Nintendo Revolution becomes Nintendo Wii
From LoveToKnow VideoGames
In what will surely produce lots of puns and toilet humor comments from immature people around the English-speaking video gaming community (quite a select group), Nintendo recently announced the final name of its upcoming console: the Nintendo Wii.
The name symbolizes the new direction the console will take. Nintendo has long professed that gaming shouldn't be for one small group of people, but for everyone. The system's design, from its stark simplicity to the friendly-looking motion sensitive controller, aims to attract simple yet fun games that everyone will enjoy. Read about the Nintendo Revolution for more info.
The press release contained a video and some explanation behind the surprising name.
Press Release
- Wii, as in "we", emphasizes this console is for everyone.
- The name "Revolution" expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.
- Wii breaks down the wall between video game players and everyone else.
- Wii puts people in touch with their games and with each other.
- Wii can be easily remembered and pronouncd by anyone in the world. No confusion, no abbreviations, just Wii.
- The distinct "ii" spelling symbolizes the unique controller and looks like people gathering together to play the system.
- The console and the name bring something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd.
- Gaming isn't about you or me, it's about Wii. Nintendo, gamers, non-gamers, game developers - everyone.
- Together, Wii will change everything.
What Wii Think
Almost everything Nintendo does these days seems to be a bold move. Naming a console after a word that is often a synonym for bathroom behavior (in English) is about as bold as you can get. The sound "wi" can be funny to anglophone ears: Look at the wee little bunny. Baby go wee wee. Heard the urban legend about the man who got his wee wee stuck in--- you get the picture.
Wii is a brilliant name in that it won't be mis-pronounced (the Italians would say "Revoluzione", the French "Croissant", etc). The name is also short so it doesn't need to be abbreviated. It's actually kinda catchy once you get used to it, and it's a very friendly, non-technical name for non-gaming ears.
Judgement? Think about this: PlayStation was hilarious when we first heard that name. So was GameCube. Give it some time, let the name sink in and see what happens. And if you don't like it, you'll have to swallow your pride when you ask for the Wii in stores.
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