Nintendo: Why Ask Wii? [Apr 27, 2006, 3:09 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Nintendo names
new video game console Wii. Why Wii? Because It's pronounced "we." Why? Who
knows, though
CNN
Money has a Q&A on the topic. Here's the announcement:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd (7974.OS) on Thursday said it has named its new video game console "Wii, which it said is pronounced "we" to emphasize that the console is for everyone.
The console up until now has been known by its code-name "Revolution."
"While the code-name Revolution expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer," spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan told Reuters.
Nintendo, best known for its Game Boy portable video players, aims to gain share in the $25 billion global video game market now dominated by Sony Corp. (6758.T)
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) launched its next-generation Xbox 360 console late last year and Sony's new PlayStation 3 is due in November. Wii also is expected to hit store shelves later this year.
While the new consoles from Microsoft and Sony boast more power and high-definition graphics, Nintendo's goal is to roll out a machine that appeals to a broader audience than the young males who make up the traditional console gaming market.
A key feature of the Wii is its one-handed controller that looks like a television remote control and uses motion-detection sensors that allow players to control the game by wielding it like a sword, waving it like a conductor's baton, or swinging it like a baseball bat.
I wonder how successful this thing will be. The Gamecube had an awful start and was removed by many UK retailers (Dixons, Argos) due to very poor sales before a significant price drop ignited an interest in them. I just can't take this console seriously... you're meant to wave around a remote controller to a console called "Wii", or "Wee" as it shall become known. Don't get me wrong, tilt sensors are cool but it just seems they were trying too hard to make it different without realising that most games are best played the original way - this is another sign that there will be few games released and there'll be a reliance on 1st party games, something that has hurt their past consoles.
What does Wii say to a regular person? Absolutely fuck all. Heck, it could be said as "Wee" or "Why" or, slightly less likely, as "W2". Publishing a forty page essay on the reasoning behind the name isn't going to help casual browsers that just see the term "Wii". It's just another mindless set of letters thrown at them in an increasingly buzz-word orientated society.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Emotinomicon: Emoticons of the Dead
What does Wii say to a regular person? Absolutely fuck all. Heck, it could be said as "Wee" or "Why" or, slightly less likely, as "W2". Publishing a forty page essay on the reasoning behind the name isn't going to help casual browsers that just see the term "Wii". It's just another mindless set of letters thrown at them in an increasingly buzz-word orientated society.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Emotinomicon: Emoticons of the Dead
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Date
Subject
Author
Copyright © 1996-2024 Stephen Heaslip. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy. Manage Cookie Settings.
News CGI copyright © 1999-2024 James "furn" Furness & Blue's News. All rights reserved.
Chatbear v1.5.0/blue++: Page generated 9 October 2024, 19:27.