Is Wii a fake name?

[Crash]

There have been rumors about this. Since there is barely a week left before the big show, how many of you think this is a PR stunt to attract attention and discussion about the Revolution?

They did it with celda. Told us part 2 was cell shaded, and then hit us with a "realistic" version.

this is from the ign boards, but it makes alot of sense. short: The nintendo PR punked us all.

Since things are going crazy right about now, I thought I'd add to it.

Kotaku Article (excerpt below)
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/punkd/d...wii-170381.php
I spoke with branding company Igor International yesterday about Nintendo’s choice of Wii as the new name for their next-gen console.

During the interview Steve Manning became convinced that Nintendo had deliberately picked a bad name for the console and that it was, in fact, fake. Manning thinks that Nintendo is creating an enormous viral campaign by releasing a fake name and then coming back during E3 and announcing the real one.


Snark Hunting Article (excerpt below)
http://www.snarkhunting.com/2006/04/...-wii-brilliant
Crazy? Here is the first clue, “By letting the gaming community vent now about the name, they will be less distracted as launch titles for the system are announced and initial reports about what it’s like to play the games begin to come in.” Allowing your audience time to vent is not SOP in a name announcement, and also telegraphs that Nintendo knows what a stinker this name would be. Second, it’s not possible to engineer a worse name for this product.

Third, and this is a big one, there are no trademarks registered by Nintendo nor by any dummy corp in the U.S or over there for Wii. This is unprecedented for Nintendo and it is not possible that this is an oversight. If Wii were the name, they would have registered it. In fact, no new trademarks have been registered by Nintendo at all. This leads us to conclude that Nintendo has in fact registered the real name under a dummy corp, which is SOP when trying to keep a name a secret prior to launch.

Given that their video game audience is the same demographic as Punk’d, this whole campaign is perversely elegant. Except of course for failing to make the illusion complete by registering a TM for Wii.



So is Wii the real name and Nintendo does the typical (use carts, purple cube, create celda) or is this a very intelligent PR stunt to get more attention?

You decide.

[Typhoid]

I sort of think it's a PR stunt, now that you say it.
Because look, it got people talking about Nintendo's new system more than they already were.

It's like an actor who has a movie coming out will usually do something huge and unexpected close to the release, to get in the news.

[manasecret]

Clearly it's been a good PR stunt to name it Wii, but they're not changing the name. C'mon, accept it and move on.

You guys are really moving slowly through the ol' Kübler-Ross model of grief. Still stuck in denial.

There's no option to "Yes I think they're keeping the name Wii. <---note the period"

[GameMaster]

Nintendo never lies to their gaming family.

Wii welcome the name with open, loving arms. Won't you?

[Teuthida]

No, Nintendo just hates to have a product that's acceptable from every angle.

[DimHalo]

I think/hope it is a stunt. But if I am wrong, I will accept the name with open arms because it is still Nintendo and that's what matters.

Besides, I have a tendency to call all of my nintendo systems "Nintendo" so this one won't make much of a difference.

[Dyne]

From the very beginning I knew it was.

But we'll see.

[Teuthida]

I figure it's not because only in English does it sound bad.

Wii sound similar to "yes" in French, "how" in German, "good" in Japanese and "top" in Korean

And we all know how few English speakers play video games.

[Lucid Faia]

Is it just me, or was Revolution a really kick ass name for a console?

[Jonbo298]

I wouldn't mind if Ninty went and changed it to the Nintendo Rev. Just something shorter but people know what the full name is. Makes it seem less tacky when looking back 20 years from now :p

If the Wii name stayed, I'll still buy it. Just not enjoy the name as much :eyes:

[Fox 6]

All you're polling is broken dreams.

[MuGen]

All of the dispute about the name and the Rumor mill exploding about it being fake is just showing how much fans disapprove of the name whether or not they say They will get used to it or they willl accept it.

History has shown that a name is so much bigger than just a word... it's a brand. I don't think they named the shoe Nike for the hell of it because it's just a name. Thats why so much time is spent on naming. Because they want it to become a brand.

[Jason1]

I guess there is some decent evidence there, but I doubt it is a fake name. Mainly because its just so Nintendo to do the exact opposite of what would be good for them.

[Teuthida]

All of the dispute about the name and the Rumor mill exploding about it being fake is just showing how much fans disapprove of the name whether or not they say They will get used to it or they willl accept it.

History has shown that a name is so much bigger than just a word... it's a brand. I don't think they named the shoe Nike for the hell of it because it's just a name. Thats why so much time is spent on naming. Because they want it to become a brand.

Nike is much better in that respect. Ancient Greek god of victory. Over and done with.

Wii...well you see it sounds like "we" which is you and me and the i's are people playing a game and the W is from the sound a cat makes according to this one guy we know...

[Neo]

Unless Kaplan is straight-up lying then it is a real name. There was an article on IGN about this.

[Dyne]

Nike is much better in that respect. Ancient Greek god of victory. Over and done with.

Wii...well you see it sounds like "we" which is you and me and the i's are people playing a game and the W is from the sound a cat makes according to this one guy we know...

Exactly.

Can anyone think of brand names that are this awful though? All I can think of is Head, the sports company. Even though, it's powerful. It's more like "Man, today I'm going to go get some head." rather than "Man today I have to take a wee."

What if Sony renamed the PS3 the "Poopee". They might have a reasonable explanation for it, and they might get an A in marketing class for it (if the teacher has a sense of humour.) But Poopee is the most ****ing awful name you can think of. Wii is TOO. There is no denying this. It just has to be fake.

[KillerGremlin]

I just hope the Xbox360 or PS3 stands at E3 have something funny on their banners (do they have banners at E3), like, "now with less Wii."


Or, ""we-wii"" free. hahaha.

[The Duggler]

It's certainly not fake when it's posted by Nintendo.

[capablemachine]

PR stunt what garbage. He's an amazing idea. "Any news will make people talk about something more than they did before because, they have something to actually talk about."

Everytime they make some bad decision the same idiots chalk it up to some genious that only nintendo understands. It's so terrible it has to be part of some super clever plan.

[DarkMaster]

The name symbolizes the same half-witted thinking and "look we're different" approach that I've expected of Nintendo for the past few years now. I fully believe this to be the real name.


Also, think about what would appear more idiotic: Calling your new system Wii, or pretending to call your new system Wii to piss everyone off for a few weeks then reveal a name that only could be better than that one. "Lol, we was just kidding" Come on now.

[Teuthida]

Exactly.

Can anyone think of brand names that are this awful though? All I can think of is Head, the sports company. Even though, it's powerful. It's more like "Man, today I'm going to go get some head." rather than "Man today I have to take a wee."

What if Sony renamed the PS3 the "Poopee". They might have a reasonable explanation for it, and they might get an A in marketing class for it (if the teacher has a sense of humour.) But Poopee is the most ****ing awful name you can think of. Wii is TOO. There is no denying this. It just has to be fake.

To be fair, when I first overheard two kids mentioning "PlayStation" on the bus ride to middle school one day, I thought it a very childish name. The first thought to come to mind was a toy from PlaySkool for toddlers. To go from a name like Genesis to PlayStation, I didn't have high hopes for that system. Plus I had previously heard of Ultra (N) 64 and Saturn. But look which turned out to be the success. Though I doubt many had my original feelings about PlayStation.

A name becomes what the item is. Mustn't look at the product and name as separate entities.

[Dyne]

To be fair, when I first overheard two kids mentioning "PlayStation" on the bus ride to middle school one day, I thought it a very childish name. The first thought to come to mind was a toy from PlaySkool for toddlers. To go from a name like Genesis to PlayStation, I didn't have high hopes for that system. Plus I had previously heard of Ultra (N) 64 and Saturn. But look which turned out to be the success. Though I doubt many had my original feelings about PlayStation.

A name becomes what the item is. Mustn't look at the product and name as separate entities.

Seriously though, it could be PUUPSTATION.

Nintendo is just inviting criticism.

[Lucid Faia]

I don't think you can compare any console name to Wii. It's that bad.

[Teuthida]

Seriously though, it could be PUUPSTATION.

Nintendo is just inviting criticism.

Maybe they were thinking along the lines of something universal like chi, ki, ka, or om...and just screwed up.

[Fox 6]

Also, think about what would appear more idiotic: Calling your new system Wii, or pretending to call your new system Wii to piss everyone off for a few weeks then reveal a name that only could be better than that one. "Lol, wii were just kidding" Come on now.

Fixed.

[Professor S]

I don't know about the name. Its definitely different, but I don;t know if its necessarily bad. I didn't like the name Xbox 360 at all, and it seems as if the name was a success anyway.

The only real problem I have with it is the spelling. The two i's kind of make me have to pee when I look at it.

[Krypton]

I voted yes, just sounds weird..

[Perfect Stu]

You guys are really moving slowly through the ol' Kübler-Ross model of grief. Still stuck in denial.





http://arwen-undomiel.com/images/gollum/Gollum_not_listening.jpg

[Dyne]

http://arwen-undomiel.com/images/gollum/Gollum_not_listening.jpg

Owned by hotlinking.

[Crash]

I've moved on to the bargaining stage.

"Please God, I'll start going to church again, just don't let it be called WEEEEEEEEEE"

[DarkMaster]

We received some Pre-E3 media assets tonight of a Wii game. The game is called "_____ Wii" and is copyrighted as such, so unless the developers are lying to us too, or Nintendo is lying to them, I think we can safely say that this name is here to stay.

So embrace the Wii. :bowdown:

[MrCoffee]

at this point i dont know what to think, by the way the second article is wrong they have trademarks left right and center.

[Swan]

Do you think I could trademark Left, Right and Center?

[Typhoid]

YOu people are fools.

Blindly following word, and word only.


There is no wii.

Wii does not exist, wii is all in your head.

[GameMaster]

Just got an E3 Insider report. The next installment in the popular franchise, Super Smash Bros. is set for development on the Wii console. I can't much else but I will toss a clue your way:

Fist = Wii-troller

[Canyarion]

What a bad poll set up, I just answered the thread title "is Wii a fake name". So 1 less no and 1 more yes!

[Perfect Stu]

Owned by hotlinking.




http://arwen-undomiel.com/images/gollum/Gollum_not_listening.jpg

[Dyne]

http://arwen-undomiel.com/images/gollum/Gollum_not_listening.jpg

Still owned. ;) After refreshing and everything. It requires a copy/paste, which is the lowest end of the hierarchy.

[GameMaster]

Here it is.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/9517/gollumnotlistening1jv.th.jpg (http://img52.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gollumnotlistening1jv.jpg)

[Dyne]

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/9517/gollumnotlistening1jv.th.jpg (http://img52.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gollumnotlistening1jv.jpg)

And thumbnailed!

This image just has bad luck. Maybe it was never meant to be.

[GameMaster]

I just thumbnailed it to maintain the 'horizontal-ness' of my browser window.

I despise side scrolling!

[Dyne]

I just thumbnailed it to maintain the 'horizontal-ness' of my browser window.

I despise side scrolling!

I don't. :D

My mighty mouse lets me scroll anywhere. Bwahaha. And in any type of window. :)

[GameMaster]

I don't. :D

My mighty mouse lets me scroll anywhere. Bwahaha. And in any type of window. :)

Curses! You've foiled us again!

We'll get you one day, Inspector Gadget!

http://www.georgeaugustkoch.com/TV%20Shows/Inspector%20Gadget/Pictures/Claw2.jpg

[Lucid Faia]

Curses! You've foiled us again!

We'll get you one day, Inspector Gadget!

http://www.georgeaugustkoch.com/TV%20Shows/Inspector%20Gadget/Pictures/Claw2.jpg
That's the best post I've read in a while.

[manasecret]

Owned by hotlinking.


I don't get it. You owned who to the what now? The gollum picture comes up fine for me.... :confused:

[BreakABone]

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/wii-trademark-surfaces-naysayers-wiip/

Just took some time it seems

[GameMaster]

Would Crash like some fries with his pwnage, j/k ;)

[TheSlyMoogle]

*BUMP*

So how about it gaiz? Wii fake name or not?

[Angrist]

Rofl... Reading the title, I thought "How in the world is Wii a fake name? Whatever could Crash mean? Hey, Crash posted again!"

[Bube]

Rofl... Reading the title, I thought "How in the world is Wii a fake name? Whatever could Crash mean? Hey, Crash posted again!"
Haha, exact same thing happened here :D