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27 Apr 2006
The Revolution now has a name. Say hello to the Nintendo Wii. Pronounced "wee". Ugh. If it didn't immediately evoke potty jokes, it wouldn't be such a bad name.
Some discussion and coverage: Revolution Fanboy, IGN, Joystiq, MetaFilter.
Update 28 April: Brian pointed out this great oped over at GameLife. My favorite point: "Of course, I expect the Internet to brim over with toilet humor; that is what the Internet is for. But the Internet is not real life. They've already proven this in a variety of ways related to Nintendo product announcements. Remember the almost universal outpouring of disdain following the announcement of the Nintendo DS? Nintendogs?"
Update 1 May: First mentioned to me by my dad, the theory that "Wii" is a fake name has become somewhat of a dull roar on the Internet. The theory is simultaneously ridiculous and enticing. Or is it just wishful thinking? If Nintendo changed the name at E3, would it be perceived as giving into pressure as Sony has with just about all of the PS3's design? I suppose it gives us one more thing to think about between now and next Tuesday at 9:30am.
Robert C. Kalajian Jr. says:
It’s a pretty bad name, though Nintendo did a good job with their little flash animation. I stand behind everything Wii stands for, but man what a wee wee name.
Bizarro says:
I hate people, I think it’s a good name. One syllable, 3 characters, simple, concise.
I think it’s hopeless to think that people wont make fun of it ever. You’d have to have stupid boring names like “Playstation ” in order to have people not make fun of it. At least it isn’t really dumb like “Super Gamecube” or “Nintendo 256″.
Bizarro says:
Hmm.. apparently I’m allowed to have tags in there, let’s try this again:
“Playstation [n]”
Also, why can’t I preview, you’re dumb.
Chris says:
I remember everyone complained about the the PlayStation’s name when it was announced. People are just fickle.
GeoffDaddy says:
I saw an article today, pointed to on Digg, saying that they think it is a joke, and that the real name will be annouced at E3. The biggest reason they say is that the name “Wii” has not been registered by Nintendo, either here or in Japan, as a trademark.
Plutor says:
That’s an interesting theory, but I don’t think it’s too likely. A two-week-long joke announcement? That doesn’t sound like Nintendo to me.