Nintendo pondering Wii U rebrand?

This year’s E3 is already expect to bring with it a new direction for Nintendo’s still in development Wii U, and now rumours claim that it might even see a total re-brand for the device.

Citing sources close to the platform holder”, CVG reckons that serious discussions are ongoing at the highest level in the US and Japan as to whether the firm should cut its losses and give the console a different name” after what it describes as a disappointing E3 debut last year.

It also points out Nintendo’s decision to push the new TV tagline This is not DS. This is Nintendo 3DS” in its UK ads for the handheld.

The platform holder itself has admitted that its choice of brand for the device confused consumers, many of whom believed it was nothing more than a DS with a 3D screen.

There is merit to the idea of ditching the Wii brand and starting afresh with its new machine.

At the same time, few gaming brands have established themselves so firmly in the wider public conscious as Wii. Is that something Nintendo is really ready to give up?