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Final Revolution Name Announced: Wii

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SuperPac

SuperPac

Member
Chittagong said:
None of them resemble closely wee or poo though
Click to expand...

That's not his particular argument, though. :p His argument is only that the commonality of the word "we" in English means it won't be successful.

If being too close to wee or poo were the argument... he should grow the hell up.
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
SuperPac said:
That's not his particular argument, though. :p His argument is only that the commonality of the word "we" in English means it won't be successful.

If being too close to wee or poo were the argument... he should grow the hell up.
Click to expand...

I hear you, and I admit that I'm on the fence at the moment. There is certainly a possibility that it'll become a great name... actually I already posted on record that I think it will.

Still, I'm a bit worried (about myself or about the name) that several days after the name was announced I chuckle every time I read the name, and laugh at the comic about the runner-up name being Vagina. Hell, every time I read the name I picture this little dude standing at the edge of a merry-go-around pissing and shouting "weeeeeeee!!".
 
SuperPac

SuperPac

Member
Chittagong said:
Still, I'm a bit worried (about myself or about the name) that several days after the name was announced I chuckle every time I read the name, and laugh at the comic about the runner-up name being Vagina. Hell, every time I read the name I picture this little dude standing at the edge of a merry-go-around pissing and shouting "weeeeeeee!!".
Click to expand...

I don't think it's wrong to want to laugh at the name when you hear it. It is an odd name. Conjures up the word small, penis, pee, piss, etc. Such associations are going to be unavoidable. At least one of them's positive (that the system's small).

But potential mockery has not stopped anyone from changing their first/last name if it includes any of these: Dick, Harry, Cox, Enos (rhymes with...), Sach/Sak, Dix (my parents were friends with a family of Dixes that caused me much laughter when I was younger), Ball, Bang (there's a news reporter in Chicago... "Jackie Bang"), etc.

You'd think the people with these names would change them on their 18th birthday or their parents wouldn't use them in the first place (if they're first names). Yet I don't think too many do.
 
S

Scalemail Ted

Member
gamergirly said:
It must've went like this at Nintendo:

Revolution Name Leader A: Think of new name for Nintendo console. Use Mario and Wario
Person 1: Okay. We have Mario and Wario. Think of it
Person 2: ario and ario
Person 3: ari and ari
Person 2: R We and R we
Person 3: Not We, little we
Person 2: (typing)Wi?
Person 1: Yes, but include the other wi
Person 3: Join the 2 wiwi's together.
Person 2: Got it. Let's Wii
Click to expand...


I bet it went something like this:

Iwata: Pick a name from 1 to 10.
Ninty employee 1: Dont you mean numer sir?
Iwata: Just do it!
Ninty employee 2: 5
Ninty employee 1: 3
Iwata: No!!!! write it down on these paper slips.
Ninty employee 1 writes down 'Vii'
Ninty employee 2 (whispers) dude, he said a numer. what the hell is that?
Ninty employee 1: its roman numeral 7
Ninty employee 2: oh, i so have yours beat then! BAm! Wii. Ha! So what do I win?
 
B

Beowvlf

Banned
SuperPac said:
There are plenty of other brands that are regular everyday English words. Dial, All, Snuggle, Aim, Always, Dawn, Tide, Ivory, Subway, Gap, Citi (bank), Hertz, Kraft, Mobil, Shell, Target, Borders, Apple, People, Time, Stuff, Blender, Premiere, Fortune, Money, Wizard, Life, Shape, Jet, Giant, Billboard, Spin, Wired, Fox. Are those bad/unsuccessful brand names because they could be confused with the reguar word in the English language? Do they blend in too much? Your argument is weak. You just don't like the name, and that's fine -- that's your prerogative.
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I think this counter argument is rather thin, as I'd argue that many of those brands aren't a part of the English lexicon. A few are also company names, which is a whole different topic, and most are nouns. Pronouns are not popular or common brand names for a very specific reason.


kaizoku said:
You said brands only ever have negative impacts on a product or a very small positive impact. Thats incredibly ignorant. I dont care what you do, brands are worth billions and people dont do that just to avoid negative brands. I assumed you pulled this out of your personal experience of the world (which is fine) cos you sure as hell didnt do any research.

How you can come on a gaming forum and be a regular member and then suggest brands never have a positive impact is hilarious. Gaming world is full of brands and franchises and they are all staring you in the face.
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Brands are worth billions, and there is a certain art to assigning them correctly, but from the outset I've always believed it's either a nil or negative effect. Keep in mind this is considering the name on it's own, seperate of the product.

There is always, always the chance that if the product is successful it can overcome any obstacles a poor brand name can cause, but IMO, from the beginning, consumers will view a name with either indifference or distaste. I don't believe any brand can ever become successful based on it's name alone.

That was my point; I think you misunderstood it.


kaizoku said:
Wii has broken walls which would have been present with a generic console name - if they changed back I'd be worried about them.
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I think this is where we truly differ in opinion. I don't think Wii is that radical a name. We've already had the likes of Genesis and Jaguar; I just don't see Wii as being that different.
 
G

GDGF

Soothsayer
SuperPac said:
I honestly don't see how anyone could confuse Wii with we in the context of a sentence/discussion. I've been listening to a few podcasts that discuss the Wii and I've never had any trouble differentiating which word they mean at any point in time. I would assume (or hope) that would be the case for any other native/fluent English speaker, unless they are stupid.



There are plenty of other brands that are regular everyday English words. Dial, All, Snuggle, Aim, Always, Dawn, Tide, Ivory, Subway, Gap, Citi (bank), Hertz, Kraft, Mobil, Shell, Target, Borders, Apple, People, Time, Stuff, Blender, Premiere, Fortune, Money, Wizard, Life, Shape, Jet, Giant, Billboard, Spin, Wired, Fox. Are those bad/unsuccessful brand names because they could be confused with the reguar word in the English language? Do they blend in too much? Your argument is weak. You just don't like the name, and that's fine -- that's your prerogative.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to say that that was a fine freaking rebuttal.
 
K

Kobun Heat

Member
SuperPac said:
But potential mockery has not stopped anyone from changing their first/last name if it includes any of these: Dick, Harry, Cox, Enos (rhymes with...), Sach/Sak, Dix (my parents were friends with a family of Dixes that caused me much laughter when I was younger), Ball, Bang (there's a news reporter in Chicago... "Jackie Bang"), etc.

You'd think the people with these names would change them on their 18th birthday or their parents wouldn't use them in the first place (if they're first names). Yet I don't think too many do.
Click to expand...
I would just like to throw in my "two cents" here that "Jackie Bang" would be a fine name for a new character on The Sopranos.
 
SuperPac

SuperPac

Member
Heian-kyo said:
I'd argue that many of those brands aren't a part of the English lexicon. A few are also company names, which is a whole different topic, and most are nouns. Pronouns are not popular or common brand names for a very specific reason.
Click to expand...

So the words I mentioned that are also brands aren't common in English, aye? Never used them, have ye? I already mentioned some pronouns that are also products/brands -- all, us, me, we and one. The argument that pronouns aren't brand names isn't much of an argument. I can't see myself buying "THEM" cereal (kinda dodgy if ya ask me), but I can see myself buying a game console called Wii.
 
M

Matlock

Banned
title.jpg


They didn’t name it that. Seriously, how could they? Screw Nintendo, what was wrong with the name Revolution? Could they change it back, I mean…please, Nintendo, change the name back. They’re not going to change it back, are they? Ugh, well, there goes the Nintendo I used to know…although this might work

Although the above paragraph was hyperbolic to say the least, it’s a fair reflection of the obvious pattern of the five stages of grief that consume the internet gaming community in the wake of any major announcement. To draw the nearest comparison, a quick search of forums right after the unveiling of the Revolution—no, wait—Wii Remote reveals the same pattern.

Seriously, what the f*** Nintendo. Get real.”
“Wow, they really lost their f***ing minds.”
“I'm so p****d right now. Not only do I want to turn in my Nintendo coat, I want to turn in my gaming coat period.”
“You hear that? That's the sound of Nintendo f****** themselves”
“Oh Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo, when are you guys gonna learn that weird, unique and original doesn't equal good.”

When the Remote was revealed, people went up in arms about it. The design didn’t make any sense, said detractors! Third parties would leave Nintendo in droves! Mainstay multiconsole titles like Madden just wouldn’t be on this new console because of the controller.

But, as we’ve seen and heard since—the design has gotten support from developers both big and small, third parties already left Nintendo two generations ago, and the new console’s version of Madden is said to be well along…

Going back a little further, it’s easy to draw a parallel to the Nintendo DS. In the initial days, the DS was seen as technologically poor system that would be muddled down by gimmicks. The PSP would surely slaughter the DS, said fanboys! Right now, the DS is beating the pants off of the PSP with no end in sight…and the software has proven that the “gimmicks” aren’t something that can tie developers down.

The DS also served as a sort of testing ground for Nintendo’s revolution. Games like Brain Training, Nintendogs, and Animal Crossing: called “non-games” by detractors, have been both critical and commercial superstars. In an industry where the emphasis is put on bigger action and more epic presentation, it was milder titles that focused on a more personal and less aggressive aspect of recreation that brought the “non-gamers” in. Target audiences that gaming usually never hit, like females and adults, were able to get into gaming via the simpler diversions.

Now, that’s not to say the DS has ignored gamers. Franchises like Mario Kart, Castlevania, Advance Wars, and Metroid have been successes on the DS, giving those who want traditional gaming something to love. With the DS iterations of Mario Kart and Metroid, gamers are treated to fully 3D graphics running at a high framerate, gameplay design that meets or exceeds the original console games’ standards, and online play through the Nintendo WiFi Connection. Nintendo’s DS has done what many companies wish their platforms would allow: it has interested both people who play games frequently, and those who don’t normally play them at all.

Wii, as it is called, is the next step in that master plan. A very abstract name intrigues, Wii doesn’t really make sense at first. “Wii.” Official word from Nintendo cites Wii sounds like We, and is their singular statement of what the console is. Unlike traditional games, which are marred by the image of a fanboy hunched over and grabbing a controller that attaches him to the entertainment center like a technological umbilical cord, the Wii will have the Remote. It encourages movement, kinetic energy, action; attention is drawn towards it, making what is typically a solitary experience into something that is inviting to all. To quote Nintendo, “It’s not about you or me. It’s about we.”

More than that, Nintendo has stated the console will simply be known as Wii. It’s a risky move, removing the Nintendo branding from the name, but it also helps to ease the preconceptions. Nintendo, which has long been known as a family friendly company that caters to the younger set in tone. Hearing just “Wii” makes someone think, “hey, what is that.” Instead of having the preconceptions put around the established gaming company, it lightens the load a bit. Mainstream consumers don’t immediately associate Playstation with Sony or Xbox with Microsoft, so maybe it’s for the best to push the name a little to the background and let the console play on its own merits instead of resting on the laurels of the brand name.

Of course, Wii is still a dumb name.
 
C

citrus lump

Banned
Matlock said:
“I'm so p****d right now. Not only do I want to turn in my Nintendo coat, I want to turn in my gaming coat period.”
Click to expand...

*sigh*

Why did I ever type that? I wonder if I can go back and delete it.......
 
A

AndoCalrissian

Member
kaizoku said:
Heian-kyo you're not making 100% sense but I'll attempt to answer what I think you are trying to say.

First of all STOP trying to predict how this word will be accepted or otherwise, I mean holy shit how many times have you (and others) said it already? Funny thing is you can give every reasonable reason under the sun and it will still be meaningless to us because no one on this planet can know for sure what effect this brand and the marketing push alongside it plus the prospect of an exciting new console pushing it will have on human society. We just dont know a thing - which makes the extended commentary as valuable and interesting as me telling the world what I think its like to be the Pope.

You said brands only ever have negative impacts on a product or a very small positive impact. Thats incredibly ignorant. I dont care what you do, brands are worth billions and people dont do that just to avoid negative brands. I assumed you pulled this out of your personal experience of the world (which is fine) cos you sure as hell didnt do any research.

How you can come on a gaming forum and be a regular member and then suggest brands never have a positive impact is hilarious. Gaming world is full of brands and franchises and they are all staring you in the face.

Wii will not enter the lexicon? Wii will go as far as Nintendo can push it - that is the power of marketing. If they do it right Wii can be the hottest product on the market and there is then no choice but for it to enter the daily usage of people everywhere. Its not like humankind has a list of rules for what it will allow into its languages, its a very flexible system which evolves by itself.

Practically already happened on here hasnt it?

One more time, liking the name is irrelevant, what matters is its a brand which indicates the next gen and people will remember it - after that it depends how far Nintendo can push the brand and the consoles home. Wii has broken walls which would have been present with a generic console name - if they changed back I'd be worried about them.
Click to expand...
Excellent post.

so uh... what's it like to be the pope
 
D

DefectiveReject

Banned
the names been accepted, i trust Iwata 100% at the moment i think he hasn't made a bad decision yet (Including dropping GC support!!)
DS was his first system, and although it wasn't his idea, he has encouraged new games from his staff and challenged them.
I expect him to do the same (or already be doing the same) with Wii
 
M

Maximilian

DIYMF Alumni
I hated the name at first, but the more I said it to myself and associated the whole "we" thing with it, the more it sunk in. Still, it's hard to shake "wii wii" completely. Bring on the games! That's what matters.
 
SuperPac

SuperPac

Member
Viewtiful Darkness said:
The name is now officially on the US Trademark site:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/wii-trademark-surfaces-naysayers-wiip/

So it looks like the rumors of it just being a "teaser" to the final name were untrue
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And it was also referenced in the DS Lite press release from this morning, which it probably wouldn't have been were it a hoax. Funny that GameCube is at the back end of the list of Nintendo systems...

Nintendo Press Release said:
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems.
Click to expand...

Ha. Nintendo "manufactures and markets hardware and software" for its Wii. :p
 
C

Cindres

Vied for a tag related to cocks, so here it is.
You just bumped a FIVE YEAR OLD THREAD?

Oh my god wow, i thought we were gonna be carrying on the discussion to something about what ridiculous new name they'd be giving Cafe.

BUT WE HAVE THAT!

EDIT: Damn, stealth edit while i was typing this.
 
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