Nintendo Confuses Shoppers with Two New Wii Bundles

[MikeWehner]

Nintendo Confuses Shoppers with Two New Wii Bundles

Retailers are about to be hit with an onslaught of Wiis in a range of colors.

With the Wii U on the horizon, you'd think Nintendo would be spending all its resources to make it an appealing purchase for the millions of people who already own the Wii. But strangely, it seems like the 6-year-old console is getting the lion's share of the attention, at least as far as holiday deals go. Case in point: Nintendo is launching a pair of new Wii bundles - with Just Dance 4 and Skylanders Giants - on November 4th.

For $129.99, the Just Dance 4 bundle comes with a white Wii console, a copy of the game, and a Wii Remote Plus with Nunchuk controller. If that doesn't tickle your fancy, you can throw down a bit more cash for the Skylanders Giants bundle that comes with a blue console, Wii Remote Plus with Nunchuk, two Skylanders characters, and an exclusive Giant Skylander figure, for $149.99.

Now, including hot new games in console bundles has always been a good way to add value to both new and aging consoles, but am I the only one that thinks there will be some awfully confused gift-givers this year? Parents and grandparents who may not be very familiar with the difference between the Wii and Wii U could very well end up with the wrong console in their shopping carts.

Nintendo just introduced a new Wii Sports bundle [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120112-Nintendo-Slashes-Wii-Price-With-New-Bundle] earlier this month, complete with a black Wii and both Wii Sports titles. Assuming big box retailers will be offering all three - along with whatever current Wii stock they have - that's a lot of consoles on the shelf. I guess shoppers will just have to rely on the always knowledgable store associates to make sure they snag the right gift.

Source: GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-10-24-nintendo-looks-to-spark-wii-sales-with-just-dance-skylanders-bundles]

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[ice1985]

If your Wii is black, you'll never go back.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

If your Wii is blue you should see a doctor.

---

Parents and Grandparents will DEFINITELY get confused by the Wiis and the Wii-Us unless they have one of those obsessive grand/kids who say EXACTLY what they want once every five minutes (like my 10 year old brother for example).

I am opposed to the concept of Skylanders (wanna beat the game? Go boy our DLC. It's OK though because you get this Happy Meal toy and now A BIG ONE) but I'm intrigued by the prospects of a blue Wii...I don't have a Wii to myself and would really like a personal one if only to finish my...half-dozen or so Wii games without worrying about the rightful Wii owners kicking in my door and demanding back their Wii.

 

[orangeapples]

It is part of their master plan. Parents will walk into the store and say, "Do you have any of those new Wiis in stock?" trying to get a WiiU. BUt New Wii could easily mean the blue one.

 

[teebeeohh]

It is part of their master plan. Parents will walk into the store and say, "Do you have any of those new Wiis in stock?" trying to get a WiiU. BUt New Wii could easily mean the blue one.

but that is a terrible plan, right up there with making nightcrawler pope and deliberately infecting your own city with a deadly disease.

 

[TimeCruiserMike]

The only time I ever got exactly what I asked for on Christmas morning was when I wrote down the exact name, the SKU, and the suggested retail price.

 

[medv4380]

No one's really going to be confused unless they don't know what they're buying the the first place. This isn't the 80's where your parents never touched a video game in their life.

It's really the best and only option they have. Pre Orders of the Wii U are beating Nintendos Projections, but they will still have an Inventory of Wii's that need to be sold. So they're doing what they always have done. Drop the price or bundle it with a game that will move units. There are still plenty of people who didn't have the money to invest in the Wii just as their were still plenty of people who hadn't bought a PS2 when the PS3 launched.

The only mistake they did was they probably should have done this last year to keep Wii sales up after the Wii U announcement, but given the chaos last year that can be overlooked.

 

[Brainst0rm]

No one's really going to be confused unless they don't know what they're buying the the first place. This isn't the 80's where your parents never touched a video game in their life.

It's really the best and only option they have. Pre Orders of the Wii U are beating Nintendos Projections, but they will still have an Inventory of Wii's that need to be sold. So they're doing what they always have done. Drop the price or bundle it with a game that will move units. There are still plenty of people who didn't have the money to invest in the Wii just as their were still plenty of people who hadn't bought a PS2 when the PS3 launched.

The only mistake they did was they probably should have done this last year to keep Wii sales up after the Wii U announcement, but given the chaos last year that can be overlooked.

You're right. My parents were actually born in the 60s and, like most adults, have not escaped the mindset of their formative years. So I guess I'm proportionately more screwed.

Most parents remain ignorant about video games. My Dad doesn't call everything I game on a Nintendo anymore, but he couldn't tell you which console belonged to which generation if his life depended on it. Nintendo is making a bad move here. They're not marketing the Wii U at all - no one is hyped about it. It's going to be a 3DS situation, where no one knows about it, no one talks about it, no one buys it.

 

[JenSeven]

I'm not sure if this is a bad idea.

I mean, when did the Wii come out? Most of those things now are over 5 years old, way past warranty and probably a good few have been given away by the people that originally owned them (probably to nephews and such), or have been sold or broken.
With the launch of the WiiU, I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few people remembered their old Wii again and since it's either given away, broken, or old, dusty and that weird kind of beige colour, I can easily see that people want to give it another go and buy a new one, and wth that the Wii will get some good sales in again. So its doing a piggyback ride on it's younger brother in order to get people to walk down memory lane and remember some good old times, and get a load more money from them.
Because as we all know the games that come with the new consoles aren't that great and companies make the most money by selling extra games with it.

 

[gardian06]

No one's really going to be confused unless they don't know what they're buying the the first place. This isn't the 80's where your parents never touched a video game in their life.

No this is 2012 where parents know that it's made by Nintendo, and their kid will not stop asking for it. doesn't mean that they know which games go with it, and there might sill be quite a few children that get the wii-U exclusive title, or Wii-U version of a cross platform, but still get a Wii.

The only time I ever got exactly what I asked for on Christmas morning was when I wrote down the exact name, the SKU, and the suggested retail price.

WTF you gave your parents the SKU you could have just given them a clipping from the ad (blacking out the other side), and when they asked what you wanted hand them the stack.

Off Topic: Captcha "which one of these does not belong:"
Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Regan, George Bush, Head of Cabbage, Barrok Oboma
OMG Head of cabbage has gone republican, and most people outside of the US are going "why is the George guy on there twice?"

 

[gardian06]

Now when the writer says "Nintendo Confuses Shoppers", he means "Nintendo confuses ME", right? Because there's absolutely no reason this should be confusing to shoppers. Sounds like another deliberately misleading article title, and I'm not particularly sure why you'd bother misleading people about this, either. It's not like this is big news. Nintendo said they will keep supporting the Wii (and these new package deals would seem to support that), and despite a downturn in sales they are still making money off of it. Of course they intend to keep pushing a product that still makes them money.

The only way that a potential customer would be confused between the Wii U bundle packages (which are both over 200 bucks) and these Wii packages (which are both under 150) is if they were completely uneducated about the product they were trying to buy, and didn't bother looking at the box before they bought it. The name is similar but the product appearance and price tag most certainly are not similar. I know there are lots of idiots out there but I'm inclined to think that even stupid people can recognize the difference between the product that's been on shelves for 6+ years (the one that even most non-gamers recognize when you talk about it), and the "new tablet thing" that isn't even in stores yet.

So yeah....this is almost a non-story. Yet you're actually taking time to spin the article title to make it sound like millions of people are going to mistake a blue or black Wii on sale for $125 with the brand new Wii U selling at twice the price. Why? This is like claiming that people would confuse a 6-year old iPod model with the most up to date one....the only sort of person who would do that is the same sort of person they're not selling it to. >_>

you know you technically invalidate your own point in your own paragraph, and that is why Apple refuses to sell older models of Ipod. in fact on those upgrade deals. the reason why they can do this is that the store gets reimbursed by sending in the old one to be "refurbished" and in many cases dismantled, so that no one could get confused on which one was which. and they actually would confuse the majority of people who would be shopping. because you need to realize that for the most part it is still only a small percentage of people who know in depth about the gaming industry. the majority of people if they even play games will only know that a game is coming out because they saw the name on the wall at gamestop on the coming soon board, of saw a tv commercial for it.

 

[gardian06]

you know you technically invalidate your own point in your own paragraph, and that is why Apple refuses to sell older models of Ipod. in fact on those upgrade deals. the reason why they can do this is that the store gets reimbursed by sending in the old one to be "refurbished" and in many cases dismantled, so that no one could get confused on which one was which.

Er, what are you smoking? Apple still sells several of its older iPod models on its own website and in literally every other electronics retail store in the world, everything from the classic model to Nano to Touch. The same is true of older models of their iPads (you can still buy a classic iPad instead of an iPad 2), their phones (everything from iPhone 4 to the present day is still sold on their website), and every other product they sell.

You clearly have no clue what you're talking about on this subject.

and they actually would confuse the majority of people who would be shopping. because you need to realize that for the most part it is still only a small percentage of people who know in depth about the gaming industry. the majority of people if they even play games will only know that a game is coming out because they saw the name on the wall at gamestop on the coming soon board, of saw a tv commercial for it.

You don't see very many people confusing the iPod with the iPad despite one letter difference, now do you? Why? Because yes, people are stupid, but not THAT stupid. The only people who actually do this are the people that the product isn't marketed to, in other words, people who are unlikely to buy it in the first place.

And it's the responsibility of customers to educate themselves on what it is they're buying. You're suggesting that it's entirely possible for this scenario to take place:
1) A person could go into a store seeking a product they know nothing about (and never thought to educate themselves on)
2) The person asks for that product by name and is handed the wrong product, yet is incapable of telling that it's not what they wanted despite the box showing a picture of the product and clearly stating the product's name.
3) This also presumes the store clerk is equally stupid and can't tell the difference between the products they sell, which would get them fired.
4) The customer buys the product with no questions asked and leaves the store, taking it home and only AFTER it it unpacked does he/she realize that they bought something totally different.

Do you know how implausible that is? Can it happen? Yes, absolutely. But how often? I'd bet my bottom dollar not very damn often. Again, while there are many stupid people in the world, it seems unlikely that someone educated on gaming in general is going to buy a Wii U for double the sticker price without so much as looking at the box, get home, open it up, and go "heeeeeey, I wanted that other thingie with the dick-shaped wand!".

And if by some miracle they did happen, whose fault is it really? The customer, for not educating himself on the product or at the very least reading the damn box before throwing money at the cashier.

The Wii has sold almost 100 million units and has been on the shelves for over six years, combined with growing attention being paid to the industry in general. It's fairly safe to say that there are a lot of people who know what a Wii is, and it seems unlikely that any of those folks at least would confuse it with another console that has double the price tag and presumably a different box with different visuals and the name clearly printed on it.

As for poor old grandpa having trouble telling the difference? I'm pretty sure gramps is smart enough to read the box before he buys something.

one generation back of one type does not mean that they keep them, and sell them. not to mention that no where did I see the word "refurbished". in fact I have worked at these electronic retailers and point blank the reason that they can offer the trade-in credit for the older version of the devices is because Apple kicks that same amount back to them if they are shipped back, and then they still make a profit because of cost vs MSRP. the only reason that stores don't send them back is if they think they can make more from reselling it then the trade in credit refund, and I have actually been unable to find an older (even one version older save the IPad, or the IPhone from a cell carrier) of an Idevice because they don't have the same market value.

and your little story you missed part
0)"Mom, Dad I want a Wii, I want a Wii, I want a Wii, I want a Wii...."
"what's a Wii"
"it's this game console. I really want the Black one, but the white one is ok"
"well see dear. maybe for Christmas" (after child leaves room)
"Honey do you know what a Wii is?"
"I think I have seen them at the store. they aren't that expensive either"

then your statement of "This also presumes the store clerk is equally stupid and can't tell the difference between the products they sell, which would get them fired." you are jumping to the conclusion that the customer has educated themselves and isn't in a rush to buy the other stuff on a list (if it exists) and the clerk would only get in trouble for this is a complaint was filed with the manager (by the customer who probably wouldn't even be able to remember which of the potentially 10 people working the department was helping them if any), and if the customer only ever asks "where are the Wii game consoles" thinking that the U is like some special accessory which has been projected a few times.

not to mention the final part of your story you just described at least 1 in 4 Christmas morning in the US, and on how much people are going to "educate" themselves on what they are purchasing especially if they have no interest in it besides to make their child happy and stop bugging them about it. I can understand that it is still the customers responsibility to know what they are buying, but shouldn't the company realize that the majority of people who are buying their products "not the person it is intended for" shouldn't be presented with something that looks similar to, and is named similar to the thing you want them to buy. it's kind of like why they are not selling the gamepads (besides not having games that support extra ones) so that costumers who are buying it for their children don't go "Hey this says Wii it even has the U on it like Timmy says every so often, and its cheaper, so maybe its just a special one on sale."

you keep implying, and your argument only receives any kind of merit that people will educate themselves, and that would only happen: if the thing they are buying is for themselves. where the target market of these consoles is children somewhere between 8-25 (where the Wii had an additional target of 40-60), and only the upper end of that range would even have the capability to purchase it outright on their own meaning that the majority of purchases of it would result from the parents of the remainder of the range buying it for their children. and so they have no need to educate themselves before purchase because they have no intention of using it.

and your next statement which will probably include something to the point of "they are still responsible to educate themselves on any purchase they make even if they are buying it for someone else" only has merit if there is a personal want to educate themselves, or they foresee that they will need said knowledge in the first place which is not only a chicken and egg dilemma it's also a "there are different versions" which when I was working retail was one of the most common questions I got especially when it came to the IPad, and Windows OS.

 

[masticina]

I agree probably not the best time to bring out another Wii package deal. The WiiU should take precedence

 

[MikeWehner]

For the record, CriticKitten (love the name, btw), you've now written over 1,800 words in this comment section trying to convince everyone that I should never have written my article.

My article was 284 words.

Carry on.

<3,

Mike

 

[Branovices]

For the record, CriticKitten (love the name, btw), you've now written over 1,800 words in this comment section trying to convince everyone that I should never have written my article.

My article was 284 words.

Carry on.

<3,

Mike

You should never have written your article, or rather, you should have avoided artificial drama in writing it.

/end

18 Words.