220°

UK Wii U advert banned due to misleading public

Nintendo Insider writes:

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Wii U advertisement, following a complaint that it is misleading consumers.

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nintendo-insider.com
1upgamer994135d ago

Oh wow, that is just not right. I mean should 3D Blu-ray players not advertise 3D because not all Blu-ray's are 3D, or just because it is a 3D Blu-ray player and 3D Blu-ray if you don't have a 3D TV it is not going to work...I could have probably thought of a better analogy, that was the first that came to mind.

iamnsuperman4135d ago

That is a terrible analogy. What the advertising watchdog has done is right. What Nintendo needed to do was put a disclaimer, that is clearly visible, to say that the specific feature doesn't work on all games

jimbobwahey4135d ago

I'm shocked that 1upgamer99 was actually trying to defend Nintendo misleading consumers with the advert.

I think it's articles like these that always highlight the difference between the kiddies on N4G and the actual adults. You'll get the little kids whining about their favorite company being punished and how consumers should just wave their rights away while people with some actual sense acknowledge that it's a good thing when companies don't get away with attempts at conning consumers.

Akuma-4134d ago

nintendo misleading consumers again, thats normal. the wii was suppose to have 1:1 motion controls but it doesnt. the wii u is suppose to be next gen but its weaker than the xbox and ps3.

i cant wait for ps4.

darthv724134d ago

the system is capable of all of those things the ad portrays. It is the responsibility of the software developer to state whether or not those features apply to their specific title.

when you advertise the platform you are going to tout everything it is capable of in spite of those features not being used by EVERY title released. That is the nature of advertising the platform. Advertising the games for said platform is where all the fine print comes into play.

It was blogged about by someone that they got the pro controller only to find out it didnt work with NSMBU. It clearly says on the game box what controllers are supported just as has been the norm for every game released this gen for the wii, 360 and ps3.

You dont list the supported games on the box for the controller because that is an ever changing condition.

SilentNegotiator4134d ago

It's the 21st century. You have to use disclaimers and be 100% clear about functionality and limitations that may affect customer decision.

Oversight happens sometimes, I suppose. I doubt that the Nintendo corporation is lacking in legal knowledge/power to understand the situation.

iamnsuperman4134d ago

@darthv72

That would be true if the specific game was made clear during the ad. What happens in the ad is a generic game is shown to switch to the controller without any information that it may not work on all Wii U games. The way it comes off seems like they mean any game can do it which is actually wrong. All it needs is a disclaimer like what Microsoft did with a kinect advert showing it in schools and a hospital. Technically it could do those things it said but they had to say the consumer will not be able to experience that now and could soon. You have to be as clear as possible as a normal consumer could get a Wii U game with their Wii U but not do what it says on the advert. It is why we dont get adverts showing a PS3 and vita working together without a disclaimer saying they are sold seperately and subject to game type

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aceitman4135d ago

@1up it says it in clear day light the u need a 3d compatible tv 3d hdmi cable and a 3d compatible blu-ray player . Do the research. I know I have 3d tv and 35 3d movies and games .

1upgamer994135d ago

I have them too, what I was talking about was advertising for 3D Blu-ray...LOL I don't need to research it.

lashes2ashes4135d ago

All ads for 3d,hd,ect products have a disclaimer at the end stating not everything will work or you need special cables ect, this add was removed because it did not state the disclaimer at the end.

Slapshot824134d ago

I'm with the ASA on this front as well. The ability to play Wii U without a television is one of the major highlights of the console and it not being fully available for every game does indeed need to be fully understood by consumers.

nunley334133d ago

Maybe the feature isn't available for EVERY game but, i have a problem with it being taken down cause one person complained. This sort of thing happens much too often and you really have to these people's agenda.

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-Mika-4135d ago

Does anybody know if they were fined?

PopRocks3594135d ago

What do you care? The ad was removed; the due punishment was given.

DarkBlood4134d ago

its possible she likely cares because it gives more fuel for her hate of nintendo

animegamingnerd4135d ago

and this is important why? oh wait it's you mika being a troll

nukeitall4135d ago

I kind of agree with Mika here.

What is the punishment for breaking the law?

Oh, we are just gonna remove the ad. Even though this is a pretty small violation and hardly hurt anyone, I think they should get a small symbolic fine to indicate there is a penalty for illegal actions.

ChickeyCantor4135d ago (Edited 4135d ago )

The fact they already lost a sum on these ads could be enough. The law is not absolute. It's merely there to give guidelines to protect you from people and yourself.

G20WLY4134d ago

That's the problem though; we don't know if some people were (or at least felt like they had been) duped or not.

If they were, how many sales of systems and games did the ad generate before it was pulled? How much money was made? Nobody can ever know the answer.

This may have been an honest oversight when compiling the ad for all we know...but on the other hand it could be the oldest trick in the book; the old "oh really? We didn't realise! We'll pull the ad immediately and know for the future...*sniggers*" manoeuvre lol

I for one was pleased when they finally enforced the "not actual game footage" disclaimer, as I was fed up with pre-rendered WOW bagging sales for mediocre games. :O

nukeitall4134d ago

The problem I'm trying to point out is that, by merely having an ad removed there were no real repercussion for breaking the law. On top of that, they enjoyed the benefit of false advertising.

If I was a company, I would just keep pushing that envelope, because you now what, the worst that could happen is the ad is removed.

It's simple, make it so it is unprofitable to break the law and most companies will stay in line.

AO1JMM4134d ago

The Wii U hater club president has arrived I see.

Shouldn't you be under your bridge right now?

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chukamachine4135d ago

There punishment was they had to live in a room of mii's for a week.

kyon1474135d ago

Companies will always try and get away with this, they go down to route of saying "oh we didn't not not mention it, so its okay right?" When they know the consumer will assume it will work on every game which is exactly what they want them to think without directly saying it.

Good move by the ASA to make sure that people who buy the Wii U buy on a more informed choice rather than a well made biased advert.

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80°

Game Developers Have Begun Confirming Nintendo Switch 2 Support

Game developers have already started to confirm that they will support the Nintendo Switch 2 with their future titles.

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twistedvoxel.com
80°

How Many More Victims, Like Garry's Mod, Will Nintendo's Hurtful Crusade Create?

Hanzala from eXputer: "As Nintendo takes out 20 years' worth of stuff from Garry's Mod, I watch in shock, thinking why it continues to hurt and discourage its fans."

RiseNShine9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

The irony that some of the most disgusting business practices come from companies like Disney or Nintendo, i can't even begin to understand what terrible damage was Garrys Mod making to Nintendo bottom line, imho they're getting pretty nervous about where they're heading in the future, handhelds are no longer something exclusive to Nintendo, from Steam Deck to many others, now you can play the latest games and pay a fraction of the price on Steam sales, so it's up to their exclusives, which just on their own would make hard to justify purchasing a closed overpriced hardware with outrageous price policies (Super Mario Odyssey is still 60 euro 6 years later!), and as a home console they're always underperforming compared to Sony or Xbox.

gold_drake9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

i cam guarantee you, that their exclusives alone is what drives switch sales. they sell in the 10s of millions of copies.

nintendo created their franchises to be sort of nostalgia driven, exclusive only on nintendo.

people will always buy the pkmn games as they always bring in new younger fans amd is family friendly

mario kart, the same thing, mario games in general.

zelda games are system sellers. animal crossing for the casual gamers.

nintendo doesnt need third vame devs essentially. they made sure with the switch and the limitations that they looked more to pc ps and xbox.

its sad, but nintendo is more than fine with what they're doing. they positioned themselves to appeal to the more casual gamers.

but to your point, im not sure why they're doing this rly.

Inverno9d ago

Look at how they handled Nintendo games being streamed or uploaded on YouTube in the past. They killed Yuzu and Citra even when they had nothing to do with ToTK being leaked, not to mention it was basically unplayable on emulation the week it was leaked. Smash Bros tournament, that was fairly recent. They shut down their online services without any care for purchases made. I bought a switch after skipping their last 2 consoles and handhelds but I don't plan on buying anything Nintendo in the future. They take things to the extremes, they legitimately hate their fans. They're honestly right up there with the likes of Acti, EA, and Ubi, only difference is that they disguise themselves as being family friendly all the while being shady.

80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."