Last week after Nintendo’s financial report for the year, Satoru Iwata admitted a few important things about the Wii U. The first is that consumers are confused. Those with purchasing power in their households believe that the Wii U is just another peripheral for the Wii console already sitting in their living rooms. Iwata stated that Nintendo intended to correct this with heavy marketing to show that the Wii U is in fact, a new console.
Today the first step of this plan went out, as Wii owners received a message on their console directly from Nintendo inviting them to check out the Wii U. The message states that the Wii U “is not just an upgrade–it’s an entirely new system” in order to address some of the confusion consumers may have had about it in the future. As I’ve stated before, here at Wii U Daily I field numerous questions from parents and grandparents who are unsure what the Wii U is. They ask if Wii U games can be played on the Wii, if the Wii U is backwards compatible with the Wii games they already own, and whether or not Wii peripherals will work with a new system.
These are legitimate questions for consumers who aren’t gamers, but are buying gaming consoles and accessories for their loved ones. It’s great that Nintendo is stepping up to address the issue so more consumers are aware of the difference between Wii and Wii U.