Sonic Youth Gossip - nintendo revolution goes Wii

From Gamesarefun.com:

Posted by Richard Brownell at 12:34:46 PM EST on 4.27.2006.

Nintendo, in a surprise announcement today, finally revealed the name of their upcoming home console. Formerly known as Revolution, it will known be known as simply Wii. That is pronounced as "we" not "why?" or "weeeeeeeeeeee" though that last one might be the sound made by Nintendo investors jumping out the window after hearing this name.

Needless to say, with such a goofy name, we were a bit skeptical when hearing of this news. But it's real. You can see a video revealing it on the Nintendo of America site as well as the Nintendo of Japan site (no gameplay shown for the curious, although there were some "i"s shooting things and playing tennis).

Nintendo's message is this:

Introducing ... Wii.
As in "we."
While the codename "Revolution" expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.
Wii will break down the wall that separates video game players from everybody else.
Wii will put people more in touch with their games ... and each other. But you're probably asking: What does the name mean?
Wii sounds like "we," which emphasizes this console is for everyone.
Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.
Wii has a distinctive "ii" spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.
And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd.
So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.
Because, it's really not about you or me.
It's about Wii.
And together, Wii will change everything

What follows now is a brief (I promise) editorial on this change. If you are only here for the news, you've got it all.

Why the change?
So now you see that the name of the Revolution has been changed to a simple pun. Puns are great for quick corny jokes at parties and on greeting cards, but probably not the best for a product meant to appeal to millions (or billions). iGame would have been less cheesy.

And the pun doesn't end at Wii and we. The controller is no longer the "Revmote." It is now the "Wiimote." And when fanboys are looking to bash the system (as in GayCube instead of GameCube), they can now call it Wiitarded.

Nintendo had a lot of force behind the Revolution name, much as they did with the Nintendo DS. But they've opted to change the name, in what reaks of a decision by committee in the marketing dept trying to come up with "something witty" that should "appeal to the masses." I think they've come up with neither. I think Wii is a potentially confusing name that will simply provoke a lot of awkward conversations in game stores.

And I don't think it's too far fetched to see how similar it is to WWII. You wouldn't think a company from a country that tries to forget its part in such a war would come so close to naming a product after it. Take that image of Mario's face over the planet and add a "Wii" onto it. Just be careful not to hit the W twice.

In the end, sales and not editorials like this one will decide whether the name change was good. Or rather, perhaps sales will determine whether the name of the system even matters to begin with. The rest of GAF staff may not agree with me (listen to the next podcast to find out), but suffice it to say, I prefer "Revolution."