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- ViperDaimao, on 10/12/2007, -1/+54Wiid obviously.
- Vampire, on 10/12/2007, -2/+55Um why did he say "Once you touch the Revolution, this will make more sense." Shouldn't he have said Once you touch the Wii, this will make more sense. Even Nintendo thinks its sounds funny....wee
- gwax, on 10/12/2007, -1/+46"this is what the committee came up with."
I think that perfectly explains the new name. - inturnaround, on 10/12/2007, -8/+52Everyone loves the Wii Nintendo Entertainment Rig. Yes, you'll love playing with our Wii NER. Touch it. You'll see.
- theblackgecko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+39He neglected to name the substances that the committee had been using when they came up with the name.
- knightcrawler75, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29I am speechless. I love Nintendo but that name is horrible. "Hey dude you wanna come over and drink some brew and play some Wii." I think I am going to crawl into my bed and hope its just a bad dream.
- JDOG, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23Well, lets be honest guys...you're not going to get objective responses from a PR Manager...
- Wamzlee, on 10/12/2007, -5/+26Adam West: "My name isn't "Adam Wii"... or is it? Who am I? What number did you call? Don't ever call here again. [hang up phone] I guess I told him! Nobody messes with Adam Wii"
- ecchichuu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19I love how both the interviewer and interviewee continued to call it the Revolution.
- awa64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18I think the most interesting part of the whole thing was their explination for unveiling it now. "We didn't want something like this to overshadow the games at E3, so we announced it now to get all the bitching over with."
That's actually pretty smart. Still not a fan of the name, though... - gronne, on 10/12/2007, -4/+21Exactly. Nintendo always seems to overlook older gamers.
- retral, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19I still think that name sucks... Revolution has always sounded decent.
- kevin_qnn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17GI: It’s been rumored that the new big Revolution secret is the fact that the nun chuck controller is also motion detecting…
Atwood: Really. That’s interesting. I would say 9:30 in the morning on Tuesday of E3 will be filled with surprises and I would just show up. Because there’s been a ton of speculation. Some of it’s right. Some of it’s not. We’d say that if that’s the only secret you’re expecting you’re going to be very surprised.
that last line is very interesting. hopefully the surprise is good enough to make people forget about the sucky name. - Mejogid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I think you mean interviewii
- TheGalacticFork, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15GI: Whose idea was Wii?
Atwood: It was actually several people internally. But beyond that, we aren%u2019t disclosing specifics on how the name came about. But it was several people at NOA and NCL.
No, really tell us......so I can slap them(even if it means slapping Lord Miyamoto).
I'm still buying the console no matter what and I'm still calling it the Revolution. - jamesthejust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14Sony's answer to the DS Lite... The PSPee
- pinsomniac, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Heh. This strikes me as something that would come out of a drunken bet between marketing execs.
Nintendo Exec: "You guys still having problems with supply?"
MS Exec: "It's better, but still not ideal. What are you up to these days?"
Nintendo: "I was just put in charge of branding the Revolution, actually. I wouldn't worry---when we release it this fall, the millions we sell should relieve the strain on your production."
MS: "Yeah? You probably couldn't get half the demand we're getting for the 360."
Nintendo: "You know, I bet I could give this the most ludicrous name out there with and still surpass your sales."
And thus, the Wii was born.
Remember, kids: A Revolution by any other name would still be just as sweet. (Apologies to Shakespeare.) - threepio, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12You know, I own an NES, an SNES, a GBA SP, A DS, A DS lite and two Gamecubes - you invite someone over, it's still "Hey, wanna come over and play some [insert game here]" or "Dude, we're playin' some Nintendo tonight..." - I doubt that'll change with the Wii.
This interview caps it - it's about the games. THE GAMES. "Wanna come over and play some RED STEEL?" "On your Wii?" "You're funny, now shut up and disarm that guy." - kubedawg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10We are the knights who say Wii!!!!!
now bring us a shrubbery. - navster15, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Well, the one good thing about the name is that it has people talking. Nintendo has lit the web ablaze with a pretty bare announcement. Frankly, they can call it "Stinky" or whatever and I'll buy it as long as I get my online Smash Bros.
- MrBound, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@jamesthejust
Actually, Donkey Kong was never supposed to be called "Monkey Kong," it wasn't a mistranslation.
http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/donkeykong.asp - inturnaround, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Super Mario Wii. Is he Super or is he wee?
- STKD, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"After giving it a few hours to soak in..."
A few hours soaking in Wii. Erk. :/ - christianw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Wii put way too much thought into this
Wii needed to justify our clueless marketting staff's paycheck
Wii might be mentally disabled
Wii hope you dont think this name really sucks
Wii realize it probobly does - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Name changes like this always go over like a wet fart in a space suit, at first. The bottom line is that if it's a cool system people will happily call it by whatever name.
On paper, names like Pac Man and Donkey Kong (Where are the donkeys? Show me the donkeys!) are ridiculous and awkward Japanese mistranslations, but no one would suggest their names negatively affected the games' popularity. If anything, the weirdness kind of helps, if the game itself is cool.
Nonetheless, right now I'm not looking forward to walking into EB and asking if they've got any new Wiis. Fortunately, one can always use "The New Nintendo" and people will know what you're talking about. - Farmer77, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7If you have to convince yourself the name sounds okay, then it's not.
I have a feeling the Nintendo Wii commercials will contain no voice overs announcing the name of the system. - TheGalacticFork, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9This day, April 27th 2006 will be remembered as the day the wrath of the internet came crashing down on Nintendo.
- jamesthejust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Will we be seeing 'Mario Wii'?
- drgruney, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Yeah I still call the Gamecube the Dolphin and the N64 "Project Reality."
- Laolong, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7It’s good that everyone is talking about wii but what isn’t good it that there’s a lot of negative things to say about it. I’ve converted a few people over to the DS and that was hard enough but form the second I say “Wee” I doubt I’ll get another word in.
I agree with the explanation to some extent but if Nintendo want to reel in the gamer virgins that have been exposed to gateway titles like Brain Age, then they need a name that will not be easily laughed at.
Let’s be honest; a random guy will more likely buy a PS3, or X360 over a Wii and that’s just going on the name. I’m slowly beginning to think that this name will (unfortunately) stick and if that is the case then I hope Nintendo really do have a showstopper come E3.
(I’m still getting one tho) - modian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The revolution will not be televised.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Wee also means 'small', like a wee lad or a wee bit (small amount). I'm guessing the console will be smaller than the other ones. The price should definitely be smaller, particularly compared to Sony's PS3 which requires a second home mortgage.
- Shizlak, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12"oh Wii just takes some getting used to"
UNACCEPTABLE.
A name is something that should smack you in the face and make you say "Wow, cool". Not something that disgusts you, then you might "get used to it after a few months".... that is not a way to market a product.
Revolution was cool, and very marketable. Will the system suck because of the name? no. But if nintendo wants to get ahold of the mainstream the name does matter. marketing matters. - RabbidSquirrel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8And Pac Man was chosen because "Puck Man" (like a hockey puck) would have been easy to deface on the arcade cabinets.
- DarkJedi375, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11You know, the more I think about it, the better it gets. In a year, Wii is going to be the first thing anyone thinks of after hearing "we" or "wee". Given the fanboys can put up with 8 months of stupid "wee-wee" jokes.
- Intrepion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Hmm, a google means a 1 followed by a hundred zeros... a wii means... uh... hey, wait, are you telling me I have to grab the controller with one hand.. shake it around... and it vibrates?
- bacon_skoda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6worse than WonderSwan?
- rileyjt, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9There were a couple times in the interview where he called it the Revolution instead of the Wii - I thought it was kind of funny. I also thought it was pretty clear that he thought the name was a little wierd and kept trying to deflect the conversation to what the console will actually do. I still think its odd that they used something that had wierd connotations and requires a documentary to explain... this is how they are going to reach out to casual gamers? The casual people aren't going to go to the website and watch their movie to try to understand the deep Wii concepts - they are just going to look at it in the store window and think what the hell...
- wai_xing_ren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6There was another comment relating to Donkey Kong. And one about Smashing Pumpkins--another great name. These are similar points about language and why "Wii" inherently does or does not suck.
I say look to Jabberwocky, Dr. Seuss, and William S. Burroughs.
Jabberwocky:
http://www.beyondbooks.com/law81/1.asp
>In the poem, toves are obviously things, or creatures, and so are raths. And because those raths outgrabe, "outgrabe" must be a verb. "Brillig," "mimsy," and "frumious" sure sound like adjectives. In other words, readers sense that "fish" could not replace "brillig," but it could replace "toves."
"Brillig" sounds good. The rhythm works. We can at least guess from context what each of the words mean. That's poetry. That's how you come up with good words.
Consider the nonsensical words used in Dr. Seuss poems. The only reason they make any sense is because of context. That a word rhymes with another word is also context.
William S. Burroughs: When you cut up a page of type and rearrange it, your brain is forming contextual links so that whatever you end up with sounds good.
Names like Donkey Kong make sense, even though they are nonsensical, because they fit the structure we associate with names. Names like DS are acronyms--everyone knows what acronyms are.
But Wii?
No, Wii does not make sense under any context. If you could not understand English and heard someone say, "Wii," you would not think that they were talking about a videogame console.
But I'm talking about English. The name does make sense in the iconographic sense of two lowercase i's standing next to each other (I still don't know what the "W" is supposed to mean), but that only makes sense if you think of the three-letter word as a single character. Nintendo has basically invented a kanji and given it a western pronunciation. Japanese Nintendo employees may think it makes perfect sense, but they may not realize that the English word for "tree" doesn't look like a tree.
So the name may not be so lame if you grew up speaking Japanese or Chinese and can disassociate the physical form of a word in print, the pronounciation of the word, and the word's meaning. (Or French. The "Oui" context is kind of there, if you imagine that Nintendo hired Genesis P. Orridge to name the console.) If you're American or British, though, there is no context in your language for this name to make any sense--it looks and sounds like piss. - e3mw, on 10/12/2007, -6/+12As much as I grit my teeth to say it now. I think it's going to catch on. Most people who have a problem with the Wii name are going to opt for saying "Revolution" or "Nintendo" when they refer to their console.
Alot of people are missing the point. Ultimately this name is going to be good for the system. It's short, easy to remember, and since it's not really a word, It's universal in ANY language. Nintendo is gearing up to kick some serious ass in sales and marketing.
It's just a name folks, as with all other brands out there, people aren't going to question WHY it is called what it is. Do people delve deeply into why Apple chose "iPod" for its digital music player? Nope. And casual gamers wont question Nintendo about the "Wii" either. - thepotoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@popfrogs:
lay off the google translator. In spanish it's La Revolucion, not El. - longboarder543, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7It's obvious why they chose that name. Imagine a huge tv campaign with a bunch of lowercase "i"'s running around all over the place representing people. What could be better?
- STKD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5News just in; Nintendo Wii to be renamed at E3 - Say hello to... The Nintendo Pii.
Ahem. - lane.montgomery, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"A Revolution by any other name would still be just as sweet."
That's awesome. I'm adding that to one that I came up with:
"The Revolution is dead, but Wii will live on." - jmnormand, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5forget the wee-wee jokes, i just wish i was still in sales so i could hear all the parents trying to figure this thing out at Christmas time... um yeah my son wants a we but i cant find one anywhere just this whyie, er why-I or what ever its called... Nintendo should know better, names that are confusing and hard to pronounce (at least phonetically) often put off the uninformed consumer.
- wai_xing_ren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Nintendo Wii: From the country that brought you Puck Man."
In all honesty, from the time information on the Revolution controller first came out, this is the first time I've REALLY feared that Revolution may be another EyeToy. If Nintendo can't see that this is a terrible name, when everyone is telling them that it is terrible, I have to wonder if they are suffering similar levels of groupthink in the design and engineering areas.
I am very concerned. - Jontastic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5After giving it a few hours to soak in, I am still amused at how awkward the new name is. I think I would have taken the Nintendo "Go" over this.
But, something just dawned on me. Since the new system is so different from the PS3 and the 360, most of its games will be unique, or Nintendo exclusives. Therefore, this should alleviate the humiliation of walking into a video games store and asking for the newest version of Metroid (for example) for the Wii. Since it's Metroid, you won't have to specify that it's for the Wii. Just walk in and say, "New Metroid, please." And, if it is a game that also has a version for the DS, you can specify that its the one that *isn't* for the DS.
Wii-nes for life. represent. - Scopitone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It has been said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee...
- Lacrossedragon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Xbox was a code name and it stuck because everyone knew it by that... Revolution was also good, it rolled off the toung, and made since. Wii is awful and I guarantee it will confuse USA Today Readers who have been reading it as the Rev... Bad move Nintendo, you changed the name far too late in the systems pregnancy.
- augustwest30, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Next year we will be saying "Double i's is so 2006." (Intel Viiv, Nintendo Wii)
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