Nintendo uses system messages to convince Wii owners to buy a Wii U

If you're a Wii owner, the next time you power on your system, you might notice a little message from Nintendo stating that the Wii U actually exists and is ready for you to own it. Consider this act a sign that Nintendo is trying to correct the public's misconceptions of the system.

The message from Nintendo reads:

It's time to discover Wii U

Wii U is the all-new home console from Nintendo. It's not just an upgrade – it's an entirely new system that will change the way you and your family experience games and entertainment.

I can't help but think that Nintendo wouldn't have to do this much to get the point across that the Wii U is a new console if they named it something different. Considering that most of the people that bought a Wii were casual gamers — parents and grandparents included — it's no surprise that there's so much confusion.

Last week, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said "Some have the misunderstanding that Wii U is just Wii with a pad for games, and others even consider Wii U GamePad as a peripheral device connectable to Wii. We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product."

I love my Wii U console. I want more people to support it so it can get a healthy library of first and third-party games and have a successful console life. Is this the best way to go about explaining what the Wii U is? Using the console equivalent to telemarketing and peer pressure? Probably not. Then again, I don't know what the solution for Nintendo is. I assume they're going to try everything and see what sticks.

They have a hard task ahead of them. There's a lack of quality titles — make that any titles at all — that Iwata said was done deliberately. This move to send a message to Wii owners may come off as desperate, but hopefully it clears up any confusion about the Wii U.

[Kotaku via Polygon] [Image source: StarfireTurtle (Twitter)]

You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at LLiebl@GameZone.com