Both Sides of Wii

Yesterday Nintendo released the official name for their next console. Formerly the Revolution, and now simply called Wii, reaction has been strong among gaming fans. A Brian Crecente article in the Rocky Mountain News looks at why Wii is bad, from a marketing perspective. Chris Kohler, over at Game|Life, looks at why Wii is good because of its iconoclastic nature. And, always happy to help with the irreverent, Games.net examines why Wii is weird. From that article: "We don't think Nintendo Wii is a truly terrible console name, but it's an uncharacteristically risky choice, even for Nintendo. We admire its simplicity and its playfulness (the two i's represent multiplayer action, you see). But on the flip side, parents will have a hard time pronouncing it ("Nintendo...why?") and hardcore gamers will slam it ..."

Comments

Re:Nintendo's Wii akin to Chevrolet's Nova?

[Anonymous Coward]

No. This is a classic example of when no one in the boardroom has the guts to say "Sir, that is a terrible idea."

Oh, I'm sorry, were you there when it happened? Please enlighten us as you must've been there to know that no one proposed something else or warned that this might be difficult for their customer base to accept.

Re:Depends on how they spin it

[tolan-b]

You know 'wee' (pronounced the same as we and wii) is a common children's word for piss right?

How is this embarassing to the buyer?

[leland242]

"I know I sure as hell am NOT going to say to the store clerk "Hi, I'd like to buy that Wii you have there.""

Perhaps when you are a bit more mature, you won't give a flying fuck what you ask some store clerk. You know what, when I buy the Wii, I'm going to ask for condoms, hemmeroid cream, and an extra large box of superabsorbant panty liners.

Unless you have the mentality of an 8 year old, "wee" jokes are just not funny / relevant.