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So GAF what is it NGC or GCN?

Pretty sure even the UK magazine NGC called it the GCN. GCN was the official abbreviation after all.

A more important question is Shigsy or Shiggy?

Also the first Playstation is PSX.
 
I believe these colloquial shorthands are owned by the community, not the manufacturer. So I'm going with NGC because it makes much more sense. Also, the initial Playstation is retroactively called PSX.

Edit: hiveminded. (I had the reaction screen open since the first post but got distracted by a meeting)
 
spekkeh said:
I believe these colloquial shorthands are owned by the community, not the manufacturer. So I'm going with NGC because it makes much more sense. Also, the initial Playstation is retroactively called PSX.

Edit: hiveminded. (I had the reaction screen open since the first post but got distracted by a meeting)
Click to expand...

Haha!

I typed PSX so often into newgroups and chatrooms in the late 90's that I have to fight myself to this day. Since the accepted abbreviation around here is PS1.
 
Ironballs said:
Blowing on that endo
GameCube, Nintendo
5% Tint
so you can't see up in my window
Click to expand...

200663211948_gangsta_kids_2.jpg
 
Cheerilee said:
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2000/12/13/the-name-game





I heard it explained that NOA wanted to use NGC, and there were no rumored barriers to them doing that (like the Neo Geo Pocket Color, or the National Geographic Channel), but then NCL decided that Nintendo should get away from attaching their own name so closely to their products. Like, they can call something "Nintendo 64", but then when it bombs, it causes irreparable brand damage. They preferred something like "GameBoy", which worked as a sub-brand.

To that end, NCL told NOA to take the "N" off of NGC, and just make it "GC". NOA resisted, and argued that GameCube needed to leverage the "Nintendo" brand, because there was too much at stake. NCL settled on a de-emphasization of Nintendo in their branding. So GCN really does mean GameCube Nintendo, but according to NOA, the full and proper spelling of the name is "NINTENDO GAMECUBE", all caps, because fuck you NCL.
Click to expand...

And that's how you answer!
Thanks! Always been NGC for me, always will!
 
SMOK3Y said:
To me it's always been NGC why would you say Game Cube Nintendo?
Click to expand...

You wouldn't, but back in the day companies actually trademarked their acronyms. Sometimes they still do (PS4).

GCN as the official acronym as told by Nintendo. It was just "GC" in Japan, "GCN" everywhere else.
 
The bigger controversy is that it wasn't even a cube (without a GBP)

LonelyGreyWolf said:
Honestly it's just GC. You don't say NWii or WiiN, and you don't say SPS or PSS, MXbox or XboxM. But if you want to use either of the two, GCN would be the right one, but personally I'm fine either way, as long as it is clear from context what you're talking about.
Click to expand...
Gamecube was the first Nintendo console with an actual full brand name. Previously all consoles were named some variation of 'Nintendo' (In Japan they had the Famicom brand at least) So it made sense to mention Nintendo.

Sony and Microsoft's console divisions are spin-offs, they're both a tiny part of their businesses. They both used their existing leverage in other markets to buy their way into games. The Playstation 2 became an important profit centre for a few years for a struggling Sony (all those profits were erased by the PS3 of course), but it was still structurally a small part of Sony overall, which includes massive electronics, movie and music arms.

Side note: Playstation is the stupidest name ever. Sounds like a Fisher Price train set.
Actually Dreamcast is worse, sounds like a fishing rod.
Actually Wii and Xbox (and all Wii and Xbox variations) are pretty bad too.
Lots of stupid console names really.
 
NGC, because that's Japanese canon. GCN is some Nintendo of America concoction (perhaps trademark-related).

Speaking of console brand names, the majority of them are cheesy to down right terrible. PlayStation? Xbox? Wii U? Bitch, please.

Sega had it down: Genesis, Neptune, Saturn, Dreamcast.
 
I know this isn't true, but I had a friend in school at the time who was into Nintendo in a big way.

He told me that it wasn't the NGC because that could mean "not good console".

Utter bullshit, but I ate it up at the time.
 
protomouse said:
Speaking of console brand names, the majority of them are cheesy to down right terrible. PlayStation? Xbox? Wii U? Bitch, please.
Click to expand...
Agreed, but...
protomouse said:
Sega had it down: Genesis, Neptune, Saturn, Dreamcast.
Click to expand...
Master System - such a 'master' it was succeeded just two years later.
Genesis - wasn't the beginning.
Mega Drive - had no drive
Dreamcast - as mentioned above, fishing rod.
Neptune - not released

Saturn is cool. Nintendo's console names outside of the Wii ones are good.
 
Thanks to this unofficial magazine I always prefer NGC. Excellent UK based magazine.

eisoesM.jpg


This and ONM are what I'd always spend my lunch money on as a 13/14 year old.
 
D.Lo said:
Side note: Playstation is the stupidest name ever. Sounds like a Fisher Price train set.
Actually Dreamcast is worse, sounds like a fishing rod.
Actually Wii and Xbox (and all Wii and Xbox variations) are pretty bad too.
Lots of stupid console names really.
Click to expand...


And what could realistically be better? It's about brand association and colloquial appeal, not naming something accurately. "Video Games Player G279-X" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

I mean, I'm sure more apt choices exist, but this type of issue exists throughout our corporate world, and the naming problem only perpetuates if the product fails (usually); otherwise, it enters public consciousness. Things like Kleenex and Cheetos are dumb as hell, too, but they're immediately identifiable.
 
Living Proof said:
And what could realistically be better? It's about brand association and colloquial appeal, not naming something accurately. "Video Games Player G279-X" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

I mean, I'm sure more apt choices exist, but this type of issue exists throughout our corporate world, and the naming problem only perpetuates if the product fails (usually); otherwise, it enters public consciousness. Things like Kleenex and Cheetos are dumb as hell, too, but they're immediately identifiable.
Click to expand...
No consoles have reached naming hegemony in the same was Kleenex has. And the console that came closest was simply the original 'Nintendo'.

Playstation was Engrish that likely really should have stayed in Japan like Famicom did. The success of the console was unrelated to the name IMO.

Although I will say Xbox (the original) was a very successful branding exercise, in that it achieved a level of public consciousness far out of proportion to its success. People assumed the Xbox had sold as much as the PS2, which is sold less than 1/5.

Wii was also successful at creating an impression of something 'new' and fresh.
 
D.Lo said:
Side note: Playstation is the stupidest name ever. Sounds like a Fisher Price train set.
Click to expand...

Playstation was a play on Workstation, which (at the time) had a reputation as an impressive piece of technology. Even after Playstation launched, the Silicon Graphics Workstation was known as a supercomputer.
 
It was always NGC, GC or simply 'Cube in the Netherlands, pretty much any website and magazine used those. Don't think anyone around here has ever known why 'Muricans called it GCN on their websites.
 
I don't know why they went with GCN, but at this point I'm so used to it that it sounds much, much better. It will always be GCN to me.

Though if the out of order acronym bothered me enough, I'd just go with GC or Cube. NGC reminds me too much of NGPC, the Neo Geo Pocket Color.
 
Cheerilee said:
Playstation was a play on Workstation, which (at the time) had a reputation as an impressive piece of technology. Even after Playstation launched, the Silicon Graphics Workstation was known as a supercomputer.
Click to expand...
I've never heard that before, source? Though even if true, it's basically the same thing as 'Family Computer'.

I'd always read the console was called that because it was the Sony version of the Super Fami CD that would literally be a 'platform' which could play SNES carts and SNES CDs, while the Super Fami would require the attachment to do so. So therefore it was using the train/bus station + children's games metaphor as a console name.

Muchi Muchi Pink said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSX_(video_game_console)
Click to expand...
The original Playstation was widely referred to by its codename PSX for almost a decade before Sony stupidly decided to release a piece of PS2 hardware called that.
 
D.Lo said:
I've never heard that before, source? Though even if true, it's basically the same thing as 'Family Computer'.

I'd always read the console was called that because it was the Sony version of the Super Fami CD that would literally be a 'platform' which could play SNES carts and SNES CDs, while the Super Fami would require the attachment to do so. So therefore it was using the train/bus station + children's games metaphor as a console name.

The original Playstation was widely referred to by its codename PSX for almost a decade before Sony stupidly decided to release a piece of PS2 hardware called that.
Click to expand...
In the EB Games data base from the store I used to manage the prefix for Playstation was indeed PSX

If I remember correctly all of them were just 3 characters

N64, GCN, XBX, PS2, GBC, etc
 
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