It's like my father with the 3ds.He just thought it was a ds,even called it the ds 3!

Because most people who aren't "in to" video games don't understand, it's pretty simple. My mum had a DS Lite that could play GBA games, when she got a DSi she was trying to put it into the SD Card slot and the DS cartridge slot... I told her many times that the DSi doesn't take GBA games and she said she knew what she was doing. Most people don't know what they're doing.

My mum also has no concept of hardware limitations. And even at one point she thought her phone was an iPhone when it is clearly not... it's a Sony Ericsson. Let's be honest, we live in a world where if your in the know you can go far, but if you don't know what's going on, you might as well just sit in a gutter and play with your marbles.

Man the other day a little girl at my local game store asked her dad for a 3DS, and the dad looked at it and saw 169.99 and looked around at a DSiXL and said "how bout we get this one?" the girl complained and said "NO! I want the 3DS" then the father said "it's cheaper for the XL and it's the same system" I was half tempted to show that guy what's what with a 3DS compared to an XL... But it isn't my place to try to force parents to buy something they don't want to buy for there kids, but him saying its the same really irked me...
From now on I'm going to do a bit of advertising, by bringing my DSi (I know people will say its not the same as the XL ) and show them 3DS games can't fit in an XL, and show them the 3DS and its AR cards and the VC, and the ability to TURN OFF 3D for chidren under 7 and show them MIIs and Face Raiders, and everything the 3DS has that the DSiXL doesn't.

A family member told me before that the DS was a waste of money and that they could have easily just upgraded the GBA with some attachment or something. WTF? xD

And there are people who refuse to believe WiiU is a whole new console -_-

But that's because they're ignorant and don't want to find out.. and think they know everything.. mostly the older demographic and ones who play games casually.

1. Nintendo failed at marketing it as a new console.
2. People are willingly ignorant.

I don't think there's a possible 3rd answer. That's it really.

I agree. There's no hyphen in Wii U, but some people get confused!

Is it really marketing if they haven't even announced a price or date? Companies don't (at least to the masses) 'market' games and systems until near their launch.

When the advertisements do happen, and the systems starts selling (or doesn't) then we can say whether or not their marketing campaign was a success or a failure.

I think he meant Nintendo only showed off the controller, and people thought for some odd reason that it was called the Wii U made for a new HD Wii or something, lol. In other words, Nintendo showed the controller and nothing else.

It was inexcusable that they again failed to show the box itself when they reintroduced the Wii U Gamepad.

Thats true, but it doesn't really matter if unknowing consumers are confused about the Wii U now, they weren't the audience at the time. They will be when commercials and advertisements roll out, but I doubt that most people outside the gaming community cared at all about their current showings, thus leading to them not knowing it.

But, then again, they may have been aiming the current showings at them, in which case, yes, they failed.

Aside from that some people are just stupid, lol. If only they shown off Pikmin 3 last year.

wasn't it jimmy fallon who screwed up whilst reggie was on the freaking show with him?

as others have said: outside the gaming community, not many have probably even heard of the WiiU yet, or are just now hearing about it. it will take nintendo's pr department to come up with a good advertising campaign to get the point across.

but: can we please stop trashing older gamers? ignorance is not necessarily an age thing; it's more to do with where one's interests lie. there are plenty of younger, casual gamers who have no idea the difference between the various DSs etc.

if i were a young gamer now i would feel insulted if someone kept posting how games used to be harder/better/and i am too young to know what i was talking about. as someone who has been gaming since 'pong', i get tired of seeing the same sweeping statements regarding older gamers.

Are you being sarcastic?
It's right there.

And this is why when the very first Wii U commercials come out it will start something like...

Get ready for the NEW CONSOLE by Nintendo....(insert some commercial-type stuff)...this BRAND NEW console...(blah blah)...new console...(blah blah)...totally new...(blah blah)...not a peripheral for the Wii you dumb $#!%.

Sigh

The average consumer nowadays really bothers me. You know what I wish Nintendo did differently? Advertised the Wii as the Nintendo Wii. Because I know people who are like "Oh yeah the Wii! Good times! Wait what? What's Nintendo" Those same people think the Wii was made by Apple. I mean seriously?

I just don't understand people sometimes ._.

I know too many families that have a Wii, but Wii Sports is there only game. Its such a waste of money. I mean, good for Nintendo's sales I guess. But its just dumb that they wouldn't even try and give the real games a chance.

Edit : I really don't have much sympathy for those who are "confused" by 3DS and Wii U either. I mean really. That isn't Nintendo's fault. At all. Just ignorant people. This is the year 2012. Google is your friend. Its not that hard. Honestly.

I feel like such a hater right now, so I'll stop before my soul disappears

Some people just aren't too bright...
(Kidding, No offense to those originally confused)

U draw was a tablet type thing, and nintendo has commonly named their revisions similarly.
DS Lite, DS*i*, DSi XL, Gameboy Advance SP, etc.
It's really only confusing to the casuals at first glance, but after looking at it a bit it'll be obvious to anyone it's a new console.

i sympathise with what you are saying. however, not everyone is as interested in video games/gaming as we who haunt these hallowed halls (hey! nice alliteration there! ).

you are not being a hater so much as someone who loves games and doesn't understand how others don't. it's ok: there is room enough for all of us/them.

I just hate all these articles that are blaming Nintendo and predicting doom like "Is Nintendo confusing their consumers?" "Does the Wii U need a name change?" It isn't Nintendo's fault. Just people who don't know, like anything about today's technology.

That's part of the problem. It has the same form factor as the original Wii, and to someone that isn't super interested in the system, one wouldn't be able to tell it's a new console. For the ordinary person, it would make sense that the Wii U would be an add-on.