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Nintendo Revolution Renamed 'Wii' 966

Posted by Zonk from the weeeeeeeeeeee dept.
Retroneous writes "The Nintendo Revolution has had its name changed to the Nintendo Wii." Confirmation on the official Revolution site. Update: 04/27 16:32 GMT by Z : More information available from a Gamasutra article: "New details on the disc format have also been revealed: 'Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs. Owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content.'"
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Nintendo Revolution Renamed 'Wii' More

Nintendo Revolution Renamed 'Wii'

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  • WTF8 (Score:5, Funny)

    by iGN97 ( 83927 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:29AM (#15213201) Homepage
    "Because, it's really not about you or me. It's about Wii."

    To quote Irwin Mahatma Fletcher: I R pissed.
  • Someone must have forgotten that today isn't April 1st, because this must be a joke.

    • Re:April 1st was 26 days ago (Score:4, Insightful)

      by RogueyWon ( 735973 ) * on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:43AM (#15213390) Journal
      It's not an April 1st. Right now, the only explanation I can think of which casts Nintendo as anything other than a bunch of utter muppets is that this is the first half of some multi-staga announcement, in which it's revealed, once the initial furore has died down, that "Wii" is either an acronym for something less stupid, or the start of a longer name. For this reason, I'm holding back right now, for fear of being made to look stupid later.

      However, I've commented on Nintendo's decade-old talent for self-destruction before, so it's entirely plausible that this is, in fact, nothing more than a really good example of them shooting themselves square in the foot again.
  • Please tell me it's April 1st in Japan. Nintendo Revolution was the perfect name. "Wii" (pronounced "wheeeeee!") sounds too stupid.
  • The Nintendo Willy?!

  • First Pun! (Score:5, Funny)

    by fm6 ( 162816 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:30AM (#15213222) Homepage Journal
    Wii not?!

  • Oh Good Lord (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Synesthesiatic ( 679680 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:31AM (#15213234) Homepage
    Wii Nintendo, Wii? Gotta say that's a very bad name. It doesn't make me think of video games at all, and opens itself to too many easy jokes (Wii Bother?). Maybe it sounds clever in Japanese, but I think the Revolution was a much better name for the console. But what do I know, I don't have a marketing degree or anything.
  • Very clever idea, but I'm not sure that it's the best choice of name, exactly. Wii is just a strange name, and has homonyms with bad connotations. Plus, get ready to cue the british pisstakes "Hey, that smells of wii!"

  • Terrible (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ender- ( 42944 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:32AM (#15213253) Homepage Journal
    Man that's just terrible. The name "Revolution" had a powerful feel behind it, which I think would have been useful in its marketing against the Xbox360 and the PS3. "Wii" sounds diminutive and powerless. I hope they reconsider. Somehow, saying 'Hey I'm going to go out and buy a Wii [we]' just doesn't have the ring of 'I'm going out to buy a Revolution!'.

    Maybe it's just mii though...
  • Wuuuuh?
  • Urine!
    No, I think you mean Wii.
    But I'm a big boy now...

    Seriously, this is possibley the stupidest name in console history, and that includes the Gizmondo.

    (Reference: This Flash animation [weebls-stuff.com])

  • wee... (Score:2, Funny)

    by sidb ( 530400 )
    My initial reaction: let the namecalling begin. Wii Nintendo Revolution becomes too easy an acronym. I can't be the only one to think of this.
  • Maybe Wii has some deep meaning in Japanese, but it is a fucking stupid name for the English market. Wii sounds like a word a child uses for piss or a comment on someone's penis size; either way it isn't good. This almost reminds me of a story I heard years back about how an American car company put out a car under the American name in South America that name sound like "junk", "broken" or something like that in spanish.

    Whatever the case, this is just a stupid move. It would be nice to think that people

  • The question now is... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Hannah E. Davis ( 870669 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:36AM (#15213307) Journal
    ... can we, as gamers, keep the name "Revolution" in use? I mean, Nintendo can officially change the name of the system, but they can't force people to actually call it that. I'd feel embarrassed asking for a Nintendo "Wii", but I have no problem buying a "Revolution"... so certainly hope that stores continue to recognize the previous name.

  • This goes a long way... (Score:5, Funny)

    by gEvil (beta) ( 945888 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:36AM (#15213310)
    This goes a long way to putting to rest all that crap about Nintendos only being made for kids...

  • Weeeeee! (Score:5, Funny)

    by spaztik ( 917859 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:37AM (#15213321)
    The first thing I though of upon hearing this name was the Gonads and Strife [funnyjunk.com] flash animation.

  • Japanese name only? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by revlayle ( 964221 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:42AM (#15213373)
    I wonder if the offical name for Europe and North America will be different? Much like NES and SNES was the Famicom and SuperFamicon (respectively) in Japan.

    Of course, back then, those systems were released in Japan first and the original Japanese names were never used as part of the marketing campaign in other parts of the world.

  • also announced (Score:5, Funny)

    by rayde ( 738949 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:42AM (#15213376) Homepage
    it will be released in 3 sizes to combat the 3 colors of PS3. these sizes are:

    Wii. Not so Wii. and FREAKIN HUGE.

  • "Touching is good...", "Wii-wii..." Oh My (Score:5, Funny)

    by AudioEfex ( 637163 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:43AM (#15213385)
    Just like the marketing guy who coined the "Touching is good..." slogan for the NDS, the guy who came up with this and thought it was clever needs to be a bit more in-touch (pun intended) with American culture.

    Just like parents thought twice about buying a product for their child that kept telling you how good it was to "touch", it's going to be hard for self-respecting gamers to ask for a "Wii". And God-help us when the 16-year-old behind the counter at Wal-Mart explains to the nervous parents how the NDS will interface with the Wii, so the product with the catch-phrase "Touching is good" can be used to interface with your..."Wii."

    I love Nintendo, and I think the new console is going to rock - but naming it "Wii" is like naming your kid Richard when your last name is Head; you're just gimping them unnecessarily from the start.

    AE

  • Super, 64, DS (Score:5, Funny)

    by uberjoe ( 726765 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:45AM (#15213415)
    So does this mean that all the games are going to be appended with Wii? Super Mario Wii, Zelda Wii, Metroid Wii? Or even worse Madden Wii? This has got to be the worst product name since the Kia Smegma.

  • I feel victimised (Score:5, Funny)

    by mccalli ( 323026 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:48AM (#15213446) Homepage
    This year, my Powerbook become a MacBook Pro and now my likely console upgrade has turned into wee.

    Was it something I said?

    Cheers,
    Ian

  • They could call it the Nintendo crap bucket, doesn't matter. I'm still getting one so I can play all those old Nintendo games.

  • That Said (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Rydia ( 556444 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:50AM (#15213476)
    People are overreacting to this. It may be a dumb name, but the majority of the population isn't going to instantly think "wee" and giggle, or worry about jokes on a playground. If anything, it'll get kids talking about it, and all publicity is good publicity. But the whining about the loss of the revolution name is a bit silly, people alternately saying that the masses are sheep for buying marketing while simultaneously talking about how they won't buy it because the name is so silly.

    Actual reaction will doubtlessly be in between.

    • Re:That Said (Score:5, Insightful)

      by iapetus ( 24050 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:21PM (#15213807) Homepage
      It may be a dumb name, but the majority of the population isn't going to instantly think "wee" and giggle

      I dispute this claim.

    • Re:That Said (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Daetrin ( 576516 )
      people alternately saying that the masses are sheep for buying marketing while simultaneously talking about how they won't buy it because the name is so silly.

      I haven't seen a lot of people saying that. My perspective is that i bought a GameCube, i thought it was lots of fun, i didn't mind that it was a small purple cube with a handle. Lots of other people however made fun of it for being a small purple cube with a handle, they made jokes about lunchboxes, they said it was kiddie, they went out and bought

    • I disagree this is a very bad name. Look at like this, are you really going to say "Lets go play some wii"? I'm mean seriously, wtf is nintendo thinking. They could of kept with tradition and just called it "super gamecube" or even used just used the code name "revolution" which is an actually a great name for a console. This ranks up with "ogg vorbis" in bad brand names. Brand names mean everything, look at "snakes on a plane", only reason it is popular is because of the name. Another good brand na

  • wii (Score:3, Funny)

    by drwiii ( 434 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:52AM (#15213490) Homepage
    I fully approve of this name, even if it is one 'i' short.

  • Nintendo Wtf? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kenshin ( 43036 ) <kenshin@lunarworks.3.14ca minus pi> on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:52AM (#15213497) Homepage
    I think "Nintendo Wtf" would have much more universal recognicion than "Nintendo Wii", because "Wtf" is what I think when I see that name.

    WTF?

  • I think people have the wrong idea.. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jonnythan ( 79727 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:52AM (#15213498)
    It's not that bad. Really.

    They clearly state that they intend to bring the video game system from "gamers" to "everyone else." "Everyone else" doesn't want an "X-Box" or a "Playstation" or a "Revolution" or a "Super Whiz-Bang Toy 2010." They want something simple, sophisticated, intuitive, and a little artsy. "Wii" fits the bill for that type of goal.

    I don't think the name is going to appeal to the gamer sect at all, but then again the gamer sect doesn't really give a shit about the name - they care about how cool the games are.

    Actually the gamers would probably buy any console if it said "Bad Ass Motherfucker" on it, but, barring that...
    • Actually the gamers would probably buy any console if it said "Bad Ass Motherfucker" on it, but, barring that...
      INT BEST BUY--DAY
      JULES
      Now, reach into that shopping cart and get my video game console.
      RINGO
      Which one is yours?
      JULES
      It's the one that says "Bad Mother Fucker".

  • DVD "attachment" (Score:3, Interesting)

    by DrXym ( 126579 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:54AM (#15213521)
    Seems kind of stupid. Aside from being a way to fleece people for the attachment, there is no reason it shouldn't be able to play DVDs out of the box.

  • Phrasing (Score:3, Funny)

    by omega9 ( 138280 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:59AM (#15213565)
    "I can't wait to get home and play with my Wii!"

    "Want to come over and play with my Wii?"

    "Will this run on my Wii?"

    I'm sorry, but I can't find the right way to incorprate the Wii into conversation.

  • Yeah! The Good News! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Shadow Wrought ( 586631 ) * <shadow DOT wrought AT gmail DOT com> on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:59AM (#15213568) Homepage Journal
    This is actually great news. See, every time Nintendo does something with a console, there is always one really stupid thing about it. With the wii (did I just really write that?) its the name that means that we can simply keep calling it the Revolution and it won't suck.

    Kudos to Nintendo for getting their stupidity out of their sytem early, and in a manner which won't affect the machines performance.

  • All I can say is... (Score:4, Funny)

    by abes ( 82351 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:05PM (#15213629) Homepage
    wii are not amused. It's going to cause all sorts of havoc asking for it.

    Me: Can I have a 'wii' please?
    Irish counter guy: A wee bit of what lad?
    Me: No, a wii. 'Wii you've heard of it, right?
    Irish guy: There'll be no sort of that behavior in this store sonny!

  • Hilarious (Score:4, Insightful)

    by realmolo ( 574068 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:05PM (#15213632)
    Seriously, that's the dumbest product name EVER.

    I have a feeling that it's not going to last. In Japan, maybe "Wii" doesn't sound ridiculous, but in English-speaking countries, it sounds stupid. I'm sure Nintendo of America is having a nice long talk with Nintendo of Japan right now.

  • What about Japanese? (Score:5, Funny)

    by tktk ( 540564 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:14PM (#15213733)
    Can someone fluent in Japanese tell me if Wii means something cool in the Japanese language?

    Please? I don't care if you have to lie.

    • Re:What about Japanese? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The "wii" sound is uncommon in Japanese; it doesn't mean anything.

      How come I cannot type katakana into slashdot comments? It just deletes it.

    • Re:What about Japanese? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Valdrax ( 32670 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:57PM (#15214267)
      The short answer is no.

      The longer answer is that Japanese obsoleted the "wi" sound many years ago, and the most common way of making similar sounds in loan words and sound effects is to use the two characters "u-i" instead. As there are no suriving Japanese words that start with "wi," unless there's some ancient meaning that only a classical language scholar would recognize, this is just nothing but a sound effect word, like "Wheee!"

      Oh. I just saw the bit about asking us to lie. Hmmm....

      Yes, "wii" is the way that nobles in the Sendai region used to say "ii" or "good." The use of ancient Sendai dialect evokes images of both the area's Tanabata festival and the legendary samurai Date Masamune. It is the spirit of big, brightly pastel colored floats and badass, one-eyed, moon-helmetted warlords that Nintendo seeks to evoke.
    • It's when a ninja is wailing on his guitar really hard.

  • Obligatory Monty Python Joke (Score:5, Funny)

    by metal slime ( 825519 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:23PM (#15213840)
    We are the systems that say "Wii!" Now I demand you bring me.....a mushroom!

  • Gollum (Score:5, Funny)

    by Stormwatch ( 703920 ) <rodrigogirao@ h o t m a il.com> on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:34PM (#15213991) Homepage
    Wii hates it, wii hates it, wii hates it for ever!

  • http://wiiwiiwii.ytmnd.com/ (Score:3, Insightful)

    by casualsax3 ( 875131 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @12:50PM (#15214172)
    My contribution

  • Wee (Score:3, Funny)

    by metamatic ( 202216 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @03:43PM (#15215752) Homepage Journal
    Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs.

    Surely a top-loading CD drive like the Jaguar toilet seat [answers.com] would be more appropriate?

    Congratulations, Nintendo. You're up against stiff competition, and we weren't sure you could pull it off; but with a branding decision like this, urine the running for sure. The guy who came up with this name must be a real whizz.

    No doubt there will be a shower of solid gold hit software--a veritable golden shower of games. You'll be flush with cash in no time.

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