I'd just like to point out that Nintendo has already sold something in the States named stupidly. Its name was so stupid that even the guys that ran Nintendo's U. S. operations laughed at it, thinking Nintendo was certainly going to be bankrupt pretty soon.
The name, of course, is Donkey Kong.
The name's Link
And I'm braver than brave
I got a wooden sword from and old man in a cave
First: don't come out with something people aren't even sure how to pronounce.
Next: Don't make people ask "why?". Come on.
Third: Wee is not a good thing. It has negative connotations regardless of context.
Finally: Revolution was a good name. Even "Rev" invokes excitement.
Re-reading this thread is the funniest thing since ytmndI love it! keep it going!
These cartridges are dirty as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!
They have got to be kidding. This is a belated April Fool's joke, right? If not, it will go down in history as the lamest name ever for a console. No, it will go down in history as the lamest name ever for anything. How purely retarded!
"I got the new Nintendo console: Wii."
"You sound excited."
"Why?"
"Cause you said 'Whee!'"
"No, not 'whee.' Wii."
"Yeah, whee. Like you said."
"But I didn't say 'whee.' I said 'Wii!'"
"Wha...?"
"No, not 'Wha!' Wii!"
"The machine is called 'Wii'?"
"Wight! I mean, 'Right!'"
"Why?"
"Not 'why!' 'Wii!'"
"No, why is it... never mind. How's that spelled, anyway?"
"W-I-I."
"Why?"
"No Y. W-I-I."
"No, why W-I-I?"
"Why not?"
"Well, shouldn't it be pronounced 'Why'?"
"Why?"
"Right!"
"No, I mean why should it be pronounced 'Why'?"
"'Cause it has two I's!"
"'Why' is stupid. 'Wii' is cool."
"Why?"
"No, 'Wii'!"
"Why is 'Wii' cool?"
"'Cause we're cool, dude!"
"What?"
"We're cool! Or at least I am. I'm starting to wonder about you."
"Just forget it. I'm getting a PS3."
I don't have issues. I'm looking at this from outside the video game driven side of my mind and looking at from the average consumer standpoint. Wii, when pronounced, offers to many different ways of thinking. Even if their ads call it the Nintendo Wii, it's still baffling.Originally Posted by hezeuschrist
Microsoft did the same things with those goofy Jump In ads, but at least Xbox was a known brand by this point. The ads were still stupid, but at least it couldn't be looked at as a Nintendo piss machine. Again, to you and I, it doesn't matter what it's called. You honeslty believe that Nintendo can capture a market that doesn't play video games right now with advertisements calling something Wii? Honestly?
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.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.
I don't say Sony Playstation. I don't say Microsoft Xbox. I very rarely write the company name when I write a review. You use the name of the hardware, not the company.It's a name for a videogame system. That's it. There is WAY too much thought going into this. When you tell someone about the system who has likely never heard about the system, you aren't going to introduce it as Wii, you will introduce it as a new Nintendo product that plays games X and Y in manner Z.
Were not making jokes. Were stating that the pronunciation of the consoles name leads to other things, like thoughts of urine. It's not about being immature, it's about trying to draw in the non-gaming public, which I believed Nintendo had a great chance of doing, with a game console called the Wii.When you go to work next, given you don't work in a gamestore or a heavily game related environment, ask someone what they think of the Nintendo Wii. They'll ask what it is, you'll explain it, and thats it. Unless provoked, the average mature person won't make these stupid jokes.
it's not about being funny as I've stated multiple times above. I'm not trying to make a joke. If they released the console and called it the Nintendo Pii would still think it would sell? The people out there who don't play games won't give it a second thought. They may be watching TV casually, multitasking and hear the commercial. They'll hear Nintendo Wii, and there's about a two in three chance they'll think something other than "We" as in people like I did. [/quote]If you take ANYTHING out of context you can make absolutely retarded observations about it. The examples in that wired blog that were posted were perfect. In sixth grade "Oui" is the subject of the same stupid jokes, but once you get past middle school it's not funny or entertaining, just like all the allusions made in this thread. I'm a fan of stupid humor as much as anybody, but so far every Wii to pee joke thats been made isn't funny.
There's an echo in here
I said the same thing a few posts back, CartCollector. I remember the first time I saw DK in the arcade. I (like alot of other people) though there was a misprint on the marquee, and it was supposed to be Monkey Kong
BTW - I love the avitar! Oh, snap! Time to unpimp ze auto![/i]
Again, neither you nor I are marketing executives or persons with access to market research that would lend to naming this system Wii.
People are taking this like Nintendo just sat down and said, "Well, Revolution is a code name. How bout Ultra 128? Uhh... Battery? Backie? Waterfall.. uhh, hrm, I gotta take a wicked yes. pee.... wee... Uhh... Wii? Wii! Yeah, that'll do it. Moving on!"
They market tested the shit out of this name, in all three regions. Why didn't they leave it Revolution? Ask a Japanese person to say that. They have credible analysis that lends to the thought that yes, this is a mass marketable item with the title "Wii." How do I know they did all this? They're Nintendo, and they're more about making good business sense than making leaps to gain acceptance. They always have been, and they're not going to stick any flagship product out there without making sure that whatever it's called is going to be accepted. Count on it.
And again, you don't say Sony Playstation or Microsoft Xbox because those are proven brands. You don't say Apple iPod... speaking of dumbest names for products ever, iPod? What the hell does that mean?
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?
As far as names go. Donkey Kong was bad. Pacman was bad. Game Cube was bad. We grew numb and over time accepted them.The name, of course, is Donkey Kong.
No one has an example that is as bad as Wii.
Wii is just plain horrible.
Horrible.
When Wii games are in the budget bin and the system is no longer supported it will still be an horrible name.
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.
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 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?
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.)
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.
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."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.
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.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
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.
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?
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.
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.
Here's my feedback thread: http://www.digitpress.com/forum/show...ht=FantasiaWHT
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.
I don't know, is it really any worse than i-pod?
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
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Well said.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.
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.
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