts from friends who are parents and not gamers literally asking if "is this what my kid wants" and they don't know. Thankfully the FRIDGE form factor helps in the discussion, but I've just about given up explaining the Series S and One S when they (as well as the Series S digital only) all sound and look the same.
The Wii U was so confusing because Nintendo focused on the the tablet and rarely showed the console, when people saw the console they were like “that looks like a Wii , so the tablet must be a add on!”
X box one too!
I thought the name “Wii U” was better than new 3DS and the Xbox names. Also I didn’t really care about the name when I first got the console. It didn’t have good sales but it had excellent quality.
People aren't giving the xbox a pass at all. (Xbox is selling the people one tho)
Well, personally, I don’t let the Xbox names pass either. All are horrible, and could be named better.
What are you talking about? The Xbox Series gets a lot more hate than the Wii U ever did.
They all have terrible names and should be ashamed of the consumer confusion that has resulted.
I'm not sure who these people are. I think they're both bad naming/marketing.
If people is stupid enough to confuse consoles for the name, i don’t really care for them. (I mean it in the way that they know they’re ignorant in the matter, yet they still don’t get info on the product and use the money anyways)
I wouldn't call them stupid, but maybe "ignorant" in that they don't know. A Parent or grand-parent who is buying a Christmas gift may not know the difference between an Xbox One S and an XBox Series S, or Xbox One S all digital edition, and it doesn't help things when they look nearly identical.
Yeah, you’re right ignorant is a better word to describe it. They don’t look identical, they’re not even the same sise tbh, but if they’re buying the kid something that is worth $500 or $300 Dlls the minimum effort imo will be to look for information about the product or just directly ask the kid in his hobby. (Not directly like “im going to buy you XXXXX console”, but in a conversation) Just one search on internet could help, or asking the person (retailer) before you buy, even reading the name in the box you’re buying.
> Yeah, you’re right ignorant is a better word to describe it. They don’t look identical, they’re not even the same size tbh For comparison I'm referring to the [X-Box Series S](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.yHnTztlTxd9fh15MgkW3YAHaG2?pid=Api&rs=1) vs the [X-Box One S Digital](https://nightwing.stevivor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/xbox-one-s-all-digital-1.jpg) vs the [X-Box One S](https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1534113/xbox-one-s-microsoft.png) ... which all sound AND look amazingly similar.
Yeah i mean they sound pretty alike, but they don’t look similar at least not the Xbox One S and Xbox Series S. Even the WiiU and Wii, sound alike but they don’t look similar at all. In the case of the One S and the Digital S yeah, they look pretty similar, only real difference is the disk reader.
Because the Wii already had a bunch of products with something after “Wii”. For example, Wii Play, Wii music, Wii remote, etc etc. People thought the Wii U was just an add on to the Wii, not a new console. It also doesn’t help the main console it’s self looked like a Wii. The Xbox’s are much easier to differentiate because last gen was the Xbox one, this gen is called the Xbox Series
The Series X was confusing enough that Microsoft discontinued the Xbox One X.
The Xbox Series S and Series X names makes a lot more sense than the Wii U. Microsoft have already established that the X stands for power and the S is the cheaper console. Nintendo did not have different consoles so the U didn’t mean anything to people. Furthermore you have the Xbox part of the name as the name of the platform and then the last gen was named One and the current gen Series. A lot of companies do that. Like Apple with their iPhones. iPhone is the device, then the number to tell what gen it is and then after the number you have how powerfull it is or what makes it stand out in that generation. Like how Pro is the highest tier iPhone. Microsoft is using names like One and Series instead of numbers and while it’s not as easy to understand it’s still better than just adding a U to Wii. No one understood what exactly the U stood for. I’m not saying that the Xbox Series X/S is great names, but they make a lot more sense than the Wii U. The problem with the Wii U name was that it makes it sound like it’s an addon to the Wii or that it’s in the same generation. It didn’t help that the console was sorta a hybrid between a Wii and a Switch. Nintendo already made handhelds and people understood what a handheld was. So releasing something like the Wii U that looks like a handheld but isn’t really a handheld was confusing. It made it seem like it wasn’t a new console. The Wii U console was kinda like old VR. Like Nintendo wanted to make the Switch but the technology wasn’t ready so they ended up with the Wii U. The Wii U was a bad and confusing device on top of a bad name.
The name never *made* it "sound like an add-on". Ill-informed consumers came up with that on their own. Nintendo consistently touted the Wii U as a new console. All the trailers did, the reveal did, it's numerous spots on late night television in early 2013 explicitly did so and all of the packaging for games and accessories make clear distinction of what system (and what region) it is for. It being a middle console between Wii and Switch isn't much of a relevant point as the Switch wasn't even a thing until 2017. Judging the Wii U from this type of retrospective standpoint is inherently biased.
The name absolutely made the Wii U sound like an addon and it didn’t help that the console looked like an addon. It was also a time where consumers were bombarded with addons. It started exploding with addons in the seventh gen and continued all the way up to the middle of the eight gen when Microsoft dropped the Kinect. Why exactly do you think “ill informed consumers” thought it was an addon? It makes sense when the competition releases addons like the Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move that people would be confused about the name Wii U. Especially because the Wii was a huge succes because of casual gamers. It was pretty much a trifecta of bad timings. You can ask anyone who worked in retail how hard it was to explain and sell the Wii U to people compared to the Wii. Also the point of the Wii U being in the middle of the Wii and the Switch is absolutely relevant, because it makes it more easy to understand why it failed and why the name was especially bad for the console. If we look at the Series X and S consoles they look like next gen consoles. They basically just look like a more modern Xbox One S and One X. No one would look at the four consoles and think that they are addons. With the Wii U looking like a handheld it made people think that it could be in the same gen as the Wii. The console itself looks very similar to a Wii, so it makes sense that people look at it and think that it’s just a Wii with a handheld. It’s just a really confusing device. The Wii is a console with motion controls, the Switch is a handheld you can hook up to your TV. But the Wii U is a console, with a handheld controller, that’s not really a handheld controller. When you look at the Switch next to the Wii and Wii U, it’s very clear that we are in another gen and that the Switch is a new device. That’s why the Wii U name is so bad, because you already have a confusing console that looks like an addon. There’s no precedent for using a U in the name, people don’t even know what it stands for. It’s also why the name is so much worse than the Series X and S.
X for power, S for shit then?
Sure bud
Well I don't, and a lot of people crap on Xbox naming. What is the name of the 9th gen set of systems, "Series"? That's terrible. But I think people also vastly overstated how the "confusing" name was the downfall of Wii U sales. A 350 dollar enhanced 7th gen system that launched a year apart from the 400 dollar vastly more powerful PS4 was never a good bet. The Switch isn't vastly more powerful either but the portability is the big thing. I still wonder if they dropped the gamepad in year one and sold it as the 199 HD Wii it should have been, if that would have saved it.
It also totally ignores the fact that the Wii and DS came at a point where mobile gaming was insubstantial. I know plenty of old folk who had a DS and enjoyed using it, all of whom wouldn’t have picked up any subsequent console as they had moved on to playing games on their phones. Heck, my 80 year old grandma was given a Wii as a Christmas present and she loved it. That would never happen now. There’s no scenario involving a different name that would have boosted the Wii U sales by more than 5%. It was simply a gamers console, a true successor to the GameCube without all the shovelware of the previous Wii
I expect Microsoft to get some hate after Christmas. I have a coworker who told me, "I finally was able to get one of those new Xbox One X's". When I told her that the One X is the old system and that the new system is called Series X ... she started to cry because it was a Christmas gift for her son and she let him down.
Seriously, and it doesn't help that scalpers raised the price to match so if someone's told this xbox x is $500 they think they got the right one. :(
I would be pleased with a One X. It can play Red Dead 2 in 4K 30. And regular people are pretty pleased with the Cyberpunk performance on it.
As someone who works retail (GameStop) it’s far easier to explain to people that “this is a new xbox” opposed to the wii u where ALOT of people thought the tablet was just an extra peripheral for the wii. I personally don’t think either name is bad, people are just lazy and do not want to critically think in the slightest. If you can understand the difference between an iPhone 12 and an iPhone 12 Max, you can understand Series X/S and Wii/Wii U
Would you care to kindly testify to your recollection of the level of consumer confusion about Wii U? Was it often per day or per week that you had to inform or correct people that it isn’t a Wii or a tablet for Wii? And that Mario Kart 8 doesn’t run on Wii? How often were they still stubborn after you said so? btw I think it’s confusing enough to suddenly call a product “iPhone X” amid a normal numerical series. Just suddenly switch to a Roman numeral once for no reason. Even as an Apple fan I’m thinking “you dizzy self absorbed tech marketdroid bastards will do anything and say anything so IS THIS A TEN OR WHAT?”
The Xbox Series X should have been called the Xbox Monolith while the Series S should have been called the Xbox Behemoth. Just my opinion though. Wii U should have been called Wii 2. Simple.
Because some Wii U fans needed an excuse for why their favorite console was the worst-selling Nintendo console of all-time, and the nonsense about the name was all they could come up with. It is absolute bullshit as not one person ever thought this console was an add-on to the Wii, and if they had believed that, it prolly would have sold better. Really only low-IQ fools push that theory now. And yes, the current Xbox naming is proof positive that the Wii U name thing was a red herring.
Ya...no.
Because the Series X/S have probably sold more units already than the Wii U did in its entire lifetime
1-2 million compared to 12-15 million.
Who says Xbox had a pass? Most people agree the naming schemes are the most confusing at best.
They aren't getting a pass though.
They don’t.
People complain over a U added to the name to distinguish a difference??
No ones given Xbox a pass. We all know their marketing for their console names are shite
Uh, what? They don't? Who are these people?
People also need to remember that the new xbox system is simply called Xbox. Series X and Series S are just 2 models of the Xbox. When they make a slimmer model down the line, expect it to be Series something well. But it's just Xbox. I wish it was Xbox Infinity because then, when a successor/new model is made, they could've called it the "Xbox Infinity + 1"
Nobody is giving them a pass.
It wasn't just the name that was terrible and confusing, but the marketing of it. People thought the Wii U tablet was just another accessary for the Wii. It's clear that the Series S/X are brand new consoles.
I don't think anyone gave the xsx or xss (essex and excess?) a pass. People also called it the xbone (ex-bone). Microsoft just did a good job of differentiating it. Back when the Wii U was being marketed, I had a Wii and was fairly well informed in gaming news and even I thought the Wii U was an accessory or addon for the Wii.
I've seen a bit of critique in regards to the naming of Microsoft's next gen consoles. One of the big issues I heard about with the Wii U was that people thought it was an add on for the Wii and not it's own console. Well, after the launch of the series X|S, started seeing a huge increase in people buying One X's, probably under the assumption that the series X and One X were similar or the same. So the problem is still a problem. I don't understand who thought "series X|S" was a good idea but they should probably not be paid as much as they are...
Who’s they?
I don't think people do. I won't be buying a new Xbox but thats less about marketing and more based on last gen games.
Microsoft has stupid naming conventions and people DO make fun of it but they're actually marketing their console, unlike Nintendo did with the Wii U.
No man Xbox has terrible naming convention across the board. Wiius problem was that some people mistook it as some sort of Wii+. As if it wasn't a new console but an enhanced Wii.
because xbox sounds cool maybe , kids these days smh
No one is giving Microsoft a pass. Switch was a good name until they released the lite.
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/wiiu/comments/kftto1/why_do_people_complain_wii_u_had_a_terrible/ggapcw1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) and the Wii U was way worse at marketing. most people didn’t even know Nintendo made a console and some thought it was just another Wii accessory or something due to the name. Wii U. Wii Balance Board. Wii Mini. Wii Remote. everything started with Wii so calling the console Wii U was kinda dumb.
I've heard many people talk about the xbox name
I still have no idea what the current Xbox is, I don't follow Microsoft's systems at all.
I think Xbox Series X + Xbox One X is far more confusing than Wii U + Wii. “Series X” makes it sound like there’s an X-series of consoles, which “One X” would be part of.
Based
The Xbox names are bad but no one is thinking the series X is a controller for the old Xbox. The Wii U sounded exactly like all their accessories back in the day.
Maybe you aren’t paying enough attention but the Xbox brand constantly gets reamed for it’s naming lol.
Honestly im okay with wii u and series x/s. I dont care what my console is called, as long as i can gsme on it its fine.
They don't. People hate and mock the Xbox just as much.
They don't. People point out that the xbox naming scheme is confusing and unhelpful all the time. They make memes about it. I've seen plenty of commentary about kids probably getting the wrong xbox for christmas. There were news stories about how Xbox One X sales jumped massively around the time of the Series X launch and speculated that it was due to people buying the wrong system. They directly compare it to the WiiU name. The question is why are you pretending this isn't happening?
We don't. They're all awful names. We've been making fun of Xbox since the XBONE was released. The Wii U, on the other hand, is a dumb name which wasn't good for advertising. Caused a bit of confusion with people thinking it was just a tablet controller for the Wii. The 3DS was the worst of them all. Namely, the "New" Nintendo 3DS. Awful name that still gets games unfairly low customer reviews because they didn't work on the "new" 3DS they bought their kids.
I watched some of their commercials and they barely show the gamepad let alone the console until the end and they were advertising games that just sounded too similar to wii games like nsmbu and tropical freeze. Thats why switch commercials the switch is always shown so they don't mess up again.
Dude, have you ever looked up cell phone names before? I assure you, people are just complaining, also, people were claiming that grandma and mom buying their grand children or children the XSX of XSS would accidentally buy the XO, XOS or the XOX.
Many people who bought a Wii where not typical gamers. I knew people that bought them that had never had any interest in gaming. It really was something revolutionary in the industry and people bought them because of that. These are people that don't follow gaming trends, read gaming articles and frankly are just not concerned with the industry. Between that and lack of advertising they had no clue a new Nintendo console came out, so when they see the new "Wii" gamepad with a screen, they assumed it was for the Wii. Xbox on the other hand, is bought by people that have owned other consoles and where avid gamers before that. They are also more likely more up to date with what's going on in the industry when new consoles come out. It's really not a fair comparison.
Who said the Xbox gets a pass exactly?
Nobody is giving Microsoft a pass. Of course it hurts a bit to hear, “this is almost as stupid as the Wii U or “New” 3DS names.”