Having said that, you can’t deny that some of the problem perhaps should have and could have been prevented by Nintendo by studying their system a little more prior to launch. By this we’re talking about the well documented freezing problems that users have been complaining about, freeze problems which need a hard reset afterwards and have been acknowledged by Nintendo on the official support website.

Then you have other lingering issues, such as the Nintendo Network ID situation as well which users aren’t too happy about either. With that said and done, there are some very positive news to remind you about as well. Black Ops 2 on Wii U is arguably the most impressive version compared to Xbox 360 and PS3, while only this week we found out that the system ‘secretly’ supports 3D playback on the GamePad as well which is really nice.

So is the Wii U really in trouble, or is the negativity just catching on without any substance? Infamous gaming analyst Michael Pachter believes that Nintendo doesn’t have anything to worry about, with Nintendo still on course to sell out of all Wii U stock until March 2013 after initial units are snapped up by US gamers and then by EU consumers as well, when the device goes on sale at the end of the month.

He also commented on the negativity that is swirling around over Nintendo’s new console as well, saying that it is unlikely to stop during the holiday period and will continue on until next year. In terms of Christmas sales, Pachter believes that Nintendo will go on to sell an estimated 3 million Wii U units during this period and will then be sold out completely.

What are your thoughts on the Wii U, after seeing all of the apparent ‘hate’ that is going on over at various messaging boards online? Are you disappointed with the console truthfully, or do you think that Nintendo has got a winner on their hands with the Wii U and will only continue to get better in 2013?

According to CVG there is some fresh debate however, this time over whether the company will actually call their next-gen console the Wii U, as reports from a close source are suggesting Nintendo is contemplating changing the name in order to attract more attention, and will do so ahead of the E3 event later this year. It is believed that consumer confusion over the 3DS name and a disappointing E3 reveal are the reasons that the change is being considered.

After today’s news it is clear there is now a lot of pressure riding on the launch of Nintendo’s next console, whatever they decide to call it, which is why they must consider and discuss all aspects that could prevent the launch from being a successful one. The company claims they had trouble shifting 3DS units as consumers found it hard to differentiate from the older DS systems and as a result were forced to use bright red box stickers as well as the TV ad phrase ‘This is not DS, this is Nintendo 3DS’ just to be clear.

These are the kind of mistakes the company will be keen to avoid, hence the name change discussion. They also believe their E3 presentation could have been better as a lot of consumers were left wondering what the Wii U was meant to be, with a lot of attention being focused on the tablet part rather than the console itself. This year they will be looking to be clearer and hope for more of an impact amidst consumers. Will a name change be enough though?

What do you think they should call their next console?

Nintendo has been struggling for a while now with their various consoles failing to offer any superiority over competing manufacturers’ consoles such as the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Even the launch of their flagship handheld console, the 3DS has not been as successful as they had hoped meaning the launch of the Wii U could be their last solution to becoming successful again.

Today the company’s overall totals report revealed a 32% decrease from a year ago. During the same period in 2010 they had managed to make a profit of 50 billion compared to a 48.4 billion loss this year, despite making 556.2 billion over the course of the year. While the company acknowledges they are struggling, they blame having to reduce the 3DS price drastically due to lack of sales, to $169 from $249 and the strong Yen for having major impacts.

Rumors emerged earlier this week that the Wii U would be twice as powerful as the Xbox 360, currently the best-selling games console on the market. The same reports also suggested that the developers of the console were disappointed with this as they feel it is under achieving. While there is nothing official to suggest this rumor is true, Nintendo will be hoping for at least half the success of the Microsoft console if they are to achieve anything over the following years.

Do you think the Wii U launch will be enough to change Nintendo’s fortunes?