Comment by komali2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by komali2 | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

There's some systematic issue with naming that has existed at Nintendo since the 90s.

Thinking:

Nintendo entertainment system and super Nintendo entertainment system. Not necessarily bad, but also kinda "meh." Probably the best 90s explanation for what a "console" is, before everyone already knows what a console is. I bring it up because here begins Nintendo's critical error: failing to understand the customer in America isn't children, it is their parents and grandparents, who have no fucking clue what the difference is between "the Nintendo" and "the super Nintendo." I remember peripherals were a nightmare already. Also: consider the competition. Sega Genesis. Badass.

Gameboy: what the fuck does this even mean. And thus: Gameboy color. Advance. Sp (what?????). Mini?

DS is even worse. Dual screen, maybe. And then, DS but smaller. DSi, also some games for this aren't compatible with DS regular. 3ds. 3ds xl (not too bad). "New 3ds," good luck grabbing the right one at GameStop.

Wii vs Wii U is just a crime. What does the "u" even mean??? How do you communicate across parental units the intended Christmas purchase? "Sally wants what? We? We want to what? We you? Honey what are you saying? She wants the Nintendo we with you? With enhanced we motes?"

The switch, I argue, is the only time Nintendo has applied a sensible name.

re: NES

That was a console released following the video game industry crash of 1983 — a crash associated with total pessimism of games everywhere (at least in the US, but that was the most important console market)

It’s likely they were very deliberately trying avoid direct association with the game industry. Afaik, they’ve always intended their consoles be percieved as more toy-like, but the nes was a particilarly hard stance on that (even bundling it with a toy — R.O.B.)

>Nintendo's critical error: failing to understand the customer in America isn't children, it is their parents and grandparents, who have no fucking clue what the difference is between "the Nintendo" and "the super Nintendo."

You say this.. but outside of the wii u and n64, hasnt nintendo outsold its competition in every console generation so far? Although, I suppose it could also be said thats better attributed to the bigger shitshow of microsoft/sony/sega/atari, than nintendo’s own doing

They're not the "serious" console. But you can't cash serious at the bank. Being everybody's second or third choice has made Nintendo hand over fist the past couple years.

Yep, as a reasonably heavy gamer for the past three generations my consoles have been a Playstation or an XBox, and always a Nintendo console (and a PC) as well.

Although I don't see why, in an alternate universe we couldn't have one company making the "serious, powerful" console and two companies competing on the "fun, less expensive, great first party titles (although not so much less expensive now with the switch)" end with the "serious, powerful" one winning out just like Nintendo is in the current environment.

I find that its difficult to justify an xbox/ps purchase, especially when the biggest titles get shared between them, while its usually trivial to justify nintendo.

I also find it humorous that xbox/ps have gone down the road of building an “entertainment system” (which is part of the justification issue; the price is always higher for it, for things I don’t need/care, especially since I have a pc for that stuff), while nintendo stuck much closer to games specifically, despite the NES name.

Exactly.

For most of my gaming type friends, it's always a battle of MS vs Sony every single console cycle. However, after a few months of playing the main console, they almost always buy a Nintendo console as their secondary.

I don't think Nintendo minds being "third" place as long as the first and second place customers still buy their system. I know I would be happy in Nintendo's shoes.

Nintendo admits DS meant Developers System. If not for that it would sound like a stupid corporate incompetence rumor of "Whoops accidentally gave the placeholder brand recognition!". DS as Dual Screens made a good fit for laymen and does describe it well though.

The Switch in English also manages some naughty dual meanings while also being totally innocuous.

I don’t think it affects your main point, which I think is about the SNES and forward, but the naming of the NES and its “sober” redesign of the Japanese FamiCom for the US was very deliberate, and Part of Nintendo’s winning move after the video game crash. This video goes into great detail: https://youtu.be/B9kyey_qxNM

There's also the 2DS, and the 2DS XL. Oh, and the New Nintendo 3DS XL.

They all play the same games though, so yeah, good luck explaining which is which to a casual buyer. The very 2DS name sounds like it should be a weaker system than the 3DS, despite coming out later and being mostly the same bar the stereostopic 3D visuals.

Names certainly haven't been their strong suit.

Some games actually only run on the New 3ds and New 2DS XL, most notably Xenoblade Chronicles 3D.

DS was a dumb name. 3DS was clever. 2DS was bad but I don't know what they should've called the "3DS that isn't 3D" otherwise (3D-isn't?). After that they should've just stopped, I cannot fathom why they did the New whateverDS stuff when the naming was already getting out of hand.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com