Tell me this is a joke.

[Delphine]

<a href=http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=961>Nintendo Revolution named Wii</a>

Nintendo Revolution named Wii

17:00, Apr 27th by Ben Parfitt

Nintendo’s next gen console will be known as Wii.
The console, previously known as the codename revolution, has been officially named ahead of further announcements at E3.

A statement from the Japanese games giants today explained: “While the code-name “Revolutionâ€￾ expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.

"Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean? Wii sounds like “we,â€￾ which emphasizes this console is for everyone.

"Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii. Wii has a distinctive “iiâ€￾ spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.

And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd. So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you. Because, it’s really not about you or me. It’s about Wii."

Are... are they serious? They can't be serious. Wii? I mean... <i>Wii?</i> Does Nintendo <i>want</i> people to laugh at them? Granted, I know nothing about this website and they don't cite a source so they could be completely making it up, which I hope, because <i>Wii?</i> COME ON.

EDIT: Oh, <a href="http://revolution.nintendo.com/">it's true.</a> Wth, Nintendo.

[Popcorn]

Nintendo are just adorable.

Edit: It's a stupid name, but somehow the official logo made me like it.

[Neo Yi]

Wii? Is that suppose to be some japanese word that has a hidden meaning behind it or really just another form of "we" that the article seems to emphasize?

Pee and pun jokes aren't far behind...


EDIT: Nice logo though.

[Kishi]

I just came to see if anyone had posted this yet.

I can see how it can be ridiculed, but I think the significance behind its meaning outweighs that. I like it a lot.

[James McGeachie]

Came here to post this, sadly beaten. I've done my fair share of complaining about it and making terrible jokes already now so I'm going to try and be more rational now.

...or at least that was my plan but I'm finding myself completely incapable of trying to say something positive this is fucking STUPID and I can't physically comprehend what they're thinking, there's no way anyone can hear this and not have their first impression be "that's really dumb.". This makes "Xbox 360" seem like the most genius and incredible name even. Even "Dolphin" seems infinitely better.

I really don't know how I feel about Nintendo anymore.

[Frieza2000]

There's one good thing that can be gleaned from this. It appears that Nintendo doesn't care what the mainstream thinks of them, which will be the only thing that keeps the industry as a whole from remitting to their tasteless demands.

[j-man]

Look out! Nintendo's innovating again! It's going to make such a mess of the carpet... :(

[James McGeachie]

There's one good thing that can be gleaned from this. It appears that Nintendo doesn't care what the mainstream thinks of them, which will be the only thing that keeps the industry as a whole from remitting to their tasteless demands.

The irony is though that they've constantly been trying to push Rev...Wii as a console EVERYONE can play and they apparently want to attract non-gamers in with it too like they claim to be doing with DS. In other words they do care and think this name is a GREAT CHOICE for helping accomplish their goals. In other words, they're batshit insane.

[Popcorn]

I appreciate the simplicity and abstract appeal of the name, but I wish they'd chosen a sound that didn't sound so awkward, at least in the English language. It sounds far too similar to, well, 'wee'-- I can envisage the hilarious game shop encounters already-- and asking for a "Nintendo Wii" or telling a friend to "fire up the Wii" or whatever just seems a bizarre proposition. But then I remember thinking the same about 360, and that's already become normal, so maybe it'll just occur naturally.

[Crazy Penguin]

Wii are not amused.

[Omni Hunter]

I like the Wii name And so what if the idea is pretty insane, isn't that why people like Nintendo?

[Light Speed]

I don't think it is that big of a deal. I like the explanation, and after all, the name really doesn't matter that much. However, it is going to take some getting used to. Let's go home and play with my Wii!

[Gaz]

Huh-huh huh huh uh huh huh. It's called Wii!

Seriously though that is probably the dumbest name ever. Wii? And here I was being optimistic about the Revo.. err I mean Wii. Do they really expect non-Nintendo fans to buy it with a name like that?

[Light Speed]

I know the name gives the first impression, but I honestly don't think the name is going to affect sales drastically. Sure it is a little quirky, but after the launch, everyone with a friend that plays video games is going to know why the Wii is a bit different from other consoles. Then once everyone knows, they'll decide to buy it or one of the other far more expensive consoles. Besides, everyone knows the name Nintendo, especially old people. Parents freaking refer to video games as Nintendo.

[Esrever]

I don't know... console names always strike me as completely idiotic when I first here them. Then after a few months, you're so used to hearing them that you don't even think about it anymore. Is "Wii" really any stupider than "Dreamcast," or "Xbox 360" for that matter?

It's kind of "cute" for a console name, but it's not particularly out of place in the world of consumer electronics at the moment.

[Green Gibbon!]

The avante-garde approach doesn't bother me, and I kind of like the minimalist simplicity (of the logo as well), but their justifications for the title are intolerably corny.

The grand majority of console names up to this point have been silly upon first blush but always turn natural - y'know, like PlayStation, Xbox, Dreamcast, even Mega Drive. So I don't doubt that three years from now when discussing the new Kid Icarus I'll be tossing "Wii" around like it's okay and nobody will bat an eyelid - BUT, juvenile connotations strictly aside, the association with "we", games as a social activity, is the recent trend and undermines everything I ever found appealing about the hobby. I didn't get into games in the first place because I liked playing with other people, and Nintendo's reluctance to delve into the seedy world of ecommerce has always been a sort of comfort for me (despite, y'know, Mario Pinball and Pokemon Shuffleboard). Y'know, just the knowledge that the console I bought was complete when I bought it (no Nintendo Live or anything to encourage me to continue paying for the machine I already bought and bonus items in actual games that cost me additional real-world money) and I can sit down and enjoy Chibi-Robo knowing that I have the complete game in my hands and requires nothing from me but the time to finish it with (no social interaction required beyond the GameStop checkout counter). And all this, of course, is a mostly unrelated rant, however, the name "Wii" - the pee-pee association I can handle, but the "community of ignorant happy families who don't understand technology and may even fear it but will gleefully skip into domain they have no business in courtesy of a bullshit corporate 'togetherness' slogan that undermines invidiual intelligence and often common sense in the human species" --- is something I find a bit disturbing, especially coming from Nintendo, a company that hasn't really changed at all in the past 25 years.


In short: I don't think I know how I feel about the name yet. I believe this needs more time to sink in.

[Delphine]

the association with "we", games as a social activity, is the recent trend and undermines everything I ever found appealing about the hobby.

That's pretty much what I wanted to say, but was too busy saying "wheeee" to myself and laughing to bother. I don't play games with other people. I can't stand playing games when there are other people in the room -- I don't want to talk about the game <i>while</i> I'm playing it, and no I don't <i>want</i> to go over there I'm going over here thank you very much please shut up. And I can't watch other people play because other people, invariably, suck at playing games and I want to do it for them because I do it the right way.

P.S. <a href="http://auguris.livejournal.com/data/pho ... 94.mp3">My personal pronunciation of the Nintendo Wii.</a>

[The Doc]

It's too bad they didn't call it the Nintendo FanBoy.

[Brazillian Cara]

And I tought I was anti-social. In a way, I am, but the point now is the name.
It Wiill probably be laughed about for a few Wiiks, but as you guys said, it Wiill sound the most natural thing. But seriously, the first thing that came to my head when I read the name was "World War II". Then I remembered that it has only one W, instead of two.

[big_smile]

It’s kind of ironic in a way. In the past, games were always a social activity. Even simple games, such as hide-and-seek or tag, needed at least two people to play. Games that required just one person weren’t really games but logic puzzles. Video games were unique because they allowed people to play without the frustrations of finding a partner who shared the same interests, skills or leisure schedules. In doing so they caused a fundamental shift, moving away from being contests between two people and becoming experiences that focused on discovery (either of spaces or skills).

In effect Nintendo’s revolution (or at least, its marketing) works by going… backwards.

[Crazy Penguin]

I admire Nintendo's intentions of trying to open up the world of video games to a wider and even more mainstream audience. Out of all the new consoles, Wii is the only one that has strong selling point aside from "better graphics". And has anyone caught the Animal Crossing DS ad that's been airing on UK TV recently? With the softly spoken young woman relaxing on a sunny day engrossed in the world of Animal Crossing the same way one might be a good novel. It's a very refreshing thing to see after years of "boys and their toys" style marketing. I sincerely hope Nintendo try to keep this up and don't resort to the lowest common denominator MTV school of marketing. It's about time the medium should grow up some more.

[chriscaffee]

I think the name fits. "Wii" to me doesn't sound like "we" but "whee" as in "We are having fun" which is what it's all about.

[Baba O'Reily]

I rather like the name. Plus, I can invite people up to my room to see my Wii, which will be fun for a few wiiks.

[Protodude]

The name itself is no big deal to me, but the meaning behind it is just....stupid. But you know, the name Revolution wasn't that bad, I don't see why they didn't just stick to that.

[Segaholic2]

My initial reaction is that I don't like the name much, but I guess I just need time to get used to it.

That said, the official "blurb" on the website made me cringe. It sounds like a consummately lame political rallying call for a cause that nobody's convinced of yet. With incredibly bad and idiotic visual imagery and metaphors, to boot. In short, their "explanation" for the name is a load of crap with a generous helping of postmodern <i>bullshit</i>.

They should've just stuck with Revolution.