Nobody likes the Nintendo Wii - The worst Console Name EVER ?

[Zeus]

I have yet to hear of anyone who likes the new name for the Nintend Wii. You can pronounce it as 'Whee' or 'We' or 'Weeeeeee', it doesn't matter how you say it, it just sounds like some crazy prank which will be confirmed a fake in a few hours. Unfortunately this isn't the case, the Vice president of Marketing at Nintendo has been quoted as saying a lot of thought went into the name. Click read more for some interesting whee (oops) tid bits from the marketing genious ;).


Pronounced like "we" (or "whee," I suppose), the name is meant to emphasize that "this console is for everyone," Nintendo said in a flash video which introduced the name change.

"The other systems have an extension of their current names; ours is a new leap to something different," Perrin Kaplan, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Nintendo of America, told me. "A lot of thought went into the name."

"Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak," the company said in its flash presentation of the name. "No confusion. No need to abbreviate."

The unusual spelling is meant to symbolize both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.

How that general audience will react to the name remains to be seen. The core gaming community is already making its opinion known – and it's a resounding thumbs down.

"Here, I'll do it: Worst console name ever," wrote Chris Remo, an editor at Shacknews.com, whose sentiments were immediately echoed by dozens of users. Forum members on Gamespot.com, IGN.com and other gaming sites expressed similar thoughts.

Kaplan said the criticism was not unexpected, given Wii's uniqueness.

"I think people have to look back and let it settle in," she said. "I'm sure people felt the same way when Google was named – or the iPod. Napster. Yahoo. There's a whole host of unusual names that have become a part of everyday conversation and I think they're viewed now as unique."


News Source: <A href="http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/27/commentary/game_over/nintendo/?cnn=yes" target="_blank">money.cnn.com</a>

[chukz]

LOL!!
"WIIIIIIIIIIII ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!" hahaha nice one zeus ^^

this wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill take some time to get used to...
if wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii can get used to saying it without sounding like 4 year old kids sliding down a water slide...

[enlightx]

walks into game store

hi there have you got the latest tony hawk game

what format ?

urghhh wii



well im never gonna buy a game in france now !

should of stuck with revolution or go me thinks name sucks

[FeistyGirl]

Same exact complaints were made about the following:

Gamecube
Dreamcast
NeoGeo
XBox
DS

And the list goes on, but eventually everyone comes to accept them... so piss and moan all you want to now, because in a year or two it will be a moot point...

[Rajveer]

im sure revolution would have sold more than wiiiiiiiiii?? amazing as nintendo are, they always do SOMETHING to each console...this could be revol...i mean wiiii's flaw

[Zeus]

walks into game store

hi there have you got the latest tony hawk game

what format ?

urghhh wii


I never even thought of this 'oui' in French will be pronounced the same as 'Wii'. The name is suitable in Asia I think, but it just doesn't make the cut in North America or Europe. Imagine, a big rugged USA trucker dude saying Nintendo 'Wheeeeee' it seems like a complete joke.

Sure it's a clever name if you think of all the interpretations, BUT part of the succes brand name is not just it's meaning but also how it's pronounced.

[chukz]

it will take some time though, like previous posts have mentioned (and i believe it was in the news article too) there are a lot of names that seem weird at first, but after a while they catch on...

example google.com ... a few years ago if i told you to "google" something, you'd think it was an insult... now it's practically part of the english language

while i'm sure the Wii may not share that same amount of success and name recognition, you can say that because it's so different, people will remember it more.

I guess Wii might be better than GameCube2 or GameCube(2*pi) ;P

[peppers]

^everybody hates internet buzz works like goggle or blog


alright internet nerds I think we must unite on this one we cannot let it be wii

I suggest a letter writing campaign both emails and real mail to Nintendo of America to get it through there head how stupid that is I suggest this because I do not think they will have a chance at a successful console with such a name and I want them to win

they do realized they are calling there console Urine, among other stupid things
and not to mention the annoying puns I already had to put up with it will just get worse as we go

let all go play with my wii

my sister realy wants a wii of her own to play with but sence she dose not have one I let her play with my wii

my wii is borken and I dont know what to do I usually play with my wii 4 or 5 times a day but today I keep pushing on it and pushing on it and it wont do anything

im going on a trip and im going to wii everywere in the world

I would like to report a theft of my wii I kept it on a shelf near a window and now the window is open and my wii is gone I did not think anyboady would want to steal my wii

[thePANICHIOteam]

Me and my friends are off to play with my wee, dont worry mum we'll wash our hands before tea. hmmm not really innovative is it. The name makes it seem like the console is wholly targeted for Asia. Surely they couldnt have assumed that western countries would like the name wii, it simply does not appeal to the western world.

I'm sure people felt the same way when Google was named – or the iPod. Napster. Yahoo.

hmmm i wouldnt compare those UNIQUE names to "wii". I mean NRV would probably have had people that didnt like it, but it would have stuck and been accepeted. It doesnt matter how it looks its how it sounds.

[Cyclone57]

Lol, wiiiiiiii are the champions.

This name is just so freaking gay, NOBODY likes it, Nintendo, change it while you can.

[shangrula]

i dont mind it.:cool:

[smudgeone]

This is what I call adding fuel to the fire. What the heck were those Nintendo guys thinking? I mean, I really can see this catching on as a brand name eventually, but no self-respecting hardcore gamer is going to say he is going to go home and play with is Wii. Isnt Wii a British slang word for urine? I'm sorry, but what the hell guys? I thought the Japanse word for 5 would have been an awesome name, "Nintendo 5", it had a ring to it.

As much as I love Nintendo games, this is really going too far. And as far as this reaction to other consoles names, no, this one takes the takes the cake, the cook and the entire bakery.

[mhz]

Definitely the worst console name ever, there's no doubt about it...

[BirthFromFire]

I can already imagine what the next southpark episode is going to be about!!!:rolleyes:

[chukz]

lol worst name? i don't know about that, I think 3D0 takes the cake for worst console name ever

this is very close behind though...

*edit* hehe if southpark make an episode about this... a videogame system named similar to male genitals (e-Nis) that would be hilarious...

[NeoNight]

I'd much rather the nintendo revolution as a name or even nintendo REV. Rev up your games.... or something I dunno.

[thePANICHIOteam]

i dont mind it.:cool: Talk about being in the minority:p

Well as long as the games arent a piece of wii we'll be happy.

[wiggim]

the gaming industry likes 3 letters.

xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Dual Screen or NDS, Playstation Portable or PSP, Nintendo Wii.

Personally, rev was much better name than wii, but I guess wii isn't going to be a nintendo revolution. Wonder how many opium sessions it took to come up with that.
Wildlife Institute of India is gonna be pissed if they are anything like the World Wildlife Fund, infringing on their abbriviation.

I like X better than W, cause W isn't a roman numeral... so I am dubbing this console nintendo 12.

[whorse]

well, as surprised as i may be, remember that most names were not taken seriously. Come on now, the first time i ever heard Xbox i was laughing.

Then, there is another point of view. Working for an advertising company that has a lot of balls, i can safely assume that this (and most) name(s) are CAREFULLY selected. You might be ignorant about it, but if you knew the slightest about branding strategies and what a brand really is and how the industry and people tread brands in their mind, and not just to their ears, you would be surprised.

Brand names and product names come after numerous meetings and brainstorming sessions just because the name and the logo have to communicate with the customers. Every time a customer sees a logo, he should remember what it is and what it means. If he does, then the marketing behind of this all is successful. It is quite clear for me why they chose this name and what it all means. And i guess it is quite clever too. Playstation and xbox are names totally related to games, in a bad way. While on the other hand, wii or we or call it as you like, looks far more promising to appeal to a broader audience. And i guess that anyone not getting a revolution because of its name is not a gamer at heart. Cause i dont give a **** what the console is going to be called eventually, cause the only thing that matters after you bought it is games.

[chukz]

i agree with all of what you said whorse

it will take some time for people to get used to it

and as you stated, if someone isn't going to buy this because the name, frankly that's just silly

you don't buy a console because of it's name, you buy it because what it can do...

[Cyphix]

And the name of a console matters.... why?

[Ozmasgirl]

:eek: Well if it isn't the worst name ever, thus far...it sure should be...
it's just totally ridiculous!
SIGH


lol worst name? i don't know about that, I think 3D0 takes the cake for worst console name ever

this is very close behind though...

*edit* hehe if southpark make an episode about this... a videogame system named similar to male genitals (e-Nis) that would be hilarious...

[nukleuzdj]

youll be able to wii against people accross the globe.... (the joke possibilities are endless)
perhaps its a dig at sony and M$, with their pissing contest?

[soulbwoy]

All the jokes about the wii name might be all part of the marketing strategy. Just think about all the off the wall french and piss, comical and unforgettable commercials nintendo could easily make to market the console. it would be like geico's gecko. the wii name might be a genius idea. you have to think outside of the box to have a revolution and thats what nintendo is doing. Right now names like 360 and ps3 seem lame. in the past i have doubted nintendo and the revolution project, but now i would bet money that the nintendo wii will win the next generation console war. The 360 and the ps3 will be all power and no substance all this hd and bluray **** is all hype. microsoft and sony are "hares" and nintendo is the "tortoise" and we all know the fable of the "tortoise and the hare".:)

[soulbwoy]

whorse i didn't read your post before i posted but now that i have i strongly agree with you. i think the idea of marketing strategy goes over people's head. consumers be getting pimped and don't realize it.:)

[kronikdaddy]

i think they should give it a differant name in the USA and EUR, they did it with famicom and super famicom in jap and nintendo/ super nintendo in usa. so maybe your letter wrighting campains should be aimed at changing the name in countrys where your gonna get beat up for owning something as lame sounding as Wii. think your ever going to see Dr. Dre and Snoop rapping about their Wii? are you ever going to see ppl in feature films playing with their Wii?

what about those poor nerdy kids in school who will be all excited about getting a new system and then they run to school saying "HEY EVERYBODY I GOT A Wii, WANNA PLAY WITH ME". i feel bad for those kids.

[Reset]

Im pretty sure im gonna call it what it is, A remote control. Never will i say pass the wii, but ill say pass the controller or pass the remote just like I always have.

They say its easy for all countrys, but I think wii is a little too japan centric for me.

edit: I thought just the controller was named wii, wow its the whole console. I think Nintendo needs to do another america euro rename for this one. Really I see how wii could work in japan. It fits right in with there other short punctuation words. But anywhere else in the world it just sounds stupid.

I dont care how stupid past names were. This takes the cake.

Im gonna pronounce it why. As in Nintendo why

[enlightx]

any one think this could just be a hoax on the part of nintendo to cause a bit of an uproar for E3

they are probs gonna have a big baner which says

Wii lied ! sorry

because i carn`t seem to find any regged sites to do with wii iv looked at wii.com nintendowii.com none of them are to nintendo or anything at all to do with games !

in my books its gonna suck if they have a gay ass website address

im imo its gonna change at E3

would be a big news story if it did lol (probs what they want)

[evlspcmk]

i gotta say im not loving the ehole Wii thing at all... NINTENDO Wiiiii did u name it something totally GAiiiiiiiiii

[florinsasu]

are Nintendo taking the piss?

[jpxdude]

I was in disbelief over the name at first...it's kind of like one of those names that instantly grabs attention, and allows one to instantly conjour up phallic symbols, lewd expressions and all sorts. The funny thing though, is I think that was the whole point to begin with. Market disruption...

I actually like the name, once it sinks in, it actually sounds right. I give it a couple of weeks, and I bet it'll sound natural to the majority.

bloody hell, to think xbox and ps sound any less ordinary :P

[cubenoob]

Here's wishing Nintendo the best of luck in the next-gen console wars, perhaps Mr Iwata & Co. will be singing 'wiiiiiiiiiii are the champions, wiiiiii are the champions' come the end of the next-gen war in a few years time.

I think this name was heavily inspired by songs of queen "wiiiiiiiii will wiiiiiiii will rock you" lol I nearly had to wii in my pants :D

As you all know how Nintendo is marketing their games like Mario 64 or Mario DS now its gonna be Mario wii, Zelda wii OMG you should really really consider renaming the system in Europe and North America like it was done with the SNES or Genesis/Mega Drive. Still Mega Drive and Famicom are 1000 X better names for a gaming console then wii

Edit: I cant help myself thinking that the theory of just creating a big buzz before E3 is true.

Hopefully we will hear something like "wii pwnt j00"

[Ozmasgirl]

Im pretty sure im gonna call it what it is, A remote control. Never will i say pass the wii, but ill say pass the controller or pass the remote just like I always have.

They say its easy for all countrys, but I think wii is a little too japan centric for me.

edit: I thought just the controller was named wii, wow its the whole console. I think Nintendo needs to do another america euro rename for this one. Really I see how wii could work in japan. It fits right in with there other short punctuation words. But anywhere else in the world it just sounds stupid.

I dont care how stupid past names were. This takes the cake.

Im gonna pronounce it why. As in Nintendo why

Perhaps a cultural and language conflict...regardless...I maintain...
it's plain and simple....RIDICULOUS!:mad: :eek:

[The Bat]

I have a few more tidbits for this thread. First off, any name which requires an explanation as to how it's pronounced (Whi? Why? We? Wee?) is a poor start. Microsoft probably chose XBox because "X marks the spot", with the XBox being the box where that spot is. 360 came from gaming which seemingly surrounds the player, which can go in all directions, and including everybody. PlayStation, Dreamcast, Gameboy, Game Cube, and other console names are somewhat evident about what they mean and how they're pronounced -- without a preceding explanation.

And as someone else pointed out, naming a console after the act of urinating or after male genitalia is not very bright. Do you really want people to snicker at whatever product you're trying to promote as a "must have"? The idea of adults wandering into retail outlets and telling the clerk "I'd like to take a Wii" or "what do you have for my Wii" would be common fodder among standup comics and in school yards in several continents.

And I am by no means fluent in Japanese. But Wii, and the official pronounciation of it, doesn't seem to have an existing meaning in Japanese. A freeware program called JWPCE is an excellent tool for learning the language, with fairly extensive dictionaries available for it, and the word has no meaning. The same goes for the shortened version "Wi". babelfish.altavista.com also can't find any possible wordplay involved, which would be impossible to do anyways considering the short length of the word.

I hope that, as others have suggested, it at least gets a name change for Europe and North America.

[Rajveer]

after hearing madden wii on ign, and ign changing the site name to wii not revolution, its kinda grown on me. i think i may be starting to liking it!

p.s. assuming you pronounce it "why" not "wee" and disregard the fact that you could be meaning why...

[NeoNight]

wiiiiiiiiiii \o/! !!!!!!m