Confusing Nintendo Name Console Criticism

[dman_dustin]

I'd really really like some clarification here.

I understand that Nintendo usually is one to complete call their next generation consoles a new name, like Game Cube to the Wii. although that completely ignores NES to SNES or the Wii to Wii U

And likewise with the handhelds Game Boy Advance to the DS, but then there's Gameboy, Gameboy Color (if I'm not mistaken a lot of color games cannot be played on the regular Gameboy, I think), Gameboy Advance.

Now here's my problem. Why in the world was anyone confused about the 3DS or the Wii U being next generation consoles, and although I'm sure the "New 3DS" is going to be slightly confusing since, it seems like almost a next generation console.

But why are people criticizing the names, about the confusion of whether it's a next generation console, I mean I can understand there might be confusion, but I fail to see why the names are so criticized because of the confusion.

I mean what does Sony and Microsoft just not get criticism because it's something they've always done, but then so has Nintendo, so what's up video game fans, why is there a lot of criticism about naming conventions of consoles from Nintendo, only stemming confusion about whether or not it's a next generation console or not. I mean I'm fine with the confusion, but the criticism because of it?

 

[Robo-Floatzel]

I also think the naming conventions are weird, since it makes it hard for consumers to know which is which unless it has enhanced graphics or entirely new features. I kind of feel they could have given the New 3DS a better name like Neo 3DS or something like that.

The DS Lite and the 3DS LL were just newer models of the regular DS and 3DS respectively, while the DSi and New 3DS are somewhat of a transition between the current generation and the next one to come, since many of the features introduced in the DSi such as it's menu style became part of the 3DS, and its possible that the same will apply to the next-gen handheld after the New 3DS.

Many games that only worked on the Game Boy Color only worked on that and not the original Game Boy because the cartridges could hold more data than the regular GB cartridges would. Same goes for the DS Lite. The New 3DS is likely to be the same, especially since this time it has two new buttons reminiscent of the two back buttons on a Playstation controller. In fact, it's entirely possible that the Gen 7 Pokemon games might be New 3DS exclusive.

 

[Solayoh]

Because its very unoriginal and leads to much confusion.

Game Boy
Game Boy Colour
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance SP

Now to parents how are you supposed to tell which ones are brand new generations and which ones are just modifications of the former?

Also for ages I knew people calling Nintendo DS a GameBoy Advance DS because it followed on after Gameboy Advance Sp.

Then ever since the DS we've had an explosion in the weird and wonderful.
DS Lite came out, so people new the old one as DS Phat, then suddenly a DS LL comes out.
Not to mention the DSi, never quite sure what that was, for a while it seemed like a new console.

Then we got the 3DS, again, when compared to the DS initial confusion about is it just a DS with 3D effects or is it a brand new game generation.

So eventually we had the 3DS and people referred to the old DS as a 2DS, but wait, after Nintendo 3DS XL et all, they then release another system called Nintendo 2DS which isnt the old DS, but a 3DS without the 3D???

Now we have new 3DS with new CPU and buttons etc, some games only on New 3DS, well does that make New 3DS a new generation as Wii U was to Wii, or what?
Not to mention if I want to buy a new 3DS what happens if the man in game thinks I mean NEW 3DS. Am I supposed to ask for a New Old 3DS?

The consoles arent that bad, N64/ GameCube Wii etc, although SNES and NES caused confusion as did Wii and then Wii U

 

[TerraTF]

Because its very unoriginal and leads to much confusion.

Game Boy
Game Boy Colour
Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance SP

Now to parents how are you supposed to tell which ones are brand new generations and which ones are just modifications of the former?

Also for ages I knew people calling Nintendo DS a GameBoy Advance DS because it followed on after Gameboy Advance Sp.

Then ever since the DS we've had an explosion in the weird and wonderful.
DS Lite came out, so people new the old one as DS Phat, then suddenly a DS LL comes out.
Not to mention the DSi, never quite sure what that was, for a while it seemed like a new console.

Then we got the 3DS, again, when compared to the DS initial confusion about is it just a DS with 3D effects or is it a brand new game generation.

So eventually we had the 3DS and people referred to the old DS as a 2DS, but wait, after Nintendo 3DS XL et all, they then release another system called Nintendo 2DS which isnt the old DS, but a 3DS without the 3D???

Now we have new 3DS with new CPU and buttons etc, some games only on New 3DS, well does that make New 3DS a new generation as Wii U was to Wii, or what?
Not to mention if I want to buy a new 3DS what happens if the man in game thinks I mean NEW 3DS. Am I supposed to ask for a New Old 3DS?

The consoles arent that bad, N64/ GameCube Wii etc, although SNES and NES caused confusion as did Wii and then Wii U

Its not as hard as you're making it seem. The Gameboy and Gameboy Color are the same thing. The GBA, GBA Micro, and GBA SP are the same thing. The DS, DSLite, DSi, and DSi XL are the same thing. The 3DS, 3DS XL, and New 3DS and 3DS XL are the same thing. I'm pretty sure the New 3DS' will be replacing the 3DS and 3DS XL like how the Vita Slim replaced the OLED Vita.

Also SNES and NES and Wii and Wii U causing confusion? My sister doesn't even play video games and is also not the brightest tool in the toolbox but still knows the difference between the Wii and Wii U.

 

[Beth Pavell]

People keep going on about parental confusion, but I'm positive that it's becoming - or will become - a lesser problem. There's a whole generation who grew up with their PS1s and their Game Boy Colours that are having kids of their own now.

Be that as it may, "New 3DS" as an official name is bloody stupid. I can't quite believe that people have been paid very good money to come up with that

 

[Fairy Ice Ricky]

Um, Nintendo deserves all the flak it receives for its weird console names.

First off, I'm pretty sure Microsoft received a LOT of criticism for the XBox One name. The difference between the XBox One and the Wii U is that Microsoft did heavy standard promotion from the beginning to make sure people knew a new XBox was coming and to differentiate it between the first XBox, despite the confusing name. From what I understand, Iwata relied too much on word-of-mouth advertising to sell Wii Us, and later on when Nintendo (oh-so-slightly) upped its traditional promotion, its advertising packages was mostly focused to younger gamers. And Sony doesn't receive the same criticism for its Playstation home console names because it follows a simple-if-predictable formula of sequel-naming: simply increase the number at the end of the name by one. People know that the Playstation 3 is different from the Playstation 4 in the same way that people know Toy Story is different from Toy Story 2. Their portable consoles don't follow the same formula, but just looking at names it's probably easier to tell that the the Playstation Vita slim is closer to the Vita than to the Playstation Portable.

I think the most important thing to remember here is audience. Of course it makes sense for us on Bulbaforums to know the difference between Nintendo gaming consoles because we're constantly surrounded by Pokémon-related info--even without prior knowledge of Nintendo consoles one could probably tell after some forum-reading here that there are differences between the DS and the 3DS and that those differences determine whether or not you can play Pokémon Y. But for the gamers who, say, don't follow gaming websites/forums as much as we do, but enjoy the Professor Layton games on the DS and want to play Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask--they may see the "DS" in the "3DS" and think that the game will work perfectly fine on their older system even though it won't. (In fact, that is exactly what happened based on these one-star Amazon reviews [ignore the purposefully troll-y ones]).

And before you say people should research gaming systems and games online before making a purchase, just because people have tools at their disposal doesn't mean they actually know how to use them. I mean, just look at the people who are eager to spout off whatever about the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict even though someone could easily tell that what they're saying is wrong if they know how to effectively use a search engine.

 

[Stratelier]

Be that as it may, "New 3DS" as an official name is bloody stupid. I can't quite believe that people have been paid very good money to come up with that

Is it just me or do a lot of Japanese product names sound stupid when translated into English?