Wii Wii Wii all the way home

Lincoln Russell 30 Apr, 2006 at 5:57pm ET Article published in Tech

Comments

1. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 6:25pm drasnor When I first saw the new name, I was flabbergasted. I mean, how could a company with a budget as big as theirs name their console after a common eupehmism for wang? But by the time the news popped up here I'd already moved out of the surprise and astonishment phase and into the apathy stage. Honestly, after owning an N64 and Game Boy Color there's little they could do to sucker me back into the market anyway.
   
   -drasnor
   
   I mean, I can sit around and play with my Wii all day without giving Nintendo a dime and I won't have to wait 'til their official release date to enjoy it either.
2. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 6:31pm Linc And all across America, we shall hear "Mom, I'm gonna go over to Jimmy's and play one-handed games with his Wii..."
3. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 7:39pm Garg I never stopped to think that "Revolution" was just a codename. That actually would have been a good name. I can't believe they named it "wee." How out of touch are they with Americans, anyway?
4. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 7:54pm profdlp Did you hear about the shoplifter they caught at Best Buys the other day? He was nabbed when he stopped to take a Wii...
5. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 8:14pm gibbonsl that will teach them to play with their Wii in plublic:)
6. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 8:27pm entropy

   Gargoyle wrote:

   I never stopped to think that "Revolution" was just a codename. That actually would have been a good name. I can't believe they named it "wee." How out of touch are they with Americans, anyway?

   But they're right - Nintendo doesn't want the hardcore gamers. Revolution, while being quite the spiffy name, would make their target audience (ie, everyone) shy away.
   
   It works. It will work, anyway.
7. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 8:31pm gibbonsl and be the but end of jokes everyware:)
8. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 8:38pm Cyclonite They have received a lot of essentially free publicity from all the talk of this name. The name may be dumb, but so far it's caused a lot more acknowledgement of the console.
9. 
   30 Apr 2006 ~ 9:05pm gibbonsl still wont make me buy the thing
10. 
    30 Apr 2006 ~ 9:35pm Thrax Nintendo better want the hardcore gamers, or they might as well change the name of their new console to the "Third Place Again."
11. 
    30 Apr 2006 ~ 10:02pm Cyclonite

    gibbonsl wrote:

    still wont make me buy the thing

    
    Because of the name?
12. 
    30 Apr 2006 ~ 10:08pm entropy

    Thrax wrote:

    Nintendo better want the hardcore gamers, or they might as well change the name of their new console to the "Third Place Again."

    
    Come on, you can't recycle that joke... at least not take credit for it.;) It was on [H] and joystiq almost immediately after the news broke out.
    
    Nintendo did come in last in the last volley. But unless I'm mistaken (which I very well could be), they also made the most profit out of any of the three.
13. 
    30 Apr 2006 ~ 10:10pm gibbonsl

    Cyclonite wrote:

    Because of the name?

    
    nope becouse no games that i want to play on it
    
    same reasion I have not bought the Xbox or the 360 or the game cube
    
    PS2 all the way
    
    can't say i have not tryed the other consoles, but did not like any of the games
    
    still stupid name
14. 
    30 Apr 2006 ~ 10:22pm Garg

    entropy wrote:

    But they're right - Nintendo doesn't want the hardcore gamers. Revolution, while being quite the spiffy name, would make their target audience (ie, everyone) shy away.
    
    It works. It will work, anyway.

    
    I don't think that "Revolution" is a name that would scare anyone off . They've got so much useful hype built around their revolutionary controller and a host of other different approaches, it seems a shame to throw away a name that was tied to that hype.
15. 
    30 Apr 2006 ~ 11:47pm profdlp

    Gargoyle wrote:

    ...it seems a shame to throw away a name that was tied to that hype.

    I haven't bought a console gaming machine since my daughter became old enough to pay for her own, but what you say sounds right on the money to me. If I walked into the store after it came out and saw a stack of boxes marked Nintendo Revolution I would know exactly what was in them. All joking aside, if I saw the same heap of merchandise with the new official name I would not have a clue.
16. 
    1 May 2006 ~ 7:38am Zanthian Man you should see how long that girl was playing with Prime's Wii.
    She was moving it up and down and pressing all the right buttons.
    I think she got a new high score.
17. 
    1 May 2006 ~ 8:01am GooD

    General Keebler wrote:

    And all across America, we shall hear "Mom, I'm gonna go over to Jimmy's and play one-handed games with his Wii..."

    
    Hahahaha !!!!
    
    What is so funny about this quote is that it will really happen.... hah
    
    I totally agree with the some of you around, Revolution was a much better name. But since i've always looked at Nintendo in the past years as the best 'kiddy game' maker. Maybe 'Wii' sounds more kiddy, its not as good as 'Revolution' for most of us, but eh... that's marketing lol
    
    Sometimes when marketing people gets in the way, everything is throwed out of the track lol
    
    At least it make us talk about this console, even if it's not in a good way
18. 
    1 May 2006 ~ 9:35am jradmin "Jimmy can't play with his Wii till his homework is done!"
    
    
    Omg...
    
    Nintendo has finaly lost their minds! I think its time for Mario to defect.
19. 
    1 May 2006 ~ 11:47pm Jengo My opinion is that this is just a big old viral marketing scheme set up by nintendo, they will probably eventually change the name.
20. 
    2 May 2006 ~ 10:46am Kinetix2005 I disagree that the name "Wii" will work I mean it's not even a word pronouncable in English. I was gonna buy the Revolution on release but with a name like Wii it's made me think twice, Ninty have made some bad decisions on the GC and I can't help but think the Wii is gonna be a bit of a gimmick, like one of those laptops for kids..
21. 
    2 May 2006 ~ 10:51am Cyclonite We've been pronouncing it this entire time. It IS able to be pronounced in English: "Wee."
    
    And I think completely turning your back on it because of its name is just ludicrous. So the name is a little dumb. What if computers were called "Wa Wa's" or some dumb name like that? Would you not be posting right now?
22. 
    2 May 2006 ~ 10:52am primesuspect The name is stupid
    
    I think it's a trick, like Jengo does.
    
    I don't give a crap what it's called, I'll still own one.
    
    
23. 
    4 May 2006 ~ 8:26am Kinetix2005

    Cyclonite wrote:

    We've been pronouncing it this entire time. It IS able to be pronounced in English: "Wee."
    
    And I think completely turning your back on it because of its name is just ludicrous. So the name is a little dumb. What if computers were called "Wa Wa's" or some dumb name like that? Would you not be posting right now?

    
    Yes I would, just as I will own a "Wii" I just think it's another bad decision by ninty and will only damage the sales of it.
24. 
    4 May 2006 ~ 9:17am Cyclonite It's true, they've made some interesting decisions which have poorly affected their reputation within the gaming community, but it still seems like they're going strong.
    
    They've got the damn handhelds pegged though. I wish they could bring that to the console. Here's to hoping for this one.
    
    And sorry Kinetix if it seemed like I was attacking you. I was dealing with finals and was annoyed by all the complaining about the new name. Wasn't intentional. =)
25. 
    4 May 2006 ~ 9:33am Kinetix2005 No probs Cyclonite, and I don't doubt that the Revo.. Wii will be a great console and have some great games as ninty consoles always do but Nintendo needs mass market appeal and with each console they move further away from it, and at the moment I can't picture the Wii succeeding over the PS3, or 360.
    
    BTW when I was referring to the pronunciation, I meant the way it is spelt it is not a word properly pronouncable in English, and unless you have seen the Ads, which there never are many of from Ninty, people aren't going to understand the name and there are many things people could interpret it as...
    
    Why?
    W-2
    
    To mention just 2 of the names which I have heard it initially interpreted as.