Nintendo America defends 'Wii'

By Tom Bramwell Published 28 April, 2006

'Live with it'.

Nintendo of America's veepee of corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan has defended the choice of "Wii" - pronounced "we" - as the official name for Revolution.

In an interview with IGN, Kaplan said, "You think about Google being an unusual name. You think about Virgin Airlines. Amazon. Napster. All those. I think it's as unique as those." Apparently Nintendo's had the name in mind for a while.

"I think it's really fun to look at, the logo. I think people are going to see that on the box and our package art. I think people will get it straight after a while - it's just something they're going to have to get used to."

Reaction to the name, particularly in the UK where "we" has certain, er, other connotations, has been mixed. A mixture of laughter and vitriol, judging by our own enormous comment thread.

But Kaplan says Nintendo plans to stand firm - even in the face of petitions and the like - and plays the old 'no such thing as bad publicity' card: "Let me just tell you that if you're disrupted by it today, it's obviously caught your attention. And at the show, you're going to get to try out a lot of products that will make you happy."

Speaking of E3, Kaplan says Nintendo will say a lot about Wii and DS.

A final word on Wii, for the people who want Nintendo to change the name: "Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place."

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (179) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • EggyDeth #1 6 years ago

    Defensive. Bad sign.

  • Darkedge #2 6 years ago

    well I think nintendo will have alot of n-wii after this

  • timing58 #3 6 years ago

    There is no way I am eating wee for anyman...or sleeping in it.

  • groovychainsaw #4 6 years ago

    His defense about the other names holds no water (snigger) either, as they aren't related to bodily functions....

  • BadBoyBonner #5 6 years ago

    Was that wii I just saw on the floor in your bedroom

  • RabidMonkey #6 6 years ago

    I think people will get it straight after a while - it's just something they're going to have to get used to.

    I think you're preaching to the wrong choir, mate. I learnt to "Wii" when I was a very young 'un.

  • Genome #7 6 years ago

    Acutally, Perrin Kaplan is a woman.

    As for Wii, I can live with that name without losing much sleep. At least it isn't just PlayStation Next-Model-Number.

  • jellyhead #8 6 years ago

    Pah, like i said, Ninty can call it what they like.
    It'll always be Revolution to me.

  • Nebularhaze #9 6 years ago


    Its just name, what matters is the games, not if the name appeals to the masses

  • sickpuppysoftware #10 6 years ago

    "Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place."

    Knee deep in wii

  • alpha-0ne #11 6 years ago

    "Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place."

    How pompus and condesending is that comment.. i did that and arrived at the toilet having a wee
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/06 @ 15:08

  • bionutz #12 6 years ago

    eat with it...
    hhehehehe.
    The name itself is already a cry for help : Why I?

  • gizmo #13 6 years ago

    "Let me just tell you that if you're disrupted by it today, it's obviously caught your attention"

    Yes, but not in a good way.

    And there is such a thing a bad publicity. Ask Gary Glitter.

  • Repsode #14 6 years ago

    Besides the Wii=Wee thing is only noticed or deemed funny by 5 year olds in the UK. And they'll buy it because of that.

    Get a grip people. It is just a name and as we've yet to see how the mainstream non-gamer market thinks, we (see, no pun) can't really judge it on how nintendo's smallest intended market (the hardcore) thinks of it.

    Personally I see Wii as in Whee! It just makes the console sound fun.

    Its better than Playstation, Xbox or Gamecube.(Who came up with those crappy names?).
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/06 @ 15:11

  • Fat-Boy #15 6 years ago

    "Let me just tell you that if you're disrupted by it today, it's obviously caught your attention."

    Well, why not call it the Nintendo C**t then?

  • Drakron #16 6 years ago

    Proof Nintendo America is full of traitors.

    I wii on then ..

  • limepickle #17 6 years ago

    I think Wii wiiiil get used to it

    (You'll only get that joke if urine the mood for it)

  • Perry #18 6 years ago

    These defensive posts are quite pathetic really. If you can not admit it is a incredibly bad naming of a system, then I worry for you.

  • Gl3n #19 6 years ago

    When i think i've gotten used to it, i read it in another news post and it just seems rediculous again. I mean mega-rediculous. At least change it here mega drive style. Then we won't have to live with it.

  • lasersrule #20 6 years ago

    All the apologists are absolute idiots.

    Sorry, but Wii is the very worst kind of corporate pretentiousness that really pisses off the mass-market that Nintendo are so desperate to exploit.

    Brand idiocy of the highest order. Yeah, everyone's talking about the Wii, but mostly because of the ludicrous name you've given it.

    DOLTS.

  • smelly #21 6 years ago

    Look at the "Wii" thread.. 500+ posts.

    Look on pretty much every message board (incl non games ones) and people are talking about the name

    That's FREE advertising!

    Does (for example) the announcement of the ps3's name get this much free press? Nope.

    I think it's rather clever of them.

  • jellyhead #22 6 years ago

    Wii Wand - You're in Control.
    think about it...

    I also like the way it is so intuitive that they have to explain what they mean and reiterate thet it's nothing to do with wifi. I can see what they want to achieve and what they want it to mean but i still think it is a silly name that may do nothing to remove their kiddy image. Dodgy ground.
    Just saying "yes but wait until you play it" is silly, i still want the console i'm just bitterly disappointed that they couldn't come up with a better name for it than this, one that won't harm people's perceptions of Nintendo.
    I don't think Joe Public is going to be too accepting of the name, wouldn't surprise me if it is only nintendo that call it Wii and everyone else calls it Revolution still.

  • TwistidChimp #23 6 years ago

    Starting to think this could actually affect sales in the UK, I mean is this name going to put people off ?, surely a snigger is not the first reaction you want from people your trying to convince to buy your product.

    I mean I cant imagine anyone going into a GAME and saying have you got any wii in stock, can I have a wii please, one wii if you will good sir. I mean theres no way to say it that isnt going to have the staff laughing, and the customer embarrassed.

    Still maybe the rest of the uk population isn't as childish as me.

  • Repsode #24 6 years ago

    gl3n, Mega drive was the original name for the console, the name was copywritten in the US so they had to change the name to the "Genesis".


    Come to think of it, all consoles names sound ridiculous.


    Seriously, PlayStation sounds like a Fisher-Price toy.

    Gamecube is meh?

    Xbox WTF?

    In other electronics, how can you take an audio player called "ipod" seriously

    And if we are going to make piss jokes, well, "Pee iS Pee"

  • NthSimulachum #25 6 years ago

    I think the UK population by and large still loves childish humour.

    Look at the horrific success of Two Pints of Lager and a packet of series'.

  • TwistidChimp #26 6 years ago

    Sounding odd isn't a problem, people get used to it. The name when said out loud sounding like slang for piss is a problem. And the PS1, 2 and 3, wern't called P... if they were that would have been a problem, you can quite happily walk into a shop and say, can I have a ps2, do you have any ps2's. You cant really say, can I have a wii etc.

  • jellyhead #27 6 years ago

    It'll be called Revolution on the streets, mark my words it'll only be ninty execs and advertisers who will call it Wii.

    / puts penny on head so i can get out of this track i'm stuck in. :)

  • camaway #28 6 years ago

    Look at the "Wii" thread.. 500+ posts.

    Look on pretty much every message board (incl non games ones) and people are talking about the name

    That's FREE advertising!

    Does (for example) the announcement of the ps3's name get this much free press? Nope.

    I think it's rather clever of them.

    Put some explosive and a timer inside 100 Wii so that they explode and mangle the kids playing with it and you get EVEN more free advertising.

    As someone said above there is such a thing as bad publicity. Ask Michael Jackson, ask Gary Glitter.

    Nintendo machines ALREADY hav an image problem. Outside the "hardcore gamers" tiny bubble, average Joe does not find them cool, they are perceived as a "kiddie" consoles.

    The GameCube looked like that and people did not buy it. Even if it had great games, even if it was much cheaper than the PS2 or the Xbox and offered similar if not better performance.

    Now they worked on the image, made finally a piece of hardware you are not ashamed to place it your living room and then they call it "piss"? Or "Wheeeeeeeeee"?
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/06 @ 15:28

  • yiannis #29 6 years ago

    It's true as they say the captain of Titanic stood firm as well :)
    I will sleep, eat, live with my 360 and PS3. I'll keep moving along with my DS, maybe if i feel rich i'll buy the Wii thing but I will not say another good word for nintendo or their properties as long as this discrace of a name Wii is in the market. I have a face and social life i don't want to spoil with another gaysounding machine by nintendo. (gamecube was also called gaycube by many.especially the purple one. my best man thought i went gay when he saw me playing cell shaded zelda and animal crossing )

    Yep this is an image sensitive world and if nintendo can't figure it out after so many years.. oh well... someone's loss is some other's gain microsoft and sony seam to know this only too well.

  • limepickle #30 6 years ago

    Come on, I can't help but think that the Nintendo spokesperson has been rolled out as this is already a disaster for them.

    No amount of positive spin by them or defence by anyone on this forum can cover that this is a disaster already.

    A lower spec machine than other next gen machines was a challenge. A new style of game controller made it even more difficult but gave them something else no one else had. Another challenge.

    Then they name it after a bodily function....

    Just hurry up and go down the Sega route and just do what you're good at; making great games.

  • optimusprym8 #31 6 years ago

    "But Kaplan says Nintendo plans to stand firm - even in the face of petitions and the like"

    Standing firm in the face of wii, nice

  • Sko #32 6 years ago

    "That's FREE advertising!"

    "I think it's rather clever of them."

    If everyone is calling you a moron, it's not a good thing simply because it's 'everyone'.

  • sir_tripod #33 6 years ago

    Yup, the Wii's really hit the fan.

  • JediMasterMalik #34 6 years ago

    I still wanna see Wii up as a section of Eurogamer and Gamespot.

    Make my day that would. ;)

  • Sko #35 6 years ago

    "I still wanna see Wii up as a section of Eurogamer and Gamespot."

    IGN have already switched over their menus. They're getting into the swing of it too, one of their feature boxes already promoting "Spongebob Wii". *titter* *giggle*

  • nickthegun #36 6 years ago

    Live, sleep, eat and wii.

    I read somewhere that wii is shaping up to be the next snakes on a plane. A dumbass name that just happens to be a lucky stroke of genius, which judging by the buzz on the internet (what the fuck is the internet?), I would have to agree with.

    At this stage, bizzarely, the Wii could well become the next cool 'cult' item.
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/06 @ 15:50

  • drumbaby #37 6 years ago

    Note to staff: is there a way to delete my entire profile from these boards?

    There is for me...

    /hits ignore

  • firm3d #38 6 years ago

    "can I have a wii please" Bob?

    *Wonders if the Blockbuster reference is too obscure*

  • Drakron #39 6 years ago

    I found the Xbox 360 name stupid since 360 is a full circle meaning its ends were it started.

    Wii is a bad name, sure we can see "Wi Fi" but we can see pee with as much ease ...

    PS3 is a good name because the 3 says its the 3rd PlayStation, the PlayStation have a reputation so they are not messing with comming up with gimick names for marleting purpose as Nintendo and Microsoft are.

    Also it was pretty stupid Nintendo using the codename and leading the press to use it as the console actual name, Microsoft never used the Xbox 360 code name as in the way Nintendo did.

    Nintendo Wii is just wii poor name ...

  • spazmo #40 6 years ago

    Oh god! Another thread with the same wee jokes...

  • AOFanboi #41 6 years ago

    Personally I find the name to be as stupid as "iPod". But people buy that, so meh.

  • Moonprince #42 6 years ago

    yiannis ya big fairy, manup. You sound like a right girly. I think that one post alone loses you 50 man points...

  • killyourtv #43 6 years ago

    the word is also used by the yanks

  • sickpuppysoftware #44 6 years ago

    "Oh god! Another thread with the same wee jokes..."

    It's just an endless stream isn't it ;o)

  • TheSaint #45 6 years ago

    Nintendo is going to need some tena lady to stop this stream of bad publicity.

  • kenty #46 6 years ago

    The best thing that could happen would be if a couple of key developer's/publishers mentioned to Nintendo that they are reluctant to commit resources to developing for a platform that is sure to suffer at retail due to ridiculous name.
    If GAME or similar were to also approach Nintendo and mention that they would also be reluctant to commit effort into trying to sell something that their sales staff will have a hard time with, and that as a consequence they will only be able to offer the shelf end at the far corner of the store to stock Wiii software (not to mention the inevitable 'no Sir, you don't want one of those 'wee things', it's underpowered and your son will get bullied at school for having one, over here we have plenty of PS3's) then surely Nintendo would realise that lack of confidence from the userbase will most likely translate to lack of confidence at the retail and publisher level, which would destroy the platform.

    I just hope some sufficiently influencial members of the games industry with scheduled closed door meetings with Nintendo at E3 take the opportunity 'do the right thing' and tell it to Nintendo straight, apply some pressure. Petitions may be easy to ignore, but the potential outcome of having Revolution Projects canned and little or no confidence/support from Retailers is something that Nintendo should be seriously worrying about.
    Edited by 4 at 28/04/06 @ 16:17

  • oerhoert #47 6 years ago

    I say, let's stop the (by now sadly boring) jokes, and wait a couple of weeks. I bet it will be second nature by then.

    Or did you laugh when I said "weeks" too? :)

  • wizbob #48 6 years ago

    They can always add a few EA-style modifiers later, e.g. 'Gamecube II Wii: The BloodFactory' and people will settle on 'BloodFactory' or something suitable kick-arse. Other than that it's going to be a hard sell as a cult name like... (struggles) Pocari Sweat

  • lambtron #49 6 years ago

    It ... It cannot be! How could anyone ANYONE misjudge things so badly...

    Especially after such a promising start to the revolution...

    Sweet lord I don't consider myself a shallow person but even I am having seconds thoughts about buying a .. a. Wii?!?

  • jellyhead #50 6 years ago

    Don't buy a wii, buy a Revolution!
    Take to the streets, take back the name! :)
    I am.

  • PearOfAnguish #51 6 years ago

    "You think about Google being an unusual name. You think about Virgin Airlines. Amazon. Napster. All those. I think it's as unique as those."

    The difference being that while those are unqiue they also have the distinction of not being crap.

  • MBar #52 6 years ago

    'Live with it'

    Make me.

  • chronom4n #53 6 years ago

    i can understand the idea behind the "we" philosphy, but it sounds hilarious! and what with the way british innuendo mindset, how will anyone be able to ask for one of these consoles without bursting into laughter.

  • varsas #54 6 years ago

    Come on, I can't help but think that the Nintendo spokesperson has been rolled out as this is already a disaster for them.

    The GameCube looked like that and people did not buy it. Even if it had great games, even if it was much cheaper than the PS2 or the Xbox and offered similar if not better performance.

    Didn't the Gamecube outsell the XBox AND make a profit? :)

    A lower spec machine than other next gen machines was a challenge.

    Why is that a challenge? The fact that it is lower spec means that they don't need to spend as much money on development. This should also mean retail prices are lower than for PS3 and 360.

    Then they name it after a bodily function....

    They named it after the concept of connecting people though perhaps a derivation of "World" or "United" or similar would have been a better choice.

  • Retroid #55 6 years ago

    New New name: Nintendo Ratner

  • lemonfist #56 6 years ago

    Urine connotations aside, the name is still crap. Xbox and iPod are crap names as well, but this is ten times worse. It's not catchy at all, sounds more like a halfway finished word. Wii. At least they could've expanded a little upon it.

  • mattigan #57 6 years ago

    Is it just me or is this whole "disrupt" the market tagline Bollocks getting real fucking old, real fucking quickly.

    Yeah we get the message you're trying something different, stop beating us over the head with it.

    And if you're going to use symbolism in your product logo, don't make the symbols letters, at the very least make them look a bit different than 2 i's so the fist thing the consumer thinks when he sees them is "oh look, two little people next to the big W" and not "oh look, Wii, that sounds like wee which = piss, the Nintendo piss console HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

    They've sold it on the symbolism thing in MHO, the theory behind it is sound, the execution of the concept is shite though.

    And in an industry wherre 1st impressions are everything, this will be regarded as the piss console for years to come.

  • Darkedge #58 6 years ago

    the N-Wii (Ennui) link is bloody terrible though and thats not a poor joke :(

  • FredMT #59 6 years ago

    Why couldn't Nintendo call the stupid thing: Revolution? The name sound just as good as PS3 or XBox-360...

  • bloodflowers #60 6 years ago

    Well - quick pop quiz of spouses and friends at work done by myself and some other IRC denizens seems to indicate that non gamers think it's a stupid name too. This included US/Canada/UK/Sweden/Australia

    Nice one, Nintendo.

  • nickthegun #61 6 years ago

    A guy in my office reminded me that Ford went through a phase of naming their cars after porn mags and they did alright out of it.

  • Tyronne #62 6 years ago

    You can see the small children in the game shops now shouting `muuuuuuum I want a wii`,`please can I have a wii?`, `too late`.

  • PlugMonkey #63 6 years ago

    It is just a name and as we've yet to see how the mainstream non-gamer market thinks

    But surely it's the mainstream non-gamer market where they'll get hit the most? By the time it gets released, I'll have got used to it. Plus the name is going to make no difference whatsoever to whether I buy one or not. They could call it the Nintendo Syphillis and it would make no odds to me.

    But the mainstream punter who walks into game and says "I want a games console, but I know nothing at all about them" and hears his options are an Xbox, a Playstation or a Wii for the first time? Which is he going to choose?

    Once he stops laughing. :(

  • gamesb*tch #64 6 years ago

    It's weird cos 'exxbox' means 'massive turd' in Swahili!

  • IP #65 6 years ago

    :: Personally I find the name to be as stupid as "iPod".
    :: But people buy that, so meh.

    I suspect fewer people would have bought the iPiss, though, and that's pretty much what Nintendo's named its new baby. This is a dire name, and it seems Nintendo is already doing damage limitation.

  • Xerx3s #66 6 years ago

    "our own enormous comment thread."

    Role on the self promotion & boosting. ;p

  • Lagto_Soa #67 6 years ago

    Yeah, funny how they had all their PR and Marketing people (who should be shot) out setting up interviews as soon as the name was released. Damage limitation is exactly what it is. Saying "it was a team effort across the company" really doesn't help either - "our crazy Japanese overlords forced it on us" would have been more palatable.

    I'm so disappointed in Nintendo I don't even know how to put it into words... I always thought they were above this teeth-grinding focus group mentality and patronising marketing drivel.

  • JetSetWilly #68 6 years ago

    It is just a name and as we've yet to see how the mainstream non-gamer market thinks

    But at launch it won't be the mainstream non-gamer buying the console. Nintendo need the core-gamer market on-side first so that it can expand from there just like it did with the DS.

    The reaction of the core-gamer market to the name couldn't be worse

  • neonlok #69 6 years ago

    You'd Think after DS Lite, they would finally break their markets with style and awe in their designs no? HAHA well this style is certainly strange!
    "Fifa 2008 available on PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii" I can never imagine that to come up on TV. Unless its "sponsored by Nintendo Wii" HAHA.
    I am soo frustrated! Why After DS Lite? A cool, slick design that matches the DS, yet now we get a innovative console(Revolution!!! The way it is meant to be!!) and we get some Wii on the backs of those stylish designs!
    Pff...who knows? I keep calling it Nintendo "Why". It suits them.

  • tonynibbles #70 6 years ago

    This is so awesome.

    You dont even have to say anything, everything is just hilarious.

  • c.lo #71 6 years ago

    Can anyone remember a successful product that has had an adjective as a name?

    Wii, its just lame, piss jokes aside, its just lame.

  • ali-uk #72 6 years ago

    i'm still laughing at how bad this name is honestly

  • Sko #73 6 years ago

    "A guy in my office reminded me that Ford went through a phase of naming their cars after porn mags and they did alright out of it."

    I know what you mean. My uncle used to drive a red Ford Bukake Warrior.

  • Lost_in_Darkness #74 6 years ago

    Chris Kohler; author and Wired staff has probably the best view of the situation that led to Ninty coming up with the name 'Wii'.

    http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/games/index.blog?entr y_id=1467976

  • wolfen #75 6 years ago

    Quoting, "Like we say in Portugal, they put the bus in front of goal". The "As in we" line and now this press release just shows they thought a name for the japanese market, and then let the PR monkeys of NoA to find out a hidden, deep meaning, and now backpedal to defend it. Just proves how shit the idea is, mind.
    And it's not like the whole togetherness, community and blah blah hasn't been done bofore.

    And anyway, it's not like the terribly daft name is going to imply the Revo will now suck out a sudden. Just that in Nintendo there are a few blokes thick as a brick which don't do themselves any favours. Most likely, the ones behind the same mistakes that thrown the big-N from the top spot after the total domination of the 8-bit era

  • tiddles #76 6 years ago

    From the Wired blog linked to above:

    In short, the fuss over Wii is an Internet Problem, not a Real Life Problem. In real life, the name's soundalike will pass almost entirely without notice. The positives of Wii will vastly outweigh the negatives.

    I think this is wrong, and precisely where the problem lies. If anything, it's going to be more of a problem in Real Life than on the Internet, because the latter has a higher proportion of Nintendo-philes who are willing to ignore or love the name, whereas the real world is full of mass market consumers who need to won over rather than scared away.

    Ironically, I don't think they would have had the same problems if they had called it the Nintendo We. Sure, it still sounds the same, but the pronoun is so familiar to English speakers that, when you see it, its meaning immediately overrides any less positive connotations. You don't laugh every time you see the word "we", basically...

    But because they've given such an odd spelling it immediately forces you to scrutinise the new word and its meanings, and your mind inescapably leaps to "wee" (the two vowels don't help either - wii/wee).

    Sadly, had they not tried to be quite so clever, they might have got a much more positive reaction.

  • tiddles #77 6 years ago

    And anyway, it's not like the terribly daft name is going to imply the Revo will now suck out a sudden.

    But if (worst case scenario) it has a significant negative impact on sales, it WILL hurt the console and by extension, the games available for it in the future.

    Finally, if they do stick with the name, we could find a way to live with it I suppose... refer to it as the NW, perhaps?
    Edited by 1 at 28/04/06 @ 20:27

  • Collie #78 6 years ago

    There's probably someone at Nintendo's brainstorming/marketing department who thought it would be amusing to anonymously suggest 'Wii' as the title for the console, and whilst they were silently chuckling away as the names for the console were read out, couldn't believe when the Nintendo head-honcho's actually took the name seriously and used it. The prankster probably wished he/she owned up and got their raise.

    I hope the next Nintendo portable console is called 'Pooh' or something. Then you could have a choice of a poo or a wee, depending on how the feeling takes you.

  • InfiniteFury #79 6 years ago

    So if Sony rename the PS3 to PissFlaps at E3 will you applaud them on their ingenuity and willingness to embrace the market in a new way?

  • Ravenlore #80 6 years ago

    AGAIN, AND again, they do not listen to the obvious signs that THIS IS A BAD MOVE, like N64 cartridge would not harm its sales, like GC's SMALL optical drive, Colur, and handle had no impact on its sales!!!

    WHY not Wei!!! In the two biggest regins it has no bad conotation. BUT Wii will have an negitive impact on people's PERCEPTION of the console!!

    I thought Nintendo learned form its past mistakes and was listing to its fan base and developers??

    How long will this last. How many people will think that this will put off the customers and decide not to make a game till its sales are up, and people will not buy till more 3rd party games are there. The Gamecube all over again.

    WE NEED an OUTPORING of letters, posts, Blogs, to the industry, to developers, to anyone that will listen that this name MUST CHANGE!!!

    Call it W, for all I care, just not BS, Gay, shit, Fag, Pussy, Dumb, .... ETC... Wii, and many other names that they should avoid!!

  • SauloChekotee #81 6 years ago

    This brings back jolly good memories. In Italy the word "sega" means "wank". So you see, everytime the Sega splash screen appeared everybody laughed (and made love, cooked pasta and played the mandolino). So did we ever grow out of it? No sir, we just started pronuncing it differently, in fact, we call it "see-ga". Although, now that I think about, the different pronunciation was probably only due to our English being rubbish. Well, you could try the same thing here. Nintendo Why? Good question, if you ask me.

  • captain-future #82 6 years ago

    again what's wrong with "Revolution"??

    PlayStation X, 2, 3 (everybody gets it: good name)
    Xbox (wtf? but X is a cool letter, OK)
    Xbox 360 (wtf? ok circle of gaming, zen life blahhh, OK)
    GameCube (cool name, describes console and everybody gets it)

    Revolution (cool name, describes console and controller, everybody gets it)

    Wii (WTF!!! means nothing, sounds stupid and ridiculous in English)

  • wolfen #83 6 years ago

    But if (worst case scenario) it has a significant negative impact on sales, it WILL hurt the console and by extension, the games available for it in the future.

    From a tech point of view, the console and it's capabilities (whatever they are) are still the same, so anyone who was really looking forward to it will still want to grab the console, even if was called "Nintendo Pisshitwat", and I'm still pretty skeptic they would be able to "break the wall between gamers and non-gamers" as claimed in the first place.

    But on E3 everything will get clearer, and if Nintendo heads have any brains, their PR staff will be all fired, and the name replaced by "Revolution" or "Evolution" (which could also work, mind). Highly doubtful, but it's better than "Live with it" (and if they really used that expression is almost as bad as the name). At least, there's a few more days of hope for those who care.

  • dk_rare #84 6 years ago

    The revolution, like the Apple iPod, is small, hi-tech and they will be selling it cheaper by the sounds of it... so maybe we should all have a little Wii come launch day ^.^

  • brombeer #85 6 years ago

    It clearly states what market Ninty (that's what I HAVE to call them now) is after: my little kids. My daugther (1 1/2 years old) often does a pirouette shouthing: Wiiiii. They dug their own grave once with the Cube. Now they are pouring the sand on it. Lots of it. Bad move, stupid name. Nice joke though Tyronne. I could see myself standing there in the Gameshop with my son whirling around me: I want a Wiii...I want to play with a Wiiii.....

  • Redeye #86 6 years ago

    Ah, Ninty, you mad, crazy fools with your talent for pure unintentional comedy gold.

    Me, I'm going to take the Geordie route and start calling it the Why-aye...

  • AusFreelancer #87 6 years ago

    Live with it ay? Then i'm sure Nintendo can live with images like this....! http://palgn. com.au/article.php?id=4346
    I feel sorry for you Ninty......just when I was beginning to think you were getting back to your prime, you had to soil ;) yourself with stinking wii. Take your wii back.....and bring on the Revolution!! You know its a *MUCH* better name for your baby.

  • Pho-Zoon #88 6 years ago

    It's not only different from those other mentioned names because of the bodily function, also a concern is that it just doesn't sound good. single-syllable, three letter word with two i's in it. ouch.

  • Helios #89 6 years ago

    Apparantly, the name has not been trademarked yet...

    Could this be Nintendo is looking to stir things up then announce the 'real' name at E3?

  • urban #90 6 years ago

    i like it tbh, and i'm not one for nintendo stuff

  • Krun #91 6 years ago

    That was the Wii, that was.

  • Steroyd #92 6 years ago

    awe man this comments section is getting as much love as the other one, i could finish the sentence with a punchline involving wii but i can't be bothered taking the piss out of Nintendo anymore.

    Read it as you want.

  • oerhoert #93 6 years ago

    You're all overreacting. It's a perfectly fine name, and in a few weeks time, it will be an established entity, not much different from those other ones, like Yahoo.

    And for those of you who still thinks it's fantastic how they named their console "piss": They didn't. It's the WII, not the WEE. It may have been amusing _yesterday_, but it's getting old. Fast.

  • Beano #94 6 years ago

    100!... Wiiiiiiii !

  • F1Tom #95 6 years ago

    "You think about Google being an unusual name. You think about Virgin Airlines. Amazon. Napster. All those. I think it's as unique as those."

    its bloody too unique! im off to have a google in the amazon.

  • Darkedge #96 6 years ago

    "like GC's SMALL optical drive, Colur, and handle had no impact on its sales!!!"

    so the lack of DVD playback didn't affect the cube? You poor deluded fool.

    Also that wired article just sounds like a fanboiy clutching frantically to the nintendo he once knew - focus tested in all territories? I don't think so, I really don't think so.

  • Rambaldi #97 6 years ago

    Look, defending Wii as a good name is just not on. Slagging off Xbox, Playstation, ipod and Dreamcast for having equally daft names is a patheic retort. If they'd been called MingeBox, iwank, Dreamfart or GayStation maybe...but a posh word for urine is plain wrong.

    End of.

  • hypernova #98 6 years ago

    @Darkedge

    Reading Ravenlore's post, it appears he isn't a native English speaker. It is clear however that his "like GC's SMALL optical drive, Colur, and handle had no impact on its sales!!!" comment was sarcastic / rhetorical;he just forgot to put a question mark in place of the !!! is all.

    No need to call him a deluded fool.

  • yorkiebar #99 6 years ago

    So if we live with Wii, sleep with Wii, eat with Wii, move along with Wii we'll get used to it?

    Isn't that just appallingly bad hygiene?

    All I can say, nintendo boys, is please remember to wash your hands afterwards...

  • drumbaby #100 6 years ago

    I think he just likes wee.

  • oerhoert #101 6 years ago

    <em>oerhört are you a Nintendo marketing shill?</em>

    Not at all. I'm just baffled by how much people put into the fact that if you substitute the i's with e's, it means piss. Big deal. Get over yourselves.

  • kangarootoo #102 6 years ago

    I think we shouldn't expect them not to defend the decision. They will have put time and money into developing a brand, so they don't want to switch unless they absolutely have to.

    That said, regardless of whether we will get used to it or not and regardless of all the free publicity, if the majority of people exress a negative reaction on first hearing the name that has to be a bad thing right?

    Surely any marketing company would have "negative reaction from target audience" cut into stone as something to be avoided when launching a new brand.

    For perspective though, I wonder what the rest of the world thinks. If its just the UK that doesn't like the title, then thats not really going to be that big a deal to a world operator. We assume that everyone thinks the name is daft, but do we honestly know? We can rant about Nintendo not caring out Europe, but are we in fact the only country in Europe ('cos there are a few others about the place) that thinks the name is a poor choice?

  • kangarootoo #103 6 years ago

    @Rambaldi

    In addition to what hypernova said, can you actually produce figures that support your suggestion that DVD playback is a major factor in console buyers' decision making?

    I've honestly never bought the sugestion that its a key function. Concole buyers buy games machines, DVD playback is a nice bonus but I don't believe its absence a deal breaker.

    Now you could try and state that, GC sold least units + GC has no DVD playback = absence of DVD playback was why it sold least units. But that assumption would be simplistic and unsafe. and I think you know it.

    Don't mean to jump on your case, but if you are going to start insulting posters you should probably produce some figures to give yourself some credibility.

  • brombeer #104 6 years ago

    I'm from The Netherlands, and I do think the name is childish. It's something we Dutch say when we are childishly happy. It's not as bad as you British must feel hearing the word, but it's still a daft name altogether. For me it's a childish name for a childish console maker which is clearly targeting the market of children. I don't see me, aged 35, asking the gameshop's employee for a Wii...no thank you. No pun intended.

  • MyPointIs #105 6 years ago

    I would like to see Nintendo UK comment on this. I really would.

    Because I think they underestimated a great percentage of their image-conscious target audience. And I think they underestimated how truly awful Wii sounds to the UK market.

    Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Nintendo having a greater share of the market on the next generation. And I love the idea of calling their little console an expression of joy, like Yahoo! - instead of XBOX-IAMAROBOT, but call it anything, Woohoo! Yipie! Waha! or even Wi! if you ask me. Just not Wii.

  • smelly #106 6 years ago

    LMFAO

    Reading this thread:

    Nintendo fans start by hating it then get around to liking it
    The playstation/xbox fanboys keep slagging it off as if the 360 was the best name ever

    Lots of going on about toilet humour, but yet its funny, no-one ever seems to slag off virgins name do they?

    And joe public will almost definately wont care about the name.

    Its time geeks (and i include myself in this) who post on games forums need to realise: You're NOT the mainstream. You're a sad geeky minority. Your opinion is worth JACK SHIT!

    Get over it.

  • AOFanboi #107 6 years ago

    I don't get you people.

    It's NOT the word "wee" meaning "piss". It's the invented word "wii", which sounds like "we", and can be made to sound like "wee" if you're a bit childish. And yes, the name is just as good as Virgin (snicker), iPod (only peas and facehuggers come from pods - not music),

    And "wee" for piss is British. I mean should the movie company have changed the movie "Free Willy" when released in Britain to avoid colliding with the local name for penis? And what about "Commodore Amiga"? "Commander female friend"? How stupid a name is that?

    Every name can be ridiculed if you want to wast resources on that. Me, I'll buy the console and not care about the name, just the games.

  • kangarootoo #108 6 years ago

    smelly to the rescue with a healthy dose of ego and insult to sort everyone out. Thanks for the wise words omnipotent one, aren't we lucky.

    There are people on this thread who are neither Nintendo fans, nor playstation/xbox fanboys. They are simply adult observers who are discussing the new name.

    As for your geeky minority assertion, the posters on this site may not represent a majority of the population, but they DO represent a majority of the core market for any new console. Their opinion is therefore pretty valuable to console makers.

    Now the people who have said they don't like the name will probably buy the thing anyway if that was their original plan, but that doesn't make you right about them being a minority.

  • 786Beast #109 6 years ago

    The guys obviously not impressed himself. Shouldn't have to 'defend' the choice but applaud it. signs of messing up!

    I guess the Nintendo HQ must be complaining about 'what wii done?!'

  • 786Beast #110 6 years ago

    You just couldn't go into a shop as a adult and ask for a wii

  • Mauve #111 6 years ago

    According to Wikipedia the wii of a healthy person is sterile so there's no actual public health danger involved in telling people to eat with it or sleep on it.

    Alas, it's the kind of pun that is ingrained into every British schoolboy in his formative years. Nintendo isn't powerful enough to overcome that.

    Maybe we could all send an email to renquiries@nintendo.co.uk">prenquiries@nintendo.co.uk to complain.

    Me, I might start calling it the W2. It's clean, it sounds like a console, and it's an easy misreading to make. In the same way I now deliberately but effortlessly call Microsoft's C# "C-Hash" it'll become second nature if we do it right from the start.

    All those who say names are irrelevant should know that philosophers have traditionally poured an immense amount of thought into naming. How people think about things shapes a name, and a name shapes how people think about things. IANAP.

  • lemonfist #112 6 years ago

    You just ask for 'the new Nintendo console' then.

  • Subquest #113 6 years ago

    Wii is obviously a terrible name, even without the humourous connotations we Brits enjoy. Despite this, I think if the concept is pitched accurately at the market - and I think we're talking families here rather than just internet twats like ourselves, and importantly the controller thing works as a great new way to control games, and even more importantly the games are good..... maybe we'll all really need a Wii?
    Edited by 1 at 29/04/06 @ 23:22

  • tiddles #114 6 years ago

    In the same way I now deliberately but effortlessly call Microsoft's C# "C-Hash" it'll become second nature if we do it right from the start.

    Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it known as "C sharp" (as in the musical notation)?

  • tiddles #115 6 years ago

    And joe public will almost definately wont care about the name.


    LMFAO - they certainly will. And they're probably less likely to be Nintendo fanboys than we are...

    Virgin's an odd one though... I think it's unexceptionable because it's been around a long time, since the days of the record company, and let's face it, you can call a label whatever the hell you like. Is is related to the Virgin Islands originally? (I'm thinking of the palm tree logo...)

  • Mauve #116 6 years ago

    It is supposed to be called C-Sharp but it's a ridiculous name. A sharp symbol is a totally different character to a hash. C-Hash is also more descriptive.

    Virgin isn't that strange. It doesn't have to have sexual connotations. There are the Virgin Islands, as you mention; extra virgin olive oil; the virgin mary. It's a powerful brand :)

    So anyway, even if we understand where the ii's come from, what's the W all about? It occurred to me it might be been born out of a backslash and an italic N for Nintendo. But then it occurred to me that I was looking for too much rationality in the actions of people whose mental health could be in doubt. Or perhaps I'm struggling to rationalise it to myself. Perhaps I'm the one going mad. Perhaps I just dreamed that Nintendo decided to rename the Revolution after a colloquial term for urine. That certainly seems plausible.

  • lucky_jim #117 6 years ago

    It's a terrible, terrible name, and I'm amazed anyone would say otherwise (Nintendo employees/ fanboys excepted of course). I always considered myself a bit of a Nintendo fanboy, as anyone who's still playing Nintendo games a fortnight before his 27th birthday probably is. My worry is that if I think it's awful, what are all the people who are cooler than me gonna think? There were a lot of them last time I checked!

    Revolution could have "disrupted" the market. Wii won't.

  • asphaltcowboy #118 6 years ago

    I've already said in the other thread, that I'm starting to like the name, but this article really should have been called "Nintendo stands up for 'Wii'" ;)

  • Steroyd #119 6 years ago

    You're all overreacting. It's a perfectly fine name, and in a few weeks time, it will be an established entity, not much different from those other ones, like Yahoo.

    But asking for a wii in the shops doesn't sound right in a sentence, no matter how you put it, it's nice that Nintendo are trying to urge people to structure the sentence as "Wii will play together" and "wii can all have fun" but when using the word wii, other than in that type of sentence then the word wii(we) won't sound like wii in a sentence.

    Point is Nintendo have got a up-hill battle to market this thing to the demograph they're supposed to attract.

  • smelly #120 6 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    People who post on gaming boards ARE the minority. Live with it!

    There are 20 million gamecubes sold, 20 milion xboxes, 80 million ps2s.. And only 100 people in this thread.

    How many of you have bought fifa street? My guess is not many, but yet it's top of the charts day in day out.

    We are NOT the mainstream, we are the minority. Our opinion matters for jack shit.

    Live with it.

    the posters on this site may not represent a majority of the population, but they DO represent a majority of the core market for any new console

    100 people represent the majority of the core market!?? Wow, that core market is a pretty small group! No wonder no-one makes games for it any more!


    Edited by 1 at 30/04/06 @ 10:57

  • Rambaldi #121 6 years ago

    @Kangarootoo

    I never made any post about DVD playback dude. Clean your glasses!!

  • Rambaldi #122 6 years ago

    @smelly

    Kanga's got a point. The people who post here represent a fraction of the people who read the site (not everyone can be arsed like us y'see). This site represents a fraction of the sites around the world. Sites represent a fraction of the gaming media. The gaming media represents a fraction of the gaming public. The gaming public represents a growing fraction of the general public. Although we, here, are under layers of sub-cultures and peer-groups, we here (in the vast majority) think the name is a catastophic fuck-up.

    Gradually the opinion will move out of the sub-cultures as we all talk to our non-nerdy mates. Gradually the magazines (non-specialist) will run stories on it (can't wait for FHM). Gradually newspapers will run features on the three next-gen consoles.

    Pretty soon everyone will know that Nintendo have called their new console 'piss' and the general public (being the general public) will not forgive them for it or let them forget it.
    Edited by 1 at 30/04/06 @ 12:26

  • chronom4n #123 6 years ago

    If the nintendo brand wants to isolate itself from a kiddies image, and maybe they want to create adult orientated brands, then this is no way to go about it. My 8 year old nephew, when i asked him what he thinks of the name, burst into fits of laughter. and i am sure that across the nation, the 'wee' name is creating some fine toilet humour. After all the discussions about nintendo and how they are seen as a kiddies machine, this is no way in which to deal with that issue. A name is seen as having a major impact in which the consumer will buy products. Nike, Adidas, Smith, Heinz, etc. I can not see myself wanting to have a Wii. in terms of clothing for example, when people wear the brand they associate kudos with, they feel good, all nintendo have done is alienate quite a large group of consumer on the basis of name branding. I could go on,but i have other things to do. but i did not anticipate what nintendo could have come up with. at the moment I honestly feel that nintendo have become a major laughing stock within the videogames industry.

  • smelly #124 6 years ago

    Nah, only amongst the hardcore gaming nerds who post on message boards.

  • Rambaldi #125 6 years ago

    Anyway..when are EG going to change their menu to Wii instead of Revoilution?

    .....

  • EGBartonFink #126 6 years ago

    Ah smelly to the rescue of Nintendo. What you should get over is the fact that Ninty have made a huge marketing gaff. Anybody I have mentioned the name to has just laughed and wondered what idiot came up with that name (these are non gamers). If you really think it's not outside the mainstream then why have the BBC, Guardian, and Inquirer all ran stories on it. It's a shit name get over it. You really think the man in the street is not going to make the exact same mental association with the name? Taking the approach that names like Xbox 360, Playsation, Virgin, Google etc are equally crap doesn't work either none of them are associated with a bodily function it just doesn't work. Get down off that high horse and see it for what it is a utterly stupid and moronic marketing gaff.

  • smelly #127 6 years ago

    No, Im not defending them. I think it's a crap name too (if you read my posts), although it is growing on me.

    I'm just saying the opinion of people like ourselves who post on games boards are NOT the same opinion of the mainstream.

    And the mainstream ISNT 10 year old kids in the playgrounds, the average age of someone who plays games is 34, and they're no more likely to make wee jokes than they are to giggle at the words "bottom", "poo", "bra" or "virgin cola".

  • Rambaldi #128 6 years ago

    ...captain...ship.....

  • JediMasterMalik #129 6 years ago

    I think for 34 year olds it'll be more of a chuckle than a giggle. ;)

  • EGBartonFink #130 6 years ago

    But smelly the people I have been talking to are all in their mid twenties to mid thirties and they all reckon it's a really silly name.

  • smelly #131 6 years ago

    @EGBartonFink

    But as I've already said, you post on a games message board, so therefor your opinion (or your mates) doesnt matter :-)

    Proof is in the pudding. I didnt buy a gamecube/ps2/dreamcast/xbox/ds because of their names, I bought them because of their games. I'm 99% sure that most gamers in the world didnt buy the console purely on the name. So I cant see why they WOULDNT buy one based on their name either.

    Both "virgin" and "smeg" are names which could raise a titter or two too. But they're both succesful brands. I'm sure there are others out there, but these are the 2 i've thought of so far.

  • EGBartonFink #132 6 years ago

    Ok piss jokes aside I reckon it's a really weak name from a marketing perspective and Nintendo have done their chances of getting back up there with the big two no favours at all with such a weak name. It should be about the games but people are a fickle bunch. Huge marketing blunder by Ninty I reckon.

  • smelly #133 6 years ago

    Funny, most people on the message boards said the same about the DS.

    (when they announced the name and it'd be less powerful than the PSP, etc etc).

    Mind you, a lot of people took the piss out of gizmondo too.. but that failed for reasons other than its name.

    From a marketting perspective, I can see precisely how they'd use the two "i"'s in adverts.. and it makes sense, and i think it's a catchy name which joe public will remember (unlike the xbox/playstation or gamecube where parents seem to mix them up interchangeably - how many parents have you heard asking for mario on the playbox thingy?). Whether they remember it for right or wrong reasons, it's rememberable and wont be as easily mixed up.

    My point being is that they know what they're doing. They're the ONLY console manufacuter to constantly pull in a profit. They once had a console in more than a 1/3rd of US households, etc etc. To dismiss them as not knowing what they're doing is wrong imho.

    Call me a fanboy for saying that last paragraph, but it's fact.
    Edited by 1 at 30/04/06 @ 14:29

  • Knot #134 6 years ago

    Yep, the reactions here in the Netherlands are not all too positive either.

    Wii sounds like the Dutch word 'wie' which means 'who'. In Germany
    it sounds like the German word 'wie' which means 'how' or 'as'.
    It's alarming to see that a big expensive marketing team, which i assume
    has linguistic experts in it, didn't foresee this. It seems they only thought
    of Wii as 'we' as in 'us' ; a collective of people who play games.

    This proves how detached they are from real life people and how their
    brainstorming sessions were set in an utopian world without dirty connotations.

    Anyway, the console looks really nice and promising. Red Steel looks to me
    like it could top the classic Golden Eye multiplayer. Visually it surprises
    with all next gen effects (though a somewhat lower polygon count).

    But it would be bad indeed if Nintendo keeps the arrogant attitude to downplay
    this console name farce.
    Edited by 1 at 30/04/06 @ 14:56

  • kangarootoo #135 6 years ago

    @smelly

    Oh dear, you've completely misunderstood what I said and by telling me to "live with it" again you just make yourself look even more like a stroppy kid.

    Do you really think that I was suggesting that the people that post on this site are the core Rev market? That isn't what I wrote, I can only suggest you try reading my post again.

    Lets try again. The READERSHIP of this site and OTHERS LIKE IT form the core market for any NEW CONSOLE AT LAUNCH. So when the Wii comes to market WE will be REPRESENTATIVE of the core market (we won't of course be the entire core market, I never said we were, you just implied I had).

    When launching a console, the opinion of your core market is important, they set the rate of initial sales (which in turn can make for good advertising and install confidence in the rest of the market), they drive the word of mouth advertising (which again installs confidence in the rest of the market.

    The reaction of the early adopters (and I say again, this site readership perfectly represents A PORTION of that part of the audience) affects all others who consider the console later. Either directly (by us telling people it is great) or indirectly (by us buying lots of games, which increases the assigned shelf space in shops, which raises awareness in the rest of the market).

    Errr... live with it.

  • kangarootoo #136 6 years ago

    @Rambaldi

    Shite, your post was right next to the one I was commenting. I'm really sorry about that mate.

    /looks rather silly
    /cleans glasses
    /eats humble pie

  • kangarootoo #137 6 years ago

    @smelly

    "My point being is that they know what they're doing. They're the ONLY console manufacuter to constantly pull in a profit. They once had a console in more than a 1/3rd of US households, etc etc. To dismiss them as not knowing what they're doing is wrong imho."

    Just for context, as I feel like I'm being a bit arsey to you in this thread. I totally agree with your point above. I honestly do think the name is a mistake, but I do think that Nintendo generally know their business better than us.

    My only point of disagreement is on the posters here not being representative of the core market for any new console. We can agree to disagree I'm sure, sorry for all that rather patronising upper case nonsense in my previous post. I got a bit carried away. But I'll let it rest now... unless you call me a git or say "live with it" in response, in which case I shall perhaps retort ;)

  • EGBartonFink #138 6 years ago

    @smelly - come off it the DS thing comes nowhere close to this.
    The two brands you have mentioned have very strong names regardless of how stupid you might think they are. Wii is weak it has negative conotations associated with it already. Also unlike the ofther two you mention Ninty are the only one that have also been losing market share in the home console industry consistently since the days of the SNES (yea yea their hand held position is fantastic).
    Sadly I don't think this name is going to do them any good at all. Last time you would have been hardpressed to find one of those aforementioned parents who knew what a GameCube was unlike Xbox and Playstation which are now household brands. The name is simple but very weak and has very little positive impact.
    Nintendo may know what they are doing but the reaction to this so far seems to point out that everybody else doesn't.

  • _wii #139 6 years ago

    STOP TAKING THE PI55

  • JediMasterMalik #140 6 years ago

    @_wii:

    You genius you. :p

  • smelly #141 6 years ago

    @EGBartonFink : Thinks back a few years back, thinks back to when "playstation" wasnt a recognisable brand and for the first few years of it's life was doing REALLY badly.

    And you cant tell me you've never heard someone say "gamebox" or "playstationcube", etc etc... This gets around that problem.

    Meh.. But it sounds like i'm in blind defense again.. so i'll shut up, and just giggle and say "i told ya so" in 2 years time.

  • EGBartonFink #142 6 years ago

    Yup I can honestly say that I have never heard anybody using anything like "gamebox" or "playstationcube", etc etc.... I have often heard people mistaking everything for a Playstation though. How exactly does this get around that particular problem. The name is spectacularly weak. It's unfortunate as I really thought Ninty had a chance this time around but it needed a strong brand name and this falls very short. Revolution would have been a much better choice.

  • Azazel #143 6 years ago

    colossal MEH

  • MaxiSleep #144 6 years ago

    "Smelly said

    "@EGBartonFink : Thinks back a few years back, thinks back to when "playstation" wasnt a recognisable brand and for the first few years of it's life was doing REALLY badly.

    And you cant tell me you've never heard someone say "gamebox" or "playstationcube", etc etc... This gets around that problem.

    Meh.. But it sounds like i'm in blind defense again.. so i'll shut up, and just giggle and say "i told ya so" in 2 years time. ""

    Smelly you give the impression of not understanding the playstation launch and how it was marketed. (Seen as a benchmark in how to establish a brand)

    Fact is that nintendo, once again have displayed very insular thinking. Sometimes this is good (DS) sometimes it is bad (all their home consoles are a FAILURE when compared to the benchmark of the SNES - not in absolute terms but relative)

    Wii has done zero so far to proactively engadge with the early adopters. And again marketing 101 really really really states that you need to connect here with a new inovative product. (which is what Wii is supposed to be)

    Nintendo have decided to dig a hole before climbing the mountain. Sony drove to base camp. Thats the difference

    For many reasons including terrible DRM and products which are overpriced and frequently behind the times (not ALWAYS just FREQUENTLY) I actually do not like sony as a brand or a company. So this is not a fanboy rant, it is a discussion on the best way to launch a modern inovative console.

    And nintendo seam to be making a dogs of it.
    Edited by 1 at 01/05/06 @ 01:25

  • Liggur #145 6 years ago

    Nintendo have a survey out asking what people think of the name

    http://www.kotak u.com/gaming/survey/

    This is not a link to the actual survey, just the story.

    Edit: link went to wrong place - removed (just cut n paste it)
    Edited by 2 at 01/05/06 @ 15:53

  • InfiniteFury #146 6 years ago

    You have no idea how many times I clicked on that before I got the joke...

  • smelly #147 6 years ago

    all their home consoles are a FAILURE when compared to the benchmark of the SNES - not in absolute terms but relative


    Taking that logic pretty much ALL home consoles are a FAILURE when compared relatively to the benchmark of the SNES?

    Meh, dunno why i'm bothering. You guys OBVIOUSLY know EVERYTHING there is to know about marketting a console. And your opinions REALLY matter, and REALLY will effect whether the sale of the console will be good or not.

    If I were a console manufacturer who constantly pulled in a profit, I know I'd come to geeks who post on forums over anything my advisors (who have so far made me a profit) advise me.

    How silly of them not to listen to 0.0001% of their potential market!

    I understand it ALL now!

    Regardless of which, if what it shows at E3 impresses as much as Im hoping it might, i'll buy one regardless of the name. Just like I buy "snickers bars" despite prefering the name "marathon". If a product is good, i personally dont care about the name.

    HANG ON.. If *I* think that, and *IM* a geek who posts on games message boards, then that means *MY* opinion is the right one, and therefor EVERYONE in the world thinks the same as me! So therefor using that logic, the Wii is going to be an MAJOR success! Because I've posted here, everyone thinks the same as me, my opinion as a poster is more important than anyone elses opinion!

    Have any of you guys ever looked at comic book guy in the simpsons? Specifically episodes where he's posting to newsgroups thinking that movie/tv companies actually care about his opinions. I suggest you do.


  • EGBartonFink #148 6 years ago

    @smelly
    Regardless of which, if what it shows at E3 impresses as much as Im hoping it might, i'll buy one regardless of the name. Just like I buy "snickers bars" despite prefering the name "marathon". If a product is good, i personally dont care about the name.

    Same here personally I reckon it's going to be a brilliant console but the man on the street is going to see the name first. Let's hope Ninty get the finger out this time and do some astounding marketing of the games god knows the name of the console ain't going to do them any favours.

  • Rambaldi #149 6 years ago

    OK, I've meditated for a while and removed all impure thought of urine from my mind and I now reflect upon Wii as in 'we' as in us all.....and I think....

    ....what a load of pretentious garbage! It sounds like a bong went round with the super-sized saki bottle at Nintendo HQ. They do know there's a world out there don't they? One too many magic mario-mushrooms me-thinks!!


  • Rambaldi #150 6 years ago

    But whatever, it's only a name right...even if it is wildly stupid.

    /places bet down at bookies on Nintendo changing name back to revolution...no really...80/1 odds.
    Edited by 1 at 01/05/06 @ 11:45

  • smelly #151 6 years ago

    Just had a thought, Have any of you ever bought a "seimens" phone?

    Or were you too busy laughing at the name to consider buying one?

  • Mark II #152 6 years ago

    ok...

    still sounds like a piss-poor name to me...

    /me gets his coat.... ;-)

  • EGBartonFink #153 6 years ago

    Problem with Wii smelly is once you get over the silliness it's still a very weak name.

  • smelly #154 6 years ago

    Have I ever disagreed with you on that?

    But my point being, our opinion means jack :-P
    Edited by 1 at 01/05/06 @ 12:11

  • AusFreelancer #155 6 years ago

    Smelly - "Just had a thought, Have any of you ever bought a "seimens" phone?"

    Funny you say that, haven't seen any of their phones in Aus for years. I think BenQ bought them out....

  • smelly #156 6 years ago

    Well BenQ is an even sillier name isnt it?

  • Rambaldi #157 6 years ago

    Look, smelly, there's a difference between silly names like Benq or Xbox and ones that refer to urine. As I've said before, your argument would hold more water if it was MingeBox or GayStation, but it's not and it doesn't.

    Never before has a name for a major piece of consumer electronics refered to shit, farts, piss or burps.

    Great start Ninty.

  • Rambaldi #158 6 years ago

    I mean, just look at the top of the page where Wii stands next to Revolution...one looks bold, cool and forwardthinking, the other just looks fucking childish and stupid. That said....that kinda makes me think of most Mario games;)

  • citizenHUNTER #159 6 years ago

    I like the idea of the name, but really, does no one check what the name means in other territories, and what it will sound like. Sadly it's only really in Britain and Australia, two pretty much ignored insignificant markets, where this name is a problem, but even in America it's not the greatest.

    It's difficult to say, sounds weird, and frankly unlike other crazy names in the past (Dreamcast etc) it will take a VERY long time for people to get used to it. They probably will, but there's always going to be awkwardness surrounding it and a shadow of stupidity over here in the UK. Frankly no matter how strong their convictions are on the name it's just fecking ridiculous really.

    It's a shame cos people in Britain WILL NOT be able to get over the name, and really, the mass market not-traditionally-games-playing-types which Nintendo keeps stating is it's intended market are not going to get the philosophy, not going to get the name, and think it sounds ridiculous. You shouldn't need an explanation of what the hell it means and you certainly should not come out with a name and spelling that makes everyone ask HOW do you even pronounce it. I'd love the Nintendo "Way". Spell it Wei if you like but that's as good a name as you could get, but using two "i"s awkwardly, making it sound like "ee", and then sticking a "W" in front of it... utter shambles :(

    The console's going to be great, but yet again it seems like Britain will be treated with utter contempt as usual, and giving it a stupid name and hurting its sales here won't help. No doubt we'll miss out on many amazing titles or have to wait years for them to get ported etc, as has been Ninty's problem for years...

  • smelly #160 6 years ago

    Look, smelly, there's a difference between silly names like Benq or Xbox and ones that refer to urine.

    Or ones which refer to semen, virgins, or smeg?


    Never before has a name for a major piece of consumer electronics refered to shit, farts, piss or burps.

    But there has been ones which refers to semen.. and smeg... Both of which are much more "rude" than wee.

    Are we not going around in circles here? I answer one argument which causes another argument which i answer, to someone else arguing the same original argument.. and we repeat.. :-)

    Edited by 1 at 01/05/06 @ 14:41

  • smelly #161 6 years ago

    Personally I find "cooking with smeg" while "holding siemen in my hand" while talking to a "virgin employee" much more titersome than any wee jokes, but it's not stopped me owning all 3 of those products at any point in time.

    I've owned a siemens phone, i regularly travel on virgin (arf arf fnar), and my fridge is a smeg (hahahaha).


  • Hugundo #162 6 years ago

    I feel sorry for Nintendo, i wiiley do.

    /just shoot me.

  • MaxiSleep #163 6 years ago

    Smelly said

    "
    Meh, dunno why i'm bothering. You guys OBVIOUSLY know EVERYTHING there is to know about marketting a console. And your opinions REALLY matter, and REALLY will effect whether the sale of the console will be good or not. "

    Whether you like it or not early adopters are very important to any new product launch. If you are going to ignore that point then that is fine. Does not make you right.

    :)

  • Kami #164 6 years ago

    "seimens"

    Point taken here, there are sillier names out there... Wii is actually surprisingly tame next to some... doing a little research comes up with things like Manwich, Cohx... hell, there's even Spunk, and lest we forget, Gizmondo - affectionately abbreviated by most to Giz...

    Wii is weak, and comparitively tame. We'll probably get over it, much like others get over other silly brand names... Twix, anyone?

  • ProEvoNut #165 6 years ago

    at the end of the day its a bad name, but for me its all about the games and how good they are

  • ave #166 6 years ago

    I've never heard anyone remark of Siemens & semen.

    You're also comparing a name that Nintendo came up with to be "cool" and Siemens, which was named after the family name of the founder.

    Manwich was introduced in the 60's, do you think there were any negative(or amusing) connotations back then?

    Gizmondo was nothing until people started shortening it to giz(and pronouncing it wrongly like "jizz" instead of "gis";)

    Really crap examples Smelly, back to the drawing board.

  • smelly #167 6 years ago

    Having a shit name hasnt harmed the 360 yet.

    But then ... a White hole?

  • theindustrialone #168 6 years ago

    A point for the people saying that it's all about the hardcore early adopers; how many of said adopters have changed their minds about buying the console?

  • smelly #169 6 years ago

    Well personally speaking, there would be no-way i'd buy a console without seeing the games (obviously), but the name wont stop me from buying it.

  • Kami #170 6 years ago

    I've never heard anyone remark of Siemens & semen.

    You live an incredibly sheltered, boring life then.

    You're also comparing a name that Nintendo came up with to be "cool" and Siemens, which was named after the family name of the founder.

    Perhaps. But it's still got some humour in it.

    Manwich was introduced in the 60's, do you think there were any negative(or amusing) connotations back then?

    Again, how incredibly short-sighted and close-minded can you be? I'm sure it would have had some amusing connotations back then, even if not for the obvious reasons.

    Gizmondo was nothing until people started shortening it to giz(and pronouncing it wrongly like "jizz" instead of "gis";)

    Exactly. But we enjoyed the jokes. Gizmondo is still a shite name though, the shorthand for it, Giz, just made it even funnier... and despite it being a machine with as much support as a strapless wonderbra, we still remember it fondly, even if for nothing more than the endless Giz jokes.

    Really crap examples Smelly, back to the drawing board.

    Do I take that as a compliment or an insult?

  • ave #171 6 years ago

    You live an incredibly sheltered, boring life then.
    Yes Kami, because my experiences dont agree with your opinions, my life is sheltered and boring.

    Again, how incredibly short-sighted and close-minded can you be?
    Oh wait, there's more insults without actually posting anything contradictory.

    I'm sure it would have had some amusing connotations back then, even if not for the obvious reasons.
    Why are you sure exactly?

    Are you usually this retarded, or just the Wii brings it out in you?

    Try better next time unless you want me to Wii all over your arguments and Giz in your face.
    HARHAR IM NOT SHELTERED ANYMORE!!!
    Edited by 1 at 02/05/06 @ 01:19

  • smelly #172 6 years ago

    Ooooh.. This is all getting very bitchy now...

  • el_pollo_diablo #173 6 years ago

    It's just a name. Not a very good one, but it is just a name.

    Let's just accept it, move on and judge the Wii on it's games.

  • Caimbeul #174 6 years ago

    @Smelly, I agree with most of your comments but SOME companies DO take note of forums.

    I am a big Nintendo fan but not a fanboy. The games are where it is at for me. Yes I think it is a stupid name, yes I think it will have the P!ss (no pun intended) taken out of it for a long time to come and may even effect a small percetage of sales in this country. I will still buy one and I think it will be a shame if it suffers simply because of a name.

    Maybe all UK gamers could simply call it Revolution regardless of its actual name or pronounce it how we think it should sound (Wii = Why-E) maybe???



    Cant Resist: "Would you like to play with my Wii" or "Where is young timmy?" "Oh, it's ok. He's in his room playing with his Wii"

  • Lagto_Soa #175 6 years ago

    A key point in the Smeg/Siemens/Virgin examples is that none of these products were already facing problems with a childish, 'uncool' consumer image or a previously expressed desire to move away from that. With 'Revolution' it looked like Nintendo were actually dead set on addressing it: with 'Wii' they're back to their usual tricks, times ten.

  • Moonprince #176 6 years ago

    Hi I work in the games industry and I play games a hell'v allot. I'm 25. I tell people I work with games, that I play them allot and one of the consoles is going to be called wii. I still have friends and my girl still loves me. No one cares about the name except YOU. Get over it, move on, shutup...

  • smelly #177 6 years ago

    LOL well said!

    Same goes for nintendo's supposid "kiddy" image, which (big suprise) is only ever mentioned by 12 year old fanboy kids who think GTA is the most mature thing in the world ever.

  • Rambaldi #178 6 years ago

    How come I'm 30, don't like GTA and think it's got a kiddy image? Come on, be real, with main mascots like Mario and Yoshi, how can it have anything but a kiddie image!

  • Carrybagma #179 6 years ago

    The fanboy doth protest too much, methinks.

    :-D

    (Sorry smelly - had to!)