177 replies to this topic

[BrendantheJedi]

I kid you not.. As much as I like Nintendo, and what the were doing with the Revolution, to American gamers, this new name seems retarded.

[Skyreus]

revolution.ign.com

I'll post what I posted on another board:

I don't think it (Revolution name) is a very marketable one though. If you look at most successful brands they're usually short and simple like iPod, TiVo, Google, etc. It's also the reason why Coca-Cola is now branded as Coke and the Macintosh changed to Mac. Revolution might sound pretty cool to us, but we're the hardcore gamers. We find words like innovative, original and revolutionary cool... the public really doesn't give a damn .

That said the name has its ups and downs. On one hand it's simple, easy to flow out, and thus a pretty marketable name in concept. Plus the logo is quite cool so it'll gain a positive impression on look of the logo (since that's going to be what's pushed in marketing, not simple text). On the other hand, I'm not sure how people will take to how it's pronounced, especially since people have shown they don't know whether it's pronounced "Why" or "We" already. Plus as regular text it isn't nearly as pretty (but once again, what will be marketed is the logo, not some plain text). But I'm not going to call if this name will run one way or the other with the public. We'll see.

Here's from someone who has a degree in marketing (which means he is in a much better place to comment on it than probably just about everyone on this board and 99% of the people out there tossing out their comments):

What this name accomplishes is -- it gets people talking. People are going to make fun of it, yeah. A lot of people are. Then again, they're going to talk about the functions of the system. Any press is good press, right? Maybe.

What this name fails at is that it sounds ridiculous and might make people unwilling to pick it up simply because they don't want to ask in a store, "Where can I find the Wiis?" "Do you have any Wiis?" "I'm looking for a Wii." It's confusing to consumers because they don't know what it means.

Having the consumer be confused is not the worst thing ever, and can actually help -- I have a feeling Nintendo will be spending a lot in advertising in order to educate people on the name and its significance. If they can accomplish that, then it can be a powerful thing.

If not...

He didn't comment on the logo, which is a huge deal in regards to the name, but it's still a good comment to take. At least one better than probably everyone who's going to respond below me (positive or not )

Edited by Skyreus, 27 April 2006 - 02:09 PM.

[Chukchi Husky]

Anyone asking questions about it could end up in a toilet.

[GJ Skywalker]

Well I saw the topic (maybe i'll love the new name, it'll certainly get people talking. Free publicity and all).

First reaction: Surprise
Second reaction: Denial
Third reaction (after reading the link): Pain from both sides
Current reaction: Indifference then Uncertainty

I love you Nintendo, but I want to know what you are on, and whether I can get some.

Edited by GJ Skywalker, 27 April 2006 - 02:12 PM.

[Skyreus]

As for my personal opinion on it (yeah, I know previously that was somewhat of subjective post but it was more trying to analyze then just simply state my opinion)...

The logo is really sweet and the spelling melds very well with it. Very very cool. The concept behind is definitely modern.

Saying the name out loud will be kind of odd... and weird. Definitely sounds awkward for me to say at this time.
But a lot of that can change depend on how the culture will take to it. For all we know a year from now it'll be a common thing and won't sound bad at all. I mean Playstation, if you think about it, sounds kiddie as well (only a little better than Funstation) but we don't feel that anymore since it's ingrained into our culture.
So right now saying it aloud will feel weird, but depending on how things go it may very well become natural and common.
Plus it's very very pun friendly

But I swear if I start seeing games using puns with Wii (cause god knows some publishers had fun with D____ S____)... then that will make me hate the name

Edited by Skyreus, 27 April 2006 - 02:20 PM.

[Veteran]

[enter Veteran, looking smug]

Retarded controller.

Retarded name.

This is the end. My only friend, the end.




EDIT: Just sunk in. Hahahaha!

[Hero of Winds]

There's no way in hell I'm going to walk into Gamestop (in six months) and ask for a Wii game. Wii is far too Japanese a name, and will be a definite turn-off to a lot of gamers.

Only Nintendo could come up with such an innovative concept and then botch it with a simple name change.

[GJ Skywalker]

Could the name have a hidden meaning? Could it represent anything? Could it be a play of words? Because there (to me anyway) was always a meaning behind Nintendo's console names.

There's no way in hell I'm going to walk into Gamestop (in six months) and ask for a Wii game. Wii is far too Japanese a name, and will be a definite turn-off to a lot of gamers.

Only Nintendo could come up with such an innovative concept and then botch it with a simple name change.

HoW maybe you could walk into Gamestop and........spell it? (I probably would, or just write the name down and pass it over the counter.)

Edited by GJ Skywalker, 27 April 2006 - 02:37 PM.

[Selena]

Wiiiiii? WIIIIIII?!



Yes, yes, I had to.



But, erm... yeah, Nintendo fared better just slapping words like "Super" in front of their name. This will no doubt make the console the kid shoved into a trashcan in front of a crowd of onlookers. Better have some bitchin' games, then. XP

[Hana-Nezumi]

Hehe... Wii... Sounds like... Wheeeeeeee~



BWAHAHAHAHAHA!



...*dies* x__X

[Showsni]

Wii? What were they thinking?

Because, it’s really not about you or me.

It’s about Wii.

And together, Wii will change everything.

It's like Primary school humour... it's about wee!!?? There are plenty of words they could have used that don't mean urine...

[Skyreus]

Wii is far too Japanese a name, and will be a definite turn-off to a lot of gamers.

Don't you just love it when someone makes a comment just based on baseless assumptions?

Guess what, I've even talked with people who know Japanese on this (although they aren't native Japanese, they have learned Japanese) and there is no such thing as Wii in Japan, in fact there's no word that even makes that sound.

EDIT: Here's a quote:

In japanese the only sound that starts with a W is Wa hmm Im not sure how you would even write wii in katakan...maybe the [u][e][e] sounds or something.

In Japan foreign words that start with "Wi" are spelled "Wu" with a small "i" next to it in Katakana. So it's *possible* to kinda-spell it in Japanese, but more of a workaround than a real spelling.

So not only does it not mean anything in Japanese, you can't even spell it. So as I said... next time you start spouting stuff out of your mouth (well... or typing stuff up on a keyboard) actually know what you're talking about first.

Edited by Skyreus, 27 April 2006 - 02:57 PM.

[BrendantheJedi]

There's no way in hell I'm going to walk into Gamestop (in six months) and ask for a Wii game. Wii is far too Japanese a name, and will be a definite turn-off to a lot of gamers.

Only Nintendo could come up with such an innovative concept and then botch it with a simple name change.

Really? I'd probably still do it, but I'd know the game's title. And just so you know, I think I'm going to be calling it the "Revolution" for right now.

[HarryHatMan]

I think your mising the point here people.

Wii WILL change everything.

[Veteran]

EDIT: Here's a quote:

Here's another.

The "ii" spelling is intended to represent "both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play." It may also be worth noting that "ii" means "good" in Japanese.

Whilst it may not be an actual Japanese word, the name is spelt this way because of Japanese.

Also, people who don't speak Japanese are not going to go learn it for the sole purpose of understanding Wii is not a word. It looks Japanese.

[Skyreus]

Whilst it may not be an actual Japanese word, the name is spelt this way because of Japanese.

Also, people who don't speak Japanese are not going to go learn it for the sole purpose of understanding Wii is not a word. It looks Japanese.

And then you bypassed all the little English comparisons to the word "We" that Nintendo is using. So in the end there's really no argument that it's Japanese. So maybe we can argue that it's a bit of both: The English word "we" and the Japanese "ii," fair compromise?

I don't get how it "looks" Japanese anyway. How does it look Japanese? Is everything that happens to be different (or in this case not look like a word in the English dictionary) now suddenly Japanese? I guess only in the videogame industry...

Edited by Skyreus, 27 April 2006 - 03:15 PM.

[Hero of Winds]

<snip>

Jesus, I wasn't looking through a lexicon when I wrote that. I said it's Japanese in that it sounds Japanese, looks Japanese, etc (and that's the conclusion people WILL come to, considering Nintendo's based out of Japan). People aren't going to consult your Japanese-speaking friends to find out the etymology of the word, they're just going to assume it's Japanese based on what it looks and sounds like.

Either way, it's a crappy name to market, Japanese or not.

[Veteran]

I don't get how it "looks" Japanese anyway. How does it look Japanese? Is everything that happens to be different (or in this case not look like a word in the English dictionary) now suddenly Japanese? I guess only in the videogame industry...

Oh come now, surely you aren't deliberately being pedantic?

It's the double i. It screams japanese. Screams kawaii in fact.


But anyway, lets go with the american comparison "we" you point out. Nintendo We. Still a horrible name.

[Skyreus]

Jesus, I wasn't looking through a lexicon when I wrote that. I said it's Japanese in that it sounds Japanese, looks Japanese, etc (and that's the conclusion people WILL come to, considering Nintendo's based out of Japan). People aren't going to consult your Japanese-speaking friends to find out the etymology of the word, they're just going to assume it's Japanese based on what it looks and sounds like.

Either way, it's a crappy name to market, Japanese or not.

How does "we" sound Japanese? That's the point. You are just assuming. Now that you clarified I get your point that some people will just assume that since Nintendo is a Japanese company, and yes I agree that will happen as you have just evidenced . But I don't think it's wrong to correct that the name isn't purely Japanese.

But anyway, lets go with the american comparison "we" you point out. Nintendo We. Still a horrible name.

And I wasn't arguing that in my post so that doesn't really matter . I'm free in letting you guys have an opinion on the name

Edited by Skyreus, 27 April 2006 - 03:22 PM.

[Chikara Nadir]

WIIII?

WRYYYYYYY???!!! ^OvO^

Yup, too easy to make fun of it.

In all seriousness...wtf?

"So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you. Because, it's really not about you or me. It's about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything."

W. T. F.?

[SnowsilverKat]

First Twilight Princess and it's TP acronym.

And now 'Wii.'

What next, the Nintendo Poo-poo?

(I am joking minorly, although the name will take some getting used to)

Edited by SnowsilverKat, 27 April 2006 - 03:23 PM.

[BrendantheJedi]

WIIII?

WRYYYYYYY???!!! ^OvO^

Yup, too easy to make fun of it.

In all seriousness...wtf?
W. T. F.?

I was waiting for WRYYYYYYYY reference. I've already seen em on 4chan, Animenation, and YTMND.

[Tekky]

Not liking the new name either... Could it be that they'll call it that in Japan but give it a different name in the US/PAL regions, a la Famicom/NES?

[Hero of Winds]

Not liking the new name either... Could it be that they'll call it that in Japan but give it a different name in the US/PAL regions, a la Famicom/NES?

I doubt it. Both Reggie and Kaplan (the two big NOA execs) both confirmed that Wii is the final name of the console, not to mention this nugget of information is being revealed at E3, an American game show.

[Skyreus]

Just found something midly amusing at Gamespot's site:
http://www.gamespot.com/rev/index.html

They changed the header graphic for the Madden article to "Wii." Just find that a bit amusing since the article was published yesterday (before Wii was announced) and everything in it still contains "Revolution."

I doubt it. Both Reggie and Kaplan (the two big NOA execs) both confirmed that Wii is the final name of the console, not to mention this nugget of information is being revealed at E3, an American game show.

Think it was mentioned somewhere that it's going to be a universal name. Although with that said I'm wondering how it'll fair in U.K. since well... its slang for urine

Yes, there's many ways in English to make fun of it as well but in those cases at least we have to add something to it (although it gets as simple as just doubling the name, for grade school humor). Over in the U.K. you don't even have to

EDIT: I would really call Kaplan a big NOA exec... she's just a PR person after all so it's not really "big" like vice president of marketing big. That said we can listen to her since she's a big company "representative"

Edited by Skyreus, 27 April 2006 - 03:34 PM.

[Emiko]

Well the Gamecube was called the Dolphin at first.... >.>


wii... we....maybe nintendo is getting conceded?

[Wolf O'Donnell]

Wii... Wii? WII?

I'm terribly sorry, but even as a pun featured in "Wii will change gaming as you know it" or some crap along those lines, it's awful. Sure, the N64 was a bad name compared to Ultra64 but at least it didn't sound like some childish prank.

Nintendo has officially gone off the deep end. This strategy will no doubt backfire on them.

[Showsni]

Or a pun like "I need a wii." or "Do you want to play with my wii?"

[FireHexer2]

Or a pun like "I need a wii." or "Do you want to play with my wii?"

«Mom, can you buy me a wii? I want a wii! I've no wii!"