Nintendo rumored mulling a Wii U name change
updated 12:50 pm EST, Fri January 27, 2012
Wii U may launch under a different name: source
Nintendo is reportedly considering changing the name of its upcoming game console, the Wii U. The reason for this internal mulling, CVG heard, is supposedly due to the confusion with the 3D and 3DS, which Nintendo found to be too similar in the public eye. It supposedly fears the same would happen with the Wii U and its existing Wii.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata himself said earlier that need to learn a lesson from the 3DS over public confusion of its features. The Wii U was shown to the public at the E3 show, and reaction was disappointing from the limited, experimental games the media got to try. The company also showed off the tablet-like controller at the start, leading many to believe it will be entirely handheld rather than a home console that connects to a user's TV, like the PS3 and Xbox 360.
"The console is not drastically different, and Wii U is about the controller. The console itself will be almost invisible," Iwata had said previously.
A name change wasn't confirmed but wouldn't be unprecedented for Nintendo. The Wii originally went under the codename Revolution in 2005 and was given its final name in 2006.
