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Nintendo UK Defends the Wii 123

Posted by Zonk from the shields-up dept.
GamesIndustry.biz is running a story defending the Wii from across the pond. Nintendo's UK boss David Yarnton has nothing but good words for the new name for the Revolution. From the article: "It's like any new name ... it takes a while to get established. I think that you'll find that in not even six months, in a short period of time, people will accept it; they won't be referring to Revolution or next-generation, it'll just be Wii."
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Nintendo UK Defends the Wii More

Nintendo UK Defends the Wii

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  • All I want (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ShadowsHawk ( 916454 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:27PM (#15263826)
    is to be able to try it out with my own two hands. I really don't care what it's called as long as it works and has great games.

    • Re:All I want (Score:1, Redundant)

      by LesPaul75 ( 571752 )
      Well, believe it or not, a really terrible name can have a big impact on how great the games are. If they had named it the "Nintendo Donkey Turd," that would have a pretty negative effect on the sales of the console. And game developers really just go where the money is. If they don't expect the Donkey Turd to sell very well, then they don't expect their game to sell very well on that platform. So having a crappy name and having great games aren't completely orthogonal issues.

      • Well, believe it or not, a really terrible name can have a big impact on how great the games are. If they had named it the "Nintendo Donkey Turd," that would have a pretty negative effect on the sales of the console. And game developers really just go where the money is. If they don't expect the Donkey Turd to sell very well, then they don't expect their game to sell very well on that platform. So having a crappy name and having great games aren't completely orthogonal issues.

        The name is not that bad but

      • If they had named it the "Nintendo Donkey Turd," that would have a pretty negative effect on the sales of the console.

        I don't know about everyone else, but I know I'd go out of my way to buy something called "Nintendo Donkey Turd" for the laugh factor alone. Never mind the unique controllers and a SSB launch title, just having a Donkey Turd on my entertainment center would kick ass.

  • People will get used to it.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by new_breed ( 569862 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:31PM (#15263863)
    ..OVer here in Holland, they started a new channel called 'Yorin'. First, everybody was laughing and calling it 'urine', but that joke soon got old, and now it's just another channel on TV. And I'm sure all these foaming-mouth discussions concerning Wii will die away in time as well.
    • Unfortunately, that's just the way it seems that marketing works. After a short while, a name is just a name, and doesn't elicit any reaction. However, if you can create an initial buzz around something by giving it a noticable name, then you've done a good job. It doesn't matter how stupid the name is. Eventually everyone just gets used to it...
    • Yup. It kind of sucks because the name is a homophone of very common words, but humans have long figured out what speech means based on sentence context (eg. I / eye / aye, you / ewe), and I'm sure we'll continue to be able to do so. (still, most of the gaming press seems to think the name is a distinct marketing mistake, but it's not the end of the world).
    • Names rapidly do just as you say. For example, I was married for some years to a woman named Virginia before I realized that, duh, I'd grown up on Virginia Avenue. She had to point it out to me, actually, on a visit home to my parents'. She noticed the sign.

      In the case of one of my kids, his name for a certain generation of people was reminiscent of a television character. When I first mentioned the kids' names, a whole bunch of people immediately made jokes about that... And it hasn't ever come up again.

    • The new network channel in the US combining WB and UPN was tentativley called CW. Basically because CBS and Warner Brothers cooperating on it. They thought of new ideas of what to call the new channel and did surveys. Basically they found out that it had enough recognition even before it aired and that people had gotten used to the name that there was no incentive to change it.

      Wii is getting that same recognition. And while the first response is, "What the heck?", people move on. Seriously, 'wee wee' d
    • I think thats the best outcome, let us get bored, adn problem's over.

      If I ran nintendo's marketing I would have a really edgy rude literal piss take of the name teaser tv adverts.to get peoples attention - and then let it die out. If they acknowledge the urine gags first in the advertising I only think it will help the system.

      We are a tiny subset of their audience to be honest, and a silly name will get them in everything from FHM to the Guardian - so it can only help them to be honest.

    • On the other hand, people still make Uranus jokes 225 years later :-(

      I sometimes wonder WTF Herschel was thinking. Either he thought it was a funny name, in which case naming a planet as a smutty joke seems a little childish, or he didn't think of it, which makes him seem pretty stupid.

    • This doesn't always happen. I'd guess that a weird word that has wide exposure has a good chance of just being absorbed into normal lingo.

      But a word that isn't widely known can fail to become widely known if it doesn't sound good. Case in point: when asked, all of my non-techie friends say that one of the main reasons they switched to Firefox was because it wasn't called Mozilla. And the reason I asked them was because I had an absolutely terrible time getting anyone to use something called Mozilla. (I

  • yesman (Score:2, Insightful)

    by lambent ( 234167 )
    Of course the head of Nintendo UK would say that. What else is he capable of even saying?

    "Well, frankly, I do in fact think the name sucks. They got their heads up their asses in marketing."

    No way.

    • Re:yesman (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Meagermanx ( 768421 )
      That's what I was thinking, too. A real news headline would be something like "Nintendo UK Speaks Out Against the Name 'Wii'"
    • Yeah, i'm not surprised that he's falling in with the party line, but he did let one thing slip that i can agree with...

      "Actually, it's not even a word"

      Too bad they keep insisting that we should go ahead and use it like one anyways though.

      and said that he expected people to have a very different perception of the Wii once they've played the device at E3.

      It's funny that Nintendo keeps saying that. They don't really seem to understand where i'm coming from. If i were lucky enough to get to go E3 and p

  • the problem with wii is that it requires certain intonation, you can't just shoot wii straight from the hip, it doesn't work. just like yahoo, the only correct way to say it is like in the commercial

  • Wii playable at E3? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Mr. Sketch ( 111112 ) <<moc.liamg> <ta> <hcteks.retsim>> on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:37PM (#15263909)
    From TFA:
    Yarnton encouraged commentators to "look beyond just the name, at the whole philosophy of what we're about," and said that he expected people to have a very different perception of the Wii once they've played the device at E3. [Emphasis mine]

    This makes it sound like there will be a Wii playable on the floor at E3. Other reports I've heard made it sound like it would only be playable by a few select people.
  • Steve Vai [amazon.com] is still not amused by the new name

  • Hasn't hurt their stock much (Score:3, Interesting)

    by antifoidulus ( 807088 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:40PM (#15263937) Homepage Journal
    NTDOY.PK has been increasing in value for the past week, it's up around $19.15 now, though that is probably due in part to the huge gains the yen has been making in the past 2 weeks.
    • I'd rather look at their other stock values. Such as NTDOF (currently at $153.57) and TYO:7974 (Their primary Tokyo Stock Exchange Entry) at 17,450.000 yen (which is basically the exact same price, give or take currency fluctuations). Nintendo is worth a lot more than $20 a share. They have more cash stockpiled than would be the value of their stock if it was only $20.

      Oh, in contrast, Sony Corp (TYO:6758) is only at 5550 yen.

  • Speaking of words.... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Mard ( 614649 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:44PM (#15263979)
    ...this guy sure used a lot of them, and managed to say nothing at all. I can't decide if the article was fluff because of the subject hoping to speak big from a small position, or if the people writing the article wishing they had some scoop, but working with their nothing instead.

    We've already begun calling it a "Wii" amongst my very excited friends, none of which could be considered Nintendo fanboys. The name doesn't matter, the Wii will be big, and this next round of Sony vs Nintendo may be the most exciting yet for us consumers. We'll get the best of both worlds: great and innovative gameplay from Nintendo, and stunning graphics with revolutionary technology from Sony. This is the first time that I'll be purchasing both next-gen systems upon release, regardless of what they're called.
    • ...the Wii will be big...

      That's either funny in a very juvenile sense, or quite the oxymoron, I can't decide which... :)

      But seriously, I fully agree... this round of the console wars is proving to be very exciting, (with the exception of Xbox360, which has not impressed me at all).

      If Nintendo can pull off an incredibly accurate motion-tracking system, and game developers can get creative enough with it, I think we'll truly see a home gaming Revolution.

  • Just to get this bad pun out of the way... (Score:4, Funny)

    by TooMuchEspressoGuy ( 763203 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:51PM (#15264058)
    Nintendo UK: "Wii think the name will catch on."

  • Still call it Nintendo (Score:3, Interesting)

    by strider2k ( 945409 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @01:57PM (#15264125) Homepage
    Amongst my friends and I, we call it "Wii". Amongst my FOB parents and FOB relatives, all video game products are called "Nintendo" with the exception of "Atari". Btw, the last game my parents played was Pac-Man on the Atari 2600. It requires no English skills, easy to learn, and fun for the whole family. With the remote style controller, I wouldn't need to explain how to play a game with my broken foreign language skills to my parents and/or relatives. FOB = Fresh Off the Boat (slang for immigrants coming from Asia to America)
    • FOB = Fresh Off the Boat (slang for immigrants coming from Asia to America)

      I think it's a little older than that. We don't even have boats like that anymore.
    • Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 [...] fun for the whole family
      Pac-Man on the 2600 was crap for the whole family! Atari released an unfinished prototype, and made more copies of the game than existing consoles. It was, deservedly, a commercial disaster.
    • Yeah, but you're Asian. Letters pretending to be pictures is normal for you.
    • If I remember correctly, the 2600 version of PacMan wasn't fun for ANYONE and only require the language skills needed to say

      "What the HELL!? this isn't fuckin' PacMan!"

      and what, you and your parents don't share a common language? that's kind of odd.
    • Well, when I ask my FOB roommates which is better Sony Playstation or X (with X referring to any other video game system), Sony always wins...

      It's got a good rep in Thailand anyway... one girl who used to live with me and has since gone home planned to buy a bunch of PS2s and set up a baang in her garage (in Thailand, obviously. I don't know the Thai word for baang.).

      My other roommates got a PS2 with EyeToy (after it was out a long time and they could get it cheap).

      Me? I have a GameCube. I hate Sony

    • I'm an ABC (American Born Chinese) and I speak some conversational Chinese to my parents. Mainly, it's common words. I don't think I can watch a Chinese Drama and understand the complicated love triangle and the various slangs and such. Imagine a 6th grade kid talking to their parents. That is how I think my Chinese language comprehension skills are at.

      In regards to Pac-Man, I really meant Ms. Pac Man. My fault for being lazy and not typing "Ms." but I just wanted to illustrate the point. Another game
  • "...they won't be referring to Revolution or next-generation, it'll just be Wii."

    Unless it fails, in which case it's just craap.

  • Effects of names always wear off (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Peter Cooper ( 660482 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @02:04PM (#15264187) Homepage Journal
    They're right. I remember hordes of people saying "Vista" was a stupid name for the next Microsoft OS, and I thought it was pretty stupid too, but now it doesn't seem out of the ordinary. What about "Virgin"? Pretty funny the first few times you hear it, but it soon takes on a life of its own.
    • "They're right. I remember hordes of people saying "Vista" was a stupid name for the next Microsoft OS, and I thought it was pretty stupid too, but now it doesn't seem out of the ordinary. What about "Virgin"? Pretty funny the first few times you hear it, but it soon takes on a life of its own."

      Best example: Dreamcast. The project name was "Katana". The names Genesis and Saturn were thought to be cool. Then, one day, Sega says "Ok, it'll be called... Dreaaaaaamcast". Along with this, the console turned w
      • Best example: Dreamcast. The project name was "Katana". The names Genesis and Saturn were thought to be cool. Then, one day, Sega says "Ok, it'll be called... Dreaaaaaamcast". Along with this, the console turned white, and the logo was just a swirl. The comments ranged from "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" to "I'm not going to buy anything that sounds like that!"

        Hmmm... I don't remember seeing Sega's entry for the next-gen. What's that? They don't make consoles anymore? People actually foll

        • I don't remember seeing Sega's entry for the next-gen. What's that?

          Xbox 360 [slashdot.org]. The Dreamcast, Xbox, and Xbox 360 have similar controllers, and all use stripped-down versions of the Microsoft Windows OS. (Dreamcast games could use Sega's KatanaOS or Microsoft's Windows CE, Xbox games use a customized Windows 2000 nicknamed Windows XB, and Xbox 360 games use a new version of Windows XB [windowsfordevices.com].)

          "Wii" just falls flat.

          Check your spam box for a solution to that. Wanna buy some Wiiagra?

  • Nintendo UK to world: (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 04, 2006 @02:17PM (#15264312)
    *thump thump thump*
    *thump thump thump*
    Wii will
    Wii will
    Rock you.
  • Nintendo Whey. 100% Pure lactoserum. Eat down three shovels each days after exercices with juice, milk or water in a mix.
  • People may get used to Wii but a good name wouldn't take any time at all to be accepted. People felt good about Revolution because actually meant something.

    Even then, it will probably only be a certain group of people who accept it. The same gamers who rejected the Gamecube as being a kid's system will likely continue to reject the new console, especially with this name. Furthermore, the average consumer with little knowledge of any console might be put off by the name. Perhaps the child-like nature of the
  • the fact that they have to "defend" the name and spend time explaining the meaning behind it shows that the name is bad.

    kinda like eating your mom's cooking with a fake smile when it tastes bad and you just have to lie not to get smacked in the head.

    if the name was good, there wouldn't be any need to "defend" it or try and "convince" people what it means.
    • "the fact that they have to "defend" the name and spend time explaining the meaning behind it shows that the name is bad."

      The fact that people are talking about the name means that it was successful in differentiating itself. Thanks to people like you, Nintendo's one press release has generated more brand/product awareness than a multi-million dollar ad at the Superbowl.

      "if the name was good, there wouldn't be any need to "defend" it or try and "convince" people what it means."

      If the name was like you're p

    • the fact that they have to "defend" the name and spend time explaining the meaning behind it shows that the name is bad.

      That's simply not true. If you want names that are self-explanatory, you end up with crap like "Microsoft". Almost no company or brand names are self-explanatory. iPod? Walkman? Centrino? Xbox? International Business Machines actually changed their name to something less obvious and doesn't use the obvious, non-abbreviated version of their name. Apple ain't very obvious, either.

      Besides

      • Besides, Wii gave Nintendo huge amounts of media presence where they can make the case for their new console. Seems like so far, the new name is working out spectacularly well for them.

        No, YOU gave Nintendo huge amounts of media presence.

      • media attention can be good if it's positive. but not if it's negative. you can't just say any media attention is good. when wendy's had a lawsuit with the finger in the chili their sales dropped tremendously. why? because it was BAD press. if the press said free chicken fingers for every combo meal at wendy's, that would be GOOD press. don't mistake one for the other.
        • media attention can be good if it's positive. but not if it's negative

          Wrong. Bad media attention is better than no media attention. People will sooner trust a brand with a bad reputation than a brand they know nothing about.

          Not that it matters. The media isn't reporting badly on the Wii. Most reports on the Wii have either been positive or funny. Only hardcore gamers seem to be genuinely upset. And they're not Nintendo's core audience anyway.

        • I seem to remember a huge campaign with a free junior frosty immediately thereafter boosting sales to above what it was before the incident...
      • That's simply not true.

        you do not understand that negative connotations of words can override the semantics of a word.

        in nintendo's case their mistake is that the western connotations of the word wii immediately overrides nintendo's marketing explanation for it.

        if your mom named you Ass and had to explain to everyone that it didn't mean anything bad and it stood for "A" for allright, "s" for super, "s" for sunny, people would think your mom is retarded. and that's what's happening to nintendo right now.

        • Uhm, did you read my post? It was about whether you had to explain the name. Not whether it had negative connotations.

          "western connotations"? Do you realize that not all "western countries" are english speaking?

          And even in english countries most people don't associate "we" with piss.

    • Someone might say that people online whining non stop might warrant a reply also..

  • A better headline: (Score:5, Funny)

    by Malor ( 3658 ) on Thursday May 04, 2006 @04:09PM (#15265258) Journal
    "Like it or not, Nintendo intends to shove Wii down your throat."
  • people will get used to it.
    i thought low of "xbox" when i first heard it. could MS get any more generic?
    not to mention "opteron" which i'm still not too fond of, but its not bad anymore.
  • They renamed the Nintendo Ultra 64 to just Nintendo 64. The name stuck for a long time. Many titles picked up the "ultra" name, and emulators that came out later also used Ultra. I suspect that Revolution/Wii will be refered to as Revolution for a long time coming, despite what Nintendo wants to call it. My biggest question though is "what the heck does it mean?" It seems like they went from a cool name that had purpose to a name that seems about as mysterious and awkward as the concept of the system i
  • and here in the north of England it is perfectly obvious that the new Nintendo Why Aye will be a great success.
  • Maybe those of us that despise the new name could call it the "Console formally known as the Revolution".... :)
  • While I agree that the jokes may die down across the internet eventually, that doesn't mean they and the name that spurned them won't create a lasting reaction that will hurt non-fanboy sales immensely. Nintendo already has to play a bit of catch up after this past generation, and they don't need to have more reasons for people to ignore their products. So I created a petition here http://www.petitiononline.com/revnowii/petition.ht ml [petitiononline.com] to ask Nintendo to change the name, if not to Revolution, to something be
  • This new name has generated much discussion, if shock and awe is the way to go then I say this marketing campaign has been a success at the grass roots level. Come the release of the Wii, every man and his dog will know the name.

    I think once again marketing departments have proved they are much craftier than their target audience give them credit for.
  • I don't think the "Wii" name is really going to be a problem in the UK. Everybody I know has always referred to the Gamecube as the "Gay Pube" anyway, due to its wonderful design and adult-oriented games. So frankly Wii is likely to be an improvement.

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