The Official Nintendo Wii Thread.

[GarrettCRW]

The only thing this six page thread "prooves" is that it's absolutely a discussion that took place on the internet. It's ripe with overexaggerations, absurd conclusions from almost no context and overflowing with pee jokes. Really, this doesn't represent humanity in any reasonable way.

It's overflowing with pee jokes because that's how the majority of people thought when they first heard the name, in additon to Weeeee and penis.

That's because most people on the Internet (myself included) are fucking idiots who find dick and fart jokes to be extremely funny. (This, naturally, explains why Kevin Smith is extremely popular on the Internat, and I suspect he'd say the same thing himself if given the chance.)

[pacmanhat]

I just want to say that I couldn't agree more with what hezeuschrist. He's hitting every nail on the proverbial head here.

And to all of you who are bitching about the name, I want to thank you for giving me such a good laugh. Keep it up, please.

[hezeuschrist]

Again, neither you nor I are marketing executives or persons with access to market research that would lend to naming this system Wii.

No, we're not. We're consumers. We're looking at this from the position of the people who will buy this, not a PR or advertising firm. All the market research in the world doesn't mean a damn thing when you choose a name with so many meanings.

Yes, we are consumers. No, we are not the persons whom Nintendo aimed at capturing with this naming plot. We're going to buy the system regardless of what it's called. They could call it the Fagatron 4000 and I'd buy it. We aren't in their picture because they don't have to worry about us not purchasing. They aimed this specifically at people who would never visit a board like this, thus, our views are unreasonably bias towards the situation. We know too much about the industry to be able to see through the blinders of the "average consumer."




I don't know why people are so upset over the name for any reason, and I especially don't get why they're upset because they think the name of the system is going to sink Nintendo. They've been around for quite some time and they aren't going anywhere. They've always been profitable and as long as they continue to remain profitable, you and I will continue to play the games they make... so who gives a shit?

I don't think it's going to killl the company. They'll turn a profit because of a dedicated fanbase. I'm saying that they had a huge chance to take gaming and broaden into somethnig so excepted, that like movies, every body watches/plays them, from senior citizens to four year olds. You can't capture a market with a name like Wii

I simply can't agree with you there, not to mention you're making an absolute statement about the future of a volatile market. There are a billion examples of completely absurd names for incredibly popular products, and there are also plenty of examples of an idea that no one in the core audience finds appealing reaching a far greater mass.

Nintendogs for one. There are plenty of people on this board and other likeminded individuals that do enjoy Nintendogs, but when I heard the numbers and saw the people that were playing it, they were largely non-gamers. People I would never expect to shell out a good amount of bank for a system made the Nintendogs DS Bundle one of the fastest selling systems ever.

But still, it's just a name. The name isn't going to sell the system, the games are. If the software support is there, no ones going to give a shit about the name. If Joe Non-Gamer walks into GameStop with his buddy and picks up the remote for the Wii and finds it entertaining, the name means nothing.

Will they lose sales to a very small group of completely insecure douchebags who fear being judged for owning something based on a title? Possibly, but who cares. Those people are douchebags.

But ultimately, it's all speculation. It's possible that the name could be so appauling that nobody buys it. It's possible that it could outsell the PS3 and X360 combined, tenfold. Time will tell.

[playgeneration]

people can justify and defend the name as much as they like, but when it comes down to it there are a million better names they could have choosen. Wii doesnt really explain what the product is, and just creates confusion, how am i supposed to pronounce it we? why? w2?
Now if they get everything else right, like actually bothering to make sure 3rd party games are released for it, then i wont care about the name. But at the moment the poor name just reminds me of the other silly decision - its only a slightly more powerful gamecube with a different controller, is that enough to warrant spending £200 on?

[NoahsMyBro]

Just to jump in, I've seen a few posts discussing previous bad names, and the non-impact those names had. I have to disagree with a couple of the examples:

1) Gamecube - until this week, I don't think I'd ever read or heard anybody complain about the Gamecube's name, and I see nothing wrong with it. I didn't think it was a bad name the first time I heard it, though I did think it seemed 'different', in a sort of rebellious/subversive way, than other console names.

2) Dreamcast - I thought this was actually an excellent name for a system, and again, I don't recall any criticism of the name when it came out.

[FantasiaWHT]

At least me and hezeuschrist aren't the only two who know what's up. Chris Kohler just kicked all your internet asses.

http://blog.wired.com/games/index.blog?entry_id=1467976

That is completely all that needs to be said about it.

He has it completely and totally backwards. It's the gamers that will overlook the name's stupidity and (possibly) enjoy the esoteric appeal of it. It's the rest of the world (who Nintendo is supposed to be drawing in) that will blanch at it's utter banality.

For those of you saying "it's just a name, and a name doesn't sell a system, games do" are you freaking nuts? A name is the centerpiece of marketing. I think what you've got is some esoteric literati nut jobs that thought this up and pushed on their higher-ups with some impressive techno-babble jargon. Their "explanation" just reeks of it.

A bad name CAN ruin or at least hurt a product. The first connotations one gets with "Wii" are definitely negative. Sure, if you think about it and sit down and read Nintendo's explanations, some justification for the DEnotation arrises, but you are going to lose all the customers unwilling to look past the first connotations.

Did you people not pass middle school English? The denotations for "Wii" are acceptable but the connotations are not. Utterly moronic.

[Jasoco]

Maybe they revealed the name before E3 so they could get enough feedback on the name. Maybe they'll change it by May 9th.

Frankly, I still think Revolution. But I go where the games are no matter what the console's named.

[crazyjackcsa]

I don't know, is it really any worse than i-pod?

[cyberfluxor]

crazyjackcsa has the point they were making. If you read the article on the main Digital Press page they wanted some wierd name like Amazon, Google, or i-pod to stick in our minds. I don't mind it and I'm sure over time we'll remember this debate but not care at all.

btw: VAGiNA
;)

[kentuckyfried]

At least me and hezeuschrist aren't the only two who know what's up. Chris Kohler just kicked all your internet asses.

http://blog.wired.com/games/index.blog?entry_id=1467976

That is completely all that needs to be said about it.

He has it completely and totally backwards. It's the gamers that will overlook the name's stupidity and (possibly) enjoy the esoteric appeal of it. It's the rest of the world (who Nintendo is supposed to be drawing in) that will blanch at it's utter banality.

For those of you saying "it's just a name, and a name doesn't sell a system, games do" are you freaking nuts? A name is the centerpiece of marketing. I think what you've got is some esoteric literati nut jobs that thought this up and pushed on their higher-ups with some impressive techno-babble jargon. Their "explanation" just reeks of it.

A bad name CAN ruin or at least hurt a product. The first connotations one gets with "Wii" are definitely negative. Sure, if you think about it and sit down and read Nintendo's explanations, some justification for the DEnotation arrises, but you are going to lose all the customers unwilling to look past the first connotations.

Did you people not pass middle school English? The denotations for "Wii" are acceptable but the connotations are not. Utterly moronic.

Well said.

Right now, and this is right at the beginning, we have not been endlessly bombarded with the Nintendo marketing for this product. We haven't heard it repeatedly on the Radio. Seen it in a magazine, a catalogue, or a flyer. The point being that it probably won't be too hard over a small length of time to convince us that the name "Wii" is actually a name for a videogame system, and that it's quite a normal name.

Having it said, hearing, and seeing it written over and over and over and over and over (etc), will eventually convince us it's ok for the new Nintendo to be Wii ;)

Sad thing is, that I think that as of this moment, before the advertising, I think that we have real and unfettered opinion of the naming.

We think it's fucking stupid, for the most part.

And these arguments and jokes regarding the name could very well be generating the hype that Nintendo has been planning all along, for all we know.

[OdSquad64]

Personally I think Wii is a silly name for pretty much anything. However, I will be purchasing one on launch day and I know that when I ask for it I'll undoubtedly have a smirk on my face from saying something so silly. But who's to say Nintendo won't change the name for other countries (not saying they will), it's seems reasonable enough and in fact they've done it before, so it's not completely out of the question. Sure, it seems shallow to judge the console on its name alone, but guess what, there are a helluvalot of shallow people. Will there be people who won't buy the console based soley on the fact that its name is "Wii"? Yes. I will honestly say that I believe a majority of those people are the uninformed consumer and the non gaming types Nintendo is aiming this console towards. In a best case scenario people will ignore the name and the Wii will be a success, but only time will tell.

I will however be refering to the Wii as the Nintendo World War II amongst freinds from this point on as I think it is a nifty nick name.

Also please note, if I ever saw a product named the "Fagatron 4000" I would buy it immediately regardless of cost, what it was, or what purpose it served.

[portnoyd]

Ugh, Y would have been terrible, even worse that Wii from a marketing standpoint.

The Nintendo Why. It would instantly cause the consumer to question the product itself and wonder why Nintendo made it. It would be an instant negative disposition towards the product.

And Wii isn't?

I'd like to take this opportunity to get Zach Meston's opinion on this subject. Zach, take it away!





Thanks for your opinion Zach, it truly mattered.

[studvicious]

At least IPod makes sense. Think about peas in a pod, that's exactly what it means: the pod holds the peas. SO you have a pod from Apple that holds tunes, files, videos whatever and it's YOURS - it's personal. It's MY pod. It's ME MINE I, it's an IPod.

That was clear as day to me the first time that I heard about an Ipod and what it did - great name. WII?? I just don't understand why they would choose it. It's *stupid*. And yes I've read their reasonings for choosing that name and it's still stupid.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm preordering one the first second that I can, I just think that it's a dumb name.

I've also never thought that the Gamecube was dumb - obviously straight to the point and not very original sure, but it wasn't bad. The name Dreamcast never struck me as odd either. It gave a sense of a limitless future. But that's just my $0.02

[hezeuschrist]

Seriously, Nintendo doomsday theories are so last week. This name isn't going to sink the console. This name is not going to sink the company. This name WILL help bring the system to the mainstream, and it WILL help it gain mass acceptance.

Weather or not you can see that is completely irrelevant. You can swear up and down that the first thing a rational adult sees when they hear the word "we" is a dick or a puddle of urine. And I'll swear up and down that you're wrong. No one here has any reasonable way to claim that they've actually managed to take an unbiased view of it, and if you try to say that then you're REALLY full of shit.

Nintendo hasn't always been a genius factory in their major decisions, but they know whats at stake now. The cockiness of the post-SNES era is gone, Yamamuchi is gone. If the amalgamation of internet toughguys had their way with Nintendo they'd have been in the shitter three years ago.

I don't know how you can so quickly discredit a marketing decision made by the company who took the DS from being a wholesale ridicule machine to the most popular handheld in the world. Do the games do it? Yeah. Does their marketing do it? Absolutely. It's both, and given that the Wii can have the same quality of titles that the DS has, the combination of the two is going to push the Wii past the gamecube (in popularity) in no time.

And thats it. I'll be sure to link back to this thread in two years and we'll see what "Wii" brings to your mind then.

[Bronty-2]

One thing I love about the name is that when spoken it has the effect of turning game titles into verbs.. you write "wii madden" but hear "we (play) madden."

"What do you want to play today?"
"Wii madden" (sounds like "we (are going to) play madden")

etc.

Quirky as all hell but growing on me rapidly.

[Buyatari]

"wii madden" but hear "we (play) madden."


Ehh I hear it as. Wee little Madden. As in a fraction of the whole.

wee - to pee
wee - teeny tiny
wee - giddy toddler exclamation

I'm sure this name is great for a Japanese launch but not for a US launch but it depends on your market. Its an ok name for a 4yr olds toy but if you want to earn back some of rep you lost on the last 2 systems with the 20some year old gamer this is not the way to do it.

Lets not beat around the bush if you are going to do it then just do it. Just merge with Disney make only E rated games for kids and be done with it. You will mantain a profit system after system but will never have the market share you once had as the NES or even the SNES.

[Schenley]

OK, I just spent wayyyy too much time reading through 7 pages on this.

I gotta admit, when I first heard about this on Thursday, I HATED it. Looking at the word made me think it was Japanese. Hearing it, of course, made me think of piss.

But, after letting it sink in a while, it is growing on me.

Without adding "me too" stuff that's already been said...

-Wii, if I'm not mistaken, is recognizable in any language.
-This has certainly gotten people talking. I cannot remember ever hearing so much talk based solely on a name...
-Although many people have connected it to piss, how about wheeeee - another term from childhood that was yelled when having extreme enjoyment - like on a rollercoaster, water slide, or sleigh riding.

I think this will work, and in two years, this will be as common sounding a term as iPod.

Oh, and I don't get the people that don't know how to pronounce it. How on earth would get "Why" out of the spelling of Wii?

[studvicious]

Just imagine the two-headed monster on Sesame Street putting this together... "W" ... "I"

"wha...."

"eye...."

Something like that 8-)

[Slipdeath]

The reason for the name is to rhyme with the Xbox three sixtii and the ps thrii

[InsaneDavid]

hey must have been smoking Wiid

Oh man.. ROFL

If "I want the CubeStationBox2.. uh.. you know, the one that's purple and looks like a purse" in the retail chain wasn't bad enough last time around I can just imagine what this is going to do. Then the un-tech types are going to see "Nintendo wifi connection" somewhere and think it's pronounced "weefee." LOL


RULE number one opf marketing: NEver, ever confuse the consumer.

And there you have it.


ASSEMblerEX: (I didn't want to quote that long post) Nice! That girl's fine. But what's with the drawn on scars all over her chest? Is she supposed to be done up like some game/anime character I'm just unfamiliar with? Or is that perhaps bleed-through from some other picture?


It's cosplay. Some game character.


Isnt she supposed to be THE BOSS? u know guys Metal Gear Solid 3 ;)

Really... was saying that myself. That's supposed to be The Boss, have you not played Metal Gear Solid 3? O_O It's a long snake shaped scar along her upper body.

[smork]

People are bored; there's already a Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii) for it!

And it sure looks like the Government of India (http://www.wii.gov.in/) will be getting alot more hits soon.

[YoshiM]

Well, I kinda did a "test" to see what reactions a person who isn't really a gamer would have.

First subject: my wife. She's a casual gamer, loves her DS and Animal Crossing. I told her the new name. She gave me a funny look and said "that's gay." I then explained to her the meaning of "Wii" and her mind didn't change.

Next subject: my sister-in-law. Hasn't really been "into" games since the N64 and The New Tetris. She's practically "non gamer" who rarely picks up the 360 controller to play PGR3. Her response, and I quote (as in I'm not just making this up), "that is so gay."

Even though I get the concept, I still don't like it. Alone without explaination it says *nothing* about the system. Not even the video really says anything because the concept of multiplayer...is a *given*. Nintendo has been strongly promoting multiplayer since putting four controller ports on the N64. Xbox Live has pretty much made the online concept of console multiplayer gaming mainstream. Even non-gamers who sit at their computer playing Bejeweled or something probably have a good idea that their scores are compared with other people online. So the emphasis on "we" is practically a backtrack, as if Nintendo thinks they are revolutionizing multiplayer. They're not.

They could have just called the system the REV. It could be an acronym (how Sony would "Revolutionary Entertainment Vehicle" sound?). It could represent a strong ad campaign ("REV...olutionary....REV...it up......REV...olt against the ordinary.....REV...ise everything you know about video games.....The Nintendo REV). Easy to say, even in Japanese. And it's doesn't require a paragraph to explain what the hell it means.

If I had the balls, I'd LOVE to go to a store and do a "man on the street" type interview with people. I'd love to see their reactions to the name-people that Nintendo is targeting with the Wii.

[boatofcar]

Don't worry, the name might be a joke anyway (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/punkd/did-nintendo-punk-us-with-wii-170381.php).

[kentuckyfried]

I wanted to make a pic of Calvin pissing on a Wii logo, but the gimp doesn't want to work on my old ibook.

I'll leave it to some other savvy DP'er ;)

[pacmanhat]

Don't worry, the name might be a joke anyway (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/punkd/did-nintendo-punk-us-with-wii-170381.php).

Anyone who's actually worried about this title should do the gaming populous a favor and not be a part of it anymore.

And the day Kotaku becomes a completely reputable source is the day I quit gaming. LOL

[JPeeples]

I love that people have made a far bigger deal of the name than even Nintendo has. I wouldn't mind if the system got another name, but "Wii" is just fine.

[Rev. Link]

Really... was saying that myself. That's supposed to be The Boss, have you not played Metal Gear Solid 3? O_O It's a long snake shaped scar along her upper body.

Haven't gotten around to Snake Eater yet. Sue me. :)

Anyway, as for Wii... Now that time has passed and I've gotten to talk to some of my friends about it (some big gamers, some not) my stance on the issue remains pretty much the same. This might just be the stupidest name in the history of the industry. Now, of course I'm going to buy it, that was never in question. I look forward to it very much. But I still think that the non-gaming crowd Nintendo's trying to appeal to is going to think this is stupid and not give it a second thought.

I really see this as a missed opportunity for Nintendo. They had the chance to really catch people's attention with a cool name, even if it meant they had to call it something different here in the US than in the rest of the world. Instead, they'll still catch people's attentions, though in a potentially negative way. One, I might add, that does nothing to help the "kiddy" image they've been working to overcome.

<shrugs> What can you do, though. In the end, we just have to trust to them to know what they're doing. I hope they prove that they do. Sink or swim, though, I'll definitely be along for the ride, same as I have for the majority of my life.

[hezeuschrist]

without explaination it says *nothing* about the system.

Ugh, thats a horrid point. Xbox? What the hell does that say? It's a box, in the shape of an X. Congratulations, thats what it looked like, what does it do?

Playstation? I get it. It's simple but childish, but Sonys marketing has turned into THE brand to own. Why you think Nintendo can't do the same with Wii is beyond me.

I still can't believe I'm the only one playing devils advocate here. People are bringing up all kinds of points against the system that can be made against any other name in the tech industry, but are only bringing them up now because they personally think the name likes penis in its bum. Thats absurd.

When it comes down to it, you can take any name and brand the shit out of it. It doesn't matter what it's called, if the marketing does what it can and should do, it'll be popular. They can make "Wii" the coolest thing on the block. The only explanation you need is, "It's a video game system." there you go, I just solved the riddle. When you start looking into WHY name something as it is, you're going to deep. Why name newegg.com New Egg? Zip Zoom Fly, Amazon? Why name Google Google? Why name Xbox Xbox? None of those names say ANYTHING about the product or service they represent even in the most convoluted of explanations. It's taking shit simply because the internet goons deem it needs to take shit for having a terribly remote affiliation with urine.

Fucking absurd.

[studvicious]

Sink or swim, though, I'll definitely be along for the ride, same as I have for the majority of my life.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[studvicious]

I still can't believe I'm the only one playing devils advocate here.

I don't understand why you think you're right and everyone else is wrong. Can't people just have different OPINIONS and leave it at that?

When you talk about names that have nothing to do with the product, names like Google, Yahoo, newegg, whatever.. and then Wii it's really Apples and Oranges (IMO). They could've named it "scrumtrulecent" and that (in a way) would've been better and more comparable to the names mentioned above, why?? It's technically pronouncable. Remember when Prince changed his name to a symbol? People didn't buy it.. it was dumb. The biggest beef I have with the Wii name is just that - at least give us a name that has an unquestionable pronunciation.

But when all is said and done I really don't care what they call the thing as long as I GET ONE.

[FantasiaWHT]

It's taking shit simply because the internet goons deem it needs to take shit for having a terribly remote affiliation with urine.

Fucking absurd.

The obvious inaccuracy in your statement is that it's NOT just internet goons who make the association with bathroom humor. Every single person I've talked to, gamer and non-gamer alike, has had a nearly identical reaction to the name.

The other problem you have is you are assigning peurile reactions to US. You and the handful of other defenders of Wii are trying to make us seem like we have the intellectual capacity of Beavis and Butthead because we NOTICE the potty joke possibilities.

The "best" argument out there is that "a bad name won't hurt the sales of the system", which goes against all the established knowledge of marketing. If you think a bad name can't hurt the sales of a system, you must also think a good name can't help the sales of a system (or your logic is just messed up), which, if trues, makes me wonder why you're arguing so hard?

[Rev. Link]

hezeuschrist: Most of what you're saying I agree with. If marketed correctly a goofy name for a product/service can work. In some cases it can work really well. And if anyone can make the name "Wii" work it's probably Nintendo.

I think what most of us have a problem with, though, no matter how well Nintendo markets it and even if it is well recieved by the general public, is that the name "Wii" is just plain stupid sounding! I mean, Google, Yahoo, etc., those are weird names, but Wii? C'mon, you have to admit it's on the extreme end of the spectrum.

[hezeuschrist]

The "best" argument out there is that "a bad name won't hurt the sales of the system", which goes against all the established knowledge of marketing. If you think a bad name can't hurt the sales of a system, you must also think a good name can't help the sales of a system (or your logic is just messed up), which, if trues, makes me wonder why you're arguing so hard?

I'm not arguing that a bad name for a product won't hurt the sales of said product. If you named a blender "The Toastmaster" you'd have confused the consumer and lead them elsewhere.

My point is that, regardless of personal opinion, Wii is not a bad name. Do I like it? Completely irrelevant, but if you find my first post in the thread you'll probably have your answer. It's totally different and it is WAY out there. The only reason we don't see other major brands like Amazon, Google, and Xbox as way out there is because they're established and they have been for the better part of a decade. And much like these odd brands it has incredible potential.

But still, the majority of people refuse to believe that there is a counter point, that it does have massive potential. In the forefront of most internet junkies minds is a load of piss jokes. I've been around the most disgusting corners of the internet and I'm far more confused by this than I am by tubgirl or goatse. Seriously, tubgirl managed to shit on her own face and I'm far more confused by the fact that the Nintendo faithful have absolutely no faith that Nintendo knows what they're doing.

I guess that's what's really got me riled up. For as long as I can remember, and I was a part of this for a long time, most people think they know the answers to put Nintendo back on top. Drop the kiddy image, do this, do that, put GTA on your console, make it play DVD's, follow the leader. But through all the unpopular decisions the company still turns GREAT profits, and we all get to continue to enjoy their great games, and it doesn't seem that in the midst of any of this greatness that anyone is very grateful. There are so many aboslute statements all over the net claiming that the title of this system is a death sentance for the consoles popularity, that no one will ever be able to see past it's initial absurdness. Even when presented with a load of ultra popular brands that make no sense, this thought still prevails. No faith, just pee jokes. I just find it baffling that so many fans think the company that gave rebirth to the industry they love has absolutely no idea what it's doing. Mind blowing really.

There's pretty much nothing more I can say, and I'm not trying to change minds as much as I'd like to simply open them. We'll see how the situation pans out past E3, through launch and into the systems life.

[YoshiM]

without explaination it says *nothing* about the system.

Ugh, thats a horrid point. Xbox? What the hell does that say? It's a box, in the shape of an X. Congratulations, thats what it looked like, what does it do?

Ahhh, but you seem to be missing a point: the target audience! Xbox was specifically (at least the way I saw things back at the system's launch) marketed to gamers. Gamers knew about Xbox thanks to the power of the web and news spots. However, if you weren't a gamer, you didn't really know. But that was okay, with games like Halo or DOA 3, they didn't want Johnny Game Latelys...they wanted the gamers. It worked.

Nintendo, on the other hand, wants to attract the *non* gamer. The non-gamer doesn't go online to find out about gaming, doesn't read Nintendo Power or G.I. and probably doesn't go on message boards to discuss gaming. They probably couldn't tell an Xbox from a Playstation and probably wouldn't care anyway. Essentially, a clean slate.

Now, tell them they want a Wii.

With iPod the name was attached to "something". A pod is tangible and typically small (pea pod, for example). For those who didn't know what Apple was up to or knew anything about MP3 players (as they were out before iPod), a 30 second commercial of a silouette of a dude dancing with an iPod, with music in the background and a close up of the device itself made the concept very clear.

Nintendo releases a "webmercial" that, to the non-gamer, may raise more questions than give answers. By seeing the Nintendo name they may figure out that Wii has something to do with gaming but what really they wouldn't know.

By sticking with "Revolution" the non gamer could come away with "Wow, it must be really something if they call it a Revolution".


Playstation? I get it. It's simple but childish, but Sonys marketing has turned into THE brand to own. Why you think Nintendo can't do the same with Wii is beyond me.

Again, different audiences. Playstation was advertised to gamers, with marketing that compared them to Sega and Nintendo. If you were a gamer, you'd know what a Playstation was. If you weren't, it didn't matter to Sony because they were competing by advertising the most advanced system on the market. And the non gamer probably wouldn't care about being able to play with polygonal characters as opposed to flat sprites.


When it comes down to it, you can take any name and brand the shit out of it. It doesn't matter what it's called, if the marketing does what it can and should do, it'll be popular. They can make "Wii" the coolest thing on the block. The only explanation you need is, "It's a video game system." there you go, I just solved the riddle.

Thing is, people will want to know WHY it's called "Wii". It's just too damn obscure to not require some sort of explation as to why it's called that.

"Is it really small?"

"No: With this system they say It's not about you and me, it's about Wii"

"What?"

It's a limp (no pun intended) word and in marketing, that sucks.


When you start looking into WHY name something as it is, you're going to deep.

Which is why good marketing doesn't make people wonder why things are named the way they are. It also helps when you target to the proper demographic. For common household things, you want something that can be quickly identified like Windex (cleans windows as that's how its advertised) or Oxyclean (cleans stuff with oxygen). As for your queries:


Why name newegg.com New Egg?
"Egg" sounds close to the term "Egg head", meaning intelligent. Can't quite figure out where "new" fits in, but the website was obviously targeted to computer people. It's catchy and techy people "get it". If you don't get it, you probably aren't the target demographic.


Zip Zoom Fly

Read the site's About Us page. Again, targeted to a computer audience.

Of course, you're using Internet sites for examples. Even in this day and age of the Web, comparing a virtual store with a bonefide physical product are almost apples and oranges.

[rcgamer]

if i buy a next gen system it will be the revo--uh, wii. i was sold when they stated that you would be able to download and play most any game from nintendos past on it. then when sega came onboard with the genesis titles i really was blown away. i think nintendo may have a big hit on their hands with this one. as far as the name , i dont care for it, but i still expect nintendo to throw another curveball before it comes out.

[killersquirel]

I don't think the name "Wii" is a bad name in the slightest. When I first heard it, I was put off a little for a total of one minute and then I started to think of the simplicity of the name and also thought about it in terms of graphic design and branding.

I think that it has a lot of potantial and I feel that Nintendo could definetly have a winner on their hands with this. "Wii" want a revolution, "Wii" want interesting new ideas, "Wii" want to experience nirvana. "Wii" are waiting.

-mike

[hezeuschrist]

I'd accept your points if the product were on the shelf for the past three years, but the NAME has only been announced for THREE DAYS. You want me to go tell someone they want a product that doesn't even exist yet?

Nintendo is going to have aboslutley MAJOR advertising campaigns surround this machine, before, during, and after launch. They're going to push this name into our brains that the Wii is a gaming machine. It's had absolutely no time to brand itself. I don't know how this point is escaping anyone. THREE DAYS. It's not going for mass market appeal until it's available. The hardcore will snatch the thing up at launch and when they replenish stock they'll come back and do their best to make everyone who doesn't play games want one.

Nintendo doesn't need to market to gamers, the news sites do it all for them. It's rampantly obvious that Nintendo is following the Apple model of product design and to think that they'd do anything other than copy their marketing design is pretty silly, even their tone in the announcement reeks of Apple. Nintendo will absolutely push this to the point where the consumer is going to want one just because they see it on TV every four minutes.

I'm still just blown away that after the name of a product has been announced for three days so many are just declaring it dead in the water. And what's even more baffling is the only "reason" this is even being declared is because "the name is dumb."

[2Dskillz]

What is an iPOD?

[studvicious]

Who said this thing is dead in the water? I think that it will sell VERY well. Way better than the Gamecube in fact. I think they are doing a lot of things right especially when it comes to 3rd party games this time around, I just think it's a dumb name. And whether you want to belive it or not so do most other people.

[YoshiM]

I'd accept your points if the product were on the shelf for the past three years, but the NAME has only been announced for THREE DAYS. You want me to go tell someone they want a product that doesn't even exist yet?

I was gearing my thoughts toward the near future rather than right now. Hard to sell the concept of nothing. Unless you're Sony :D


Nintendo is going to have aboslutley MAJOR advertising campaigns surround this machine, before, during, and after launch. They're going to push this name into our brains that the Wii is a gaming machine. It's had absolutely no time to brand itself. I don't know how this point is escaping anyone. THREE DAYS. It's not going for mass market appeal until it's available. The hardcore will snatch the thing up at launch and when they replenish stock they'll come back and do their best to make everyone who doesn't play games want one.

I hope they do. I really do. I'd like Nintendo to do well because they do bring some great games and concepts. I bad mouthed the DS because the concept of the touch screen seemed sooooo hokey. Now it's one of my favorite game systems.

With "Revolution", the code name meant something. Something new, something bold. "Wii" just sounds neutered and I'm having a hard time wondering how the targeted audience is going to wrap their brains around that word unless Nintendo really *is* going to flood the airwaves with strong advertising. However advertising hasn't really been Nintendo's strong point over the recent years. Either that or I've been reading the wrong magazines or watching the wrong channels at the wrong times on TV and missed Nintendo's support of the Gamecube, GBA or DS.


I'm still just blown away that after the name of a product has been announced for three days so many are just declaring it dead in the water. And what's even more baffling is the only "reason" this is even being declared is because "the name is dumb."

I totally agree with you on this. Just mind boggling. I know I'm griping about how non gamer folk are going to grasp the concept of what a "Wii" is but I don't think the system's going to sink. Unless the control scheme is so out there that no one but developers can figure it out it should at least do as well as the Gamecube just because it's Nintendo.

[hezeuschrist]

I think that more than the convoluted explanation Nintendo has given for the the name, that the name itself personifies what the system is trying to do.

Nintendo is trying to break the mold of the current industry with bold simplicity in both control scheme and name. If they're going to try and reinvent the wheel they may as well take the leap and abandon the trite naming conventions of the industry as well.

[portnoyd]

Hezeus seems to be like a bizarro world Zach Meston. It's amazing to watch.

Still think the name could be better though.

[RegSNES]

WTF????? :?

My thought's exactly. My reaction to this was almost on par to my reaction to seeing the PS3 controller.

I spare the bad puns since a billion of them have already been plastered all over the net. "Revolution" was a fine name. A name Nintendo should have went with. Sounded better than PS3, that's for sure. Yes, like many, I think the name sucks. But hey, I'll still be buying one.

[Iron Draggon]

You know, I wonder what the lame explanation for the super-retarded name of this system is in other languages. OK, "we" get the point of why it's called "wii" here in the US and in other English speaking countries, but what the hell is their explanation for the world's lamest name in other countries where they don't speak English? I'd like to know.

[hezeuschrist]

Hezeus seems to be like a bizarro world Zach Meston. It's amazing to watch.

Still think the name could be better though.

Ouch, that hurts. Is that really how I come off? I'm certainly not meaning to stand on any kind of soap box, but when you're arguing against "wee" jokes it's kinda hard :/

[Rev. Link]

Hezeus seems to be like a bizarro world Zach Meston. It's amazing to watch.

Still think the name could be better though.

Ouch, that hurts. Is that really how I come off? I'm certainly not meaning to stand on any kind of soap box, but when you're arguing against "wee" jokes it's kinda hard :/

Hey, I get where you're coming from. I just think that, no matter how well Nintendo markets it and even if it does wind up catching on like wildfire and becoming an iPod-like phenomenon, it'll still be a stupid sounding name.

[SirDrexl]

I think one reason why people don't like the name is just that it isn't Revolution. It may not have mattered what they changed it to, just that they changed it at all. If they hadn't spent a year or two referring to it as the Revolution, and just called it Wii to begin with, people wouldn't be nearly as upset. People accepted Yahoo, Google, and iPod, because they didn't have previous superior names to compare them to.

[lendelin]

The name sounds good to me. It is unique, memorable, a bit 'off' (which is also very fashionable), and can be filled with quality (which matters in the end) ...I don't understand the excitement about it. It certainly won't hurt any sales figures.

[lendelin]

You know, I wonder what the lame explanation for the super-retarded name of this system is in other languages. OK, "we" get the point of why it's called "wii" here in the US and in other English speaking countries, but what the hell is their explanation for the world's lamest name in other countries where they don't speak English? I'd like to know.

Not a prob at all because non-English speaking countries use 'inventive' English all the time which sounds very strange but not for them...like "handy" (for cell-phone) in Germany. The big word in Germany is now "wellness." There are wellness hotels, wellness weekends, even wellness socks and wellness weight. Dumb, stupid...but it works because a lot of terms can develop positive connotations...so can Wii. (besides, even in the Brazilian jungle the meaning of the English "we" is easily understood)

[YoshiM]

The name sounds good to me. It is unique, memorable, a bit 'off' (which is also very fashionable), and can be filled with quality (which matters in the end) ...I don't understand the excitement about it. It certainly won't hurt any sales figures.

Wow. "Wii" brings lendelin back. Nintendo's right, it not about you or me, it really IS about Wii....

:D

[Teknik_SE-R]

the play on words they use on the Wii website are so incredibly cheesy. It seems like they had the marketing ass-hats make up some retarded ass name, and then had some stereotypical, socially diconnected geeks come up with the whole spiel.

it's not aobut you, its not about us, its about wii... damn communists

I am just in shock. I still don't know what to think

[hezeuschrist]

I don't really want to tell anyone what to think, but if you're thinking "communists" you might want to re-evaluate the situation...

[hydr0x]

The name sounds good to me. It is unique, memorable, a bit 'off' (which is also very fashionable), and can be filled with quality (which matters in the end) ...I don't understand the excitement about it. It certainly won't hurt any sales figures.

Wow. "Wii" brings lendelin back. Nintendo's right, it not about you or me, it really IS about Wii....

:D

well, if it's good enough to bring HIM back, why don't i join in too LOL

i think the name is a little bit weird, but we'll get used to it, i see no problem at all with it (ESPECIALLY not in the non-english countries, everyone knows "we", noone knows the other meanings of it :p)

[lendelin]

The name sounds good to me. It is unique, memorable, a bit 'off' (which is also very fashionable), and can be filled with quality (which matters in the end) ...I don't understand the excitement about it. It certainly won't hurt any sales figures.

Wow. "Wii" brings lendelin back. Nintendo's right, it not about you or me, it really IS about Wii....

:D

Hi Dan :) ...actually, Wii didn't bring me back, but an airplane did. :) I was in Germany for almost two months and had very little time and restricted Internet access. I looked up DP only once all this time. Nice to be back, to read great posts again, delve into gaming news, and actually play some games again...yeah. :)

[lendelin]

well, if it's good enough to bring HIM back, why don't i join in too LOL



see above...I was in 'wellness' -Germany (when in the world did this wellness-nonsense start? :)


i think the name is a little bit weird, but we'll get used to it, i see no problem at all with it (ESPECIALLY not in the non-english countries, everyone knows "we", noone knows the other meanings of it :p)

I agree. The name will be much less of a problem in non-English speaking countries. I actually like the name...if I like the system has to be seen...I'm still very skeptical.

[Teknik_SE-R]

I don't really want to tell anyone what to think, but if you're thinking "communists" you might want to re-evaluate the situation...

wha... O_O ?

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e155/Teknik_SE-R/stalin.jpg

or how about...

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e155/Teknik_SE-R/dr-evil.jpg

I'm just giving you a hard time.

I have to say the name is stupid, but not for its reference to piss or wankers or wahtever. The play on words they have on their one page site are stupid, and I think my head is going to explode if I hear any more of that crap from nintendo... (funeral will be held on May 9th following N's press conference in front of the LACC, closed casket due to the circumstances of death. Burial will be at the planter box in front of N's HQ in Kyoto)

That said, I realy don't care what it is called, I'm still buying two. :D this is going to be a great system. Whether its the new ps or the next dreamcast, I don't know, but it WILL be a great system.

[hezeuschrist]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e155/Teknik_SE-R/stalin.jpg

Ok, thats funny.

[AgeOfPenguins]

Here's a screenshot of what the Wii will look like:

http://www.ageofpenguins.com/wii.jpg

[Teknik_SE-R]

Here's a screenshot of what the Wii will look like:

http://www.ageofpenguins.com/wii.jpg

LOL I knew they wanted this thing to have unprecidented user interactive features, but that is rediculous!

[SirDrexl]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e155/Teknik_SE-R/stalin.jpg

Here's the first video showing the new game for the Stalin Wii:

http://www.zeronews-fr.com/flash/super-mario-communist.php

[rbudrick]

I'm seriously not going to be comfortable walking into a store and asking if I can "buy a Wii." I have a huge johnson, but I still feel that just saying such a thing might make me gay, or invert my penis.

I'd honestly feel less stupid walking in and asking "Can I buy the new Nintendo Penis?"

I'm honestly quite surprised no one has photoshopped the controller in this pic into a penis or some kind of sex toy.

http://www.lowdown411.com/uploaded_images/revoctrl-787049.jpg

-Rob

[portnoyd]

Ouch, that hurts. Is that really how I come off? I'm certainly not meaning to stand on any kind of soap box, but when you're arguing against "wee" jokes it's kinda hard :/

Nah. :) The difference is, you are playing the part of devil's advocate and not being a total jerk while doing it. Like I said, Bizzaro Zach. :)

And another difference, you have a valid point and opinion.

[goatdan]

I think that more than the convoluted explanation Nintendo has given for the the name, that the name itself personifies what the system is trying to do.

Nintendo is trying to break the mold of the current industry with bold simplicity in both control scheme and name. If they're going to try and reinvent the wheel they may as well take the leap and abandon the trite naming conventions of the industry as well.

You've been doing a good job of playing devil's advocate. I want to make a point to see what you think of this...

While I agree with most of what you're saying, there is a large critical flaw that I see with the name "Wii". That flaw is that unlike other words which brands were built around, there is already a word "We". And unlike Yahoo or Pod, we is used regularly. Before Yahoo.com came along, before the iPod, it wasn't like people were walking around saying that "Hey, I just got this new CD listening Pod" or often saying "Yahoo!" for no reason.

People use "we" in everyday speech.

And I think that works against it. Nintendo isn't going to be trying to just brand a word to a product, like Apple, Yahoo and the like have done, but they are going to try to brand a word to a product which is used every day. When you sit down at a conversation and you hear the word "pod" most people now would probably automatically associate that with either Apple or music. When you hear the word we, no matter how long this product is out, you'll have to think about what the person is talking about. It isn't instantly recognizable, and it never will be.

I really feel that this is going to be the one really big failing point about the console. Yes, there have been other consoles people thought had stupid names, but usually it was because it was something made up or random like Dreamcast or Playstation or Xbox.

Finally, is the majority of people really ready to walk into a store and ask to see the "Wii games"? I see this as another huge stumbling block to the promotion of the console. Again, wee has another meaning here, as small or tiny. So, when a gamer walks into a store, they have to say that they would like by definition a "small game." A "wee game." A Nintendo Wii game. There is a problem here.

The non-hardcore gamers who Nintendo is banking on to make this thing a success aren't going to want to have to say something embarassing when they walk into their nearest store to get a game. They walk into a GameStop or EBGames, where it is already intimidating since there are SO many games there for lots of different systems, and then they have to say something that, had the console not been named this, they would've never said, and that will impact the decision.

The name shouldn't be this important. But of all the damn names that Nintendo could've picked, I think that this one has about as many different potential problems as just about anything non-vulgar could have. It won't doom it for sure, but I don't see non-gamers walking into a store and saying, "Hi! I'd like a Wii console today and some Wii games." You might as well ask someone that isn't overly buff to walk into the gym and tell the biggest, most ripped bodybuilder there that he is ready to "take on the wee weights."

There is automatically a natural want to NOT make yourself obvious, and saying something like that is obvious. I know the system will be named Wii, and I know that people will be forced to say it. I'd normally argue for hours on end that the name means absolutely nothing -- I think Xbox 360 is about as stupid of a name as could be, although I don't think it is stopping anyone from purchasing the console -- but in this weird case, I think that "Wii" will have to wait and see just what happens, as I think it most definitely will affect gamers at the beginning.

That's my two cents. I might be totally wrong. I might be totally right. Who knows. Whatdya think?

[Howie6925]

Im still going to call it the "revolution" because "wii" just sounds dumb.

[Canadian Psycho]

the play on words they use on the Wii website are so incredibly cheesy.
Thank God we can fall back on the brilliant puns crafted by the creative minds of several posters in this thread. Funny, funny stuff*.


*If you're 10 years old.

[hezeuschrist]

When you hear the word we, no matter how long this product is out, you'll have to think about what the person is talking about. It isn't instantly recognizable, and it never will be.

I think that wholly depends on how aggressive Nintendo is with their marketing. I don't think it'll be an overnight shift in state-of-mind for the world, but I think in a couple of years, if Nintendo really pushes it, it really won't be that bad.

As for walking into a game store and asking about Wii, I've done that a couple times asking people who work in game stores so far and it's sprouted the same kinda conversation you'd have with any game store employee over anything game related. Granted, most everyone who works in a GameStop or EB is a hardcore Nintendo fan, but still it certainly wasn't akward or embarassing talking about Wii. At least it's no more embarassing than talking about why the D20 system kicks ass in KotoR.

Once the context is out there and people know what you're talking about, it's just another label. If it's referred to "The Wii" in conversation it's pretty unmistakable what's being talked about. Or at least it should be over time once the populace has been beaten to near-death with Wii advertisements.

But really, the mass market success of the Wii rests solely in the hands of NoA's and NoE's marketing departments. And really, thats absolutely no different than any other new product trying to gain acceptance or brand itself. The only additional hurdle Nintendo really faces is their own name and the image they've got right now. They've been branded by the general public a "kiddie company" for at least the past 5 years and getting past that to the non-gamers is going to be extremely difficult.

The negative connotations of an initial reaction to "wee" are minimal at best. Saying that it's assosiation with pee jokes or tiny objects will soil its public standing is like saying no one named Richard could be popular in the public eye because the Dick jokes wouldn't ever stop.

[theelement]

the only thing that's odd is in the nintendo binder we have at wal-mart still shows the logo Nintendo Revolution.

[hezeuschrist]

the only thing that's odd is in the nintendo binder we have at wal-mart still shows the logo Nintendo Revolution.

You mean a mass market retail giant hasn't updated every aspect of its business operations in relation to six-day-old news about a product that isn't even going to be released for another 5 months?

No way.

[FantasiaWHT]

I don't think it'll be an overnight shift in state-of-mind for the world, but I think in a couple of years, if Nintendo really pushes it, it really won't be that bad.



Which is EXACTLY the reason why this is a bad name choice. Thank you for pointing that out. In "a couple of years" this generation of systems will be half done.

[theelement]

they didn't put it in there but 2 months ago, and why would they even bother with putting nintendo revolution logos in there if they knew they were changing the name. They said they knew it for awhile now.

[comrade]

they didn't put it in there but 2 months ago, and why would they even bother with putting nintendo revolution logos in there if they knew they were changing the name. They said they knew it for awhile now.

I would probably guess to throw everyone off, you know? Resultiong in a huge wave of publicity and shock! News that would shock Wal-Mart employees everywhere!

Oh, and Nintendo said in the begining that the 'Revolution' was a place holder name. We knew they would change it ahead of time. The public just didn't know what the name was going to be, or when it was going to be announced.

[atomicthumbs]

I'm just going to say this, then stop watching this topic...


I like it. But how the name is received by the general public depends greatly on their advertising campaign.

[Jasoco]

The Nintendo rep was in today. She didn't know a date yet, but she said "Winter". Which scares me. It could mean anywhere between Thanksgiving (A stretch) and March! Hopefully that was a safety date and the real date will be announced on Tuesday.

[calthaer]

I think that wholly depends on how aggressive Nintendo is with their marketing. I don't think it'll be an overnight shift in state-of-mind for the world, but I think in a couple of years, if Nintendo really pushes it, it really won't be that bad.

This post identifies the whole problem. Throwing a big push of marketing dollars merely in an effort to mitigate the damage done by a stupid name is a complete waste. They could be using that effort to actively steal market share from Sony or Microsoft, or to get people to play and try their new console.

The name should be an asset to the system, not a detriment that they have to slowly change with a big push in marketing so that the name "won't be that bad."

[comrade]

The name means to urinate for god sakes!

I guess I can learn to like it. :roll: