Nintendo UK Defends the Wii 123
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."
All I want (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:All I want (Score:1, Redundant)
Re:All I want (Score:2)
The name is not that bad but
Re:All I want (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:All I want (Score:1)
Re:All I want (Score:1)
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)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
Worked for my children, anyway (Score:2)
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.
Re:Worked for my children, anyway (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Worked for my children, anyway (Score:2)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
Wii is getting that same recognition. And while the first response is, "What the heck?", people move on. Seriously, 'wee wee' d
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
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.
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
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.
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:1)
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
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:1)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:1)
I hypothesize that next, someone is going to reach through our screens and slap us with a wet fish until we have thoughts only of Nintendo's Wii.
You must be American (Score:2)
This may surprise you, but people in other countries actually learn and regularly speak languages other than their own, especially english. :-)
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:1, Informative)
Plus, there are so many shared words between the two languages, that there is every chance that a word in English will be the same or similar in Dutch.
Re:People will get used to it.. (Score:2)
At least in the UK we have a fine long standing tradition of toilet humour (or, to quote the Baron von Richtoffen, it's the basis for our entire culture), and the name "Wii" will likely condemn the console to an early grave due to the mass peurility that seems to be present in almost all non-formal media. Which is a shame.
HAVE YOU NOT BEEN ONLINE??? (Score:3, Insightful)
No. (Score:2)
And while I may have been making fun of the name, that really is something they should've considered. Throw in "Revolution", "Xbox", "PS3" or "GameCube" into those sentences instead of "Wii" and it would've sounded fine.
Or do you think gamers will completely change both their mindset and the way they talk just because of the Wii?
I doubt there's many gamers out there who don't laugh at the name.
As for my karma. . . what
yesman (Score:2, Insightful)
"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)
Re:yesman (Score:2)
"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
Re:yesman (Score:2)
still don't get it. what was wrong with Moo? (Score:1)
Wii playable at E3? (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:Wii playable at E3? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Wii playable at E3? (Score:1)
In a related story, (Score:2)
and in other news, (Score:1)
Hasn't hurt their stock much (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Hasn't hurt their stock much (Score:2)
Oh, in contrast, Sony Corp (TYO:6758) is only at 5550 yen.
Speaking of words.... (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:Speaking of words.... (Score:1)
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)
Re:Just to get this bad pun out of the way... (Score:2)
Re:I don't get it (Score:1)
Still call it Nintendo (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Still call it Nintendo (Score:2)
I think it's a little older than that. We don't even have boats like that anymore.
Re:Still call it Nintendo (Score:2)
Re:Still call it Nintendo (Score:2)
Re:Still call it Nintendo (Score:2)
"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.
Re:Still call it Nintendo (Score:1)
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
Re:Still call it Nintendo (Score:1)
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
not wii (Score:1)
Unless it fails, in which case it's just craap.
Effects of names always wear off (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Effects of names always wear off (Score:2)
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
Re:Effects of names always wear off (Score:2)
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
Dreamcast 360 (Score:1)
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?
Re:Effects of names always wear off (Score:2)
Nah. A stupid joke is a stupid joke. Sorry, can't blame this one on fanboyism.
Nintendo UK to world: (Score:4, Funny)
*thump thump thump*
Wii will
Wii will
Rock you.
Re:Nintendo UK to world: (Score:2)
Wii will
Rock you.
Seriously, that's awesome. I had my doubts about the name, but that actually works damn well. Nintendo should so use that.
Re:Nintendo UK to world: (Score:3, Funny)
Strongest console name ever! (Score:1)
I'm skeptical. (Score:2)
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
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:1)
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:2)
I guarantee that most people have only ever heard or said "a Wii" in two cases:
1. after the words "I'm gonna go take" (wee, synonym for piss)
2. immediately before a noun that the speaker wished to designate as small (wee, the adjective)
What a joke.
Wii *is* smaller than the Piss 3 (Score:2)
after the words "I'm gonna go take" (wee, synonym for piss)
Mario: "I gotta use the toilet."
Luigi: "I gotta take-a me a p--s too."
Yet you don't see too many people calling the PS2 the "Piss 2".
immediately before a noun that the speaker wished to designate as small (wee, the adjective)
Wii is smaller than the Xbox 360 and PS3 [ps3grill.com].
Re:I'm skeptical. (Score:1)
But slashdot won't be slashdot without all the +5 Funny posts.
this just shows the name is bad (Score:1)
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.
Re:this just shows the name is bad (Score:2)
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
Almost no names are obvious (Score:2)
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
Re:Almost no names are obvious (Score:2)
No, YOU gave Nintendo huge amounts of media presence.
Re:Almost no names are obvious (Score:1)
Re:Almost no names are obvious (Score:2)
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.
Re:Almost no names are obvious (Score:1)
Re:Almost no names are obvious (Score:1)
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.
Re:Almost no names are obvious (Score:2)
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.
Or, one could look at the outcry from nerds.. (Score:2)
Just wait for Super Mario Wii! (Score:1, Funny)
A better headline: (Score:5, Funny)
this too shall pass (Score:1)
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.
What About Nintendo 64? (Score:1)
Department of Names is in Newcastle (Score:2)
Hmmm (Score:1)
Sign the Petition!!!!! (Score:1)
Publicity Gold (Score:1)
I think once again marketing departments have proved they are much craftier than their target audience give them credit for.
Name won't matter in the UK (Score:1)
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Brits like it? (Score:2)
Here in Tucson, there used to be a restaurant named "Wee Went Wongs".
There's also a restaurant called "The Cock Asian" (The Caucasian.. get it?)
and another restaurant called "Cluck U Chicken".. but that got closed down due to underage drinking.
Re:Brits like it? (Score:4, Informative)
It's how it fits in a sentence. You can't use a posessive adjective with "we". Nor can you use articles. You can't say "a we" or "the we" or "some we".
Its similarity in sound to the first person plural pronoun actually makes the name even worse. It's why English speakers seem so apt to take it as "wee", since its place in relation to other words makes it sound like that.
Look:
"My wii" doesn't sound like "my we", but rather like "my wee", because if you take "wee" in the sense of urine then at least it's a noun that can take a posessive adjective, and if you take it as an adjective meaning "small" then it just sounds like you dropped a word off the end of the sentence, which, while odd, is still less odd than "My we", which is just awful.
This is also a problem when it's the subject of a sentence.
"Wii is the name of Nintendo's new game console"
"We is"? Huh? Wrong verb conjugation. Sounds broken. "Wee is"? Oh, urine is? Or are you saying that Nintendo has chosen a small name for their new console, without telling us what that name is?
THIS NAME BLOWS.
Nintendo must be hiring the same marketting dumbasses as Coke is. "Oh, 'Blak' is pronounced 'Black', of course, except that in preview pics of the bottles we had a pronounciation mark over that 'a' indicating that it should be pronounced long, so it would sound like "Blake", mostly because we though it looked cool. Oh, and because we're total dipshits who somehow managed to get a degree in a field in which communication is vital without ever setting foot in an English class."
Re:Brits like it? (Score:1)
Every forum I visit that is either about games, or has an off-topic area has at least one thread laughing at the name. We all (well, maybe 99.9999% of us from the UK) think it's a load of wii.
Re:Why didn't they call it the Nii ? (Score:4, Funny)
Aaahh! No more!
No, no, no! (Score:1)
Re:The Revolution Petition (Score:1)