Launching in a white case five years ago, the Wii has seen a special edition release in red, and currently is available in black. Its successor, Wii U, goes back to white. Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto says the design choice is so people won't think the console is kid's stuff.
Miyamoto, speaking to Game Informer said as a designer, his choice would be "to make greater use of color in our hardware," citing the looks of the Famicom and the original Super Nintendo.
"What we found over the years when we included a lot of different colors in our hardware is people would kind of point to that and use it to paint us as more kid-oriented," Miyamoto said.
If so, why not go to all-black, given the style it connotes, and the fact it's in use by all four consoles currently in production? "We found that rather than going all black - all white seems to have a broader appeal to people," he said.
Miyamoto: Wii & Wii U Are White To Appeal To All Ages [Game Informer]