Lawrence.com

My reviewers and I wanted to share a little of what wii think about this potentially wiik console name. I'll get the last word.

Kevin

You're seriously kidding, right? Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!Within the Nintendo gaming community, I don't think it really impacts perception at all. Nintendo fans will buy Nintendo products, no matter what. Within the rest of the gaming community, I think Nintendo just made themselves the laughingstock of the gaming community for at least the next few months, possibly longer. I think we might see a bit of backlash at E3 in a few weeks.I can see many non-gamers not even giving this system the time of day now. Honestly, the spelling "Wii" is going to be more confusing than anything. People wanting to buy it will be calling it the "why-eye" or the "Why" and it just will create more confusion. I might be wrong though and this could be the most brilliant marketing move since the iPod. But I highly doubt that...this is Nintendo we're talking about here and this change obviously shows that they can't just let something be "cool." The "Wii" name definitely does not help their "kiddie" image with casuals and non-gamers at all, either.I just can't seem to swallow Nintendo's Wii.

Trevan

I had been away from an Internet connection all day, so the first time I heard about Nintendo's announcement was when Matt told me at about 11:30 p.m. My initial remark was "what the fuck." Any hope that Nintendo had of fighting off their "just for kids" image has been flushed down the toilet. The Revolution was a good name. It represented what Nintendo hoped to accomplish with their new console: raising the level of user interaction, making games that got the casual gamer involved and creating an online community that appealed to young and old, novice and expert alike. This encapsulating name has been replaced by the sound a child makes on the merry-go-round.But what about other console names? Xbox? Playstation? Are these any better? I don't think so. I think the only difference is that both of these systems are established, they have a rapport with users and developers alike. With that in mind I don't think the name will turn developers off from the console-as long as it's a viable system that makes money. As much as we like to think of video games as a new art form, it's still a business just like the film or music industry. If the Wii gets caught in the same kiddie demographic as the Cube then I imagine it will experience the same sort of poor third party support and delayed in-house development as the last two Nintendo systems. In the end it comes down to this first wave of launch titles and the first generation of games that follow them. Developers signed contracts with Nintendo before the name was announced, whether they were aware of the final name isn't certain, but if they make quality, innovative games for the system then people will want it no matter what it's called. Well, it's definitely easy to remember. The amount of negative press the name's receiving certainly will help get people familiar with it. I mean, right now the topic among most gamers with E3 less than a month away isn't Sony's fall lineup or the speculation over PS3 costs nor is it Xbox 360's second generation of titles or the next Halo game-it's the name of Nintendo's new console. That said, the system does lend itself to mispronunciations especially for those unfamiliar like soccer moms or hapless dads. I imagine they'll simply call it "Nintendo" since that's the blanket term parents have used for video games since the dawn of time. Also it's the cheapest of the three consoles so that could factor in for the thrifty parents and gamers. Is the name stupid? That goes without saying, but if the games are sweet it could be called the Iwata Gamebox Go! for all I care, I'd still buy it.

Dan

Yesterday (like so many other days), I woke up to a call from Matt."They officially re-named the Revolution," he said."To what?" I replied."The 'wii.' Like W-I-I."I most likely babbled something incoherently in my half-asleep stupor and went back to bed. Hours later, I woke up and thought to myself "Wait...did Matt call me and say the Revolution was renamed the 'Wii,' or was that just a dream? Had to be a dream, that name is way too stupid." Upon waking up and getting on the internet, however, I was shocked to find out that it wasn't a dream. The Revolution was now the Wii. I attempted to process this information in my head, but it didn't do much good. I went to the official site, read the explanation, read the internet reaction, etc.The "Wii."I'm sorry, I have to come straight out and admit it. The name is stupid. All those idiots that gave the Gamecube shit for being "Barney's purple lunchbox" are gonna have a field day with the Wii. It sounds ridiculous, and - although I may hate to admit it - it may drive some casual gamers away from a possible purchase. I LOVED the name "Revolution." It was simple and (more importantly) appropriate. The system will introduce an entirely new control scheme and gaming experience to the world of gaming. Hence, a Revolution.Revolution makes sense.Wii does not. Then again, I can't think of a single gaming system whose name I immediately accepted and loved. I hated that they changed "Ultra 64" to "Nintendo 64" at first, but learned to love it. I was pissed that they changed the "Katana" to the significantly less-cool "Dreamcast," but again, I ended up accepting it.Time will tell if I'll embrace the name "Wii." Then again, that doesn't mean that I'd be against an 11th-hour name change.

Andrew

What are they thinking? My first thought was "you have got to be joking me, that can't be seriously the name." I couldn't believe it. Then when I found out it was pronounced "we" I about cried I was laughing so hard at the sheer ridiculousness of the name. I had no problem saying to myself "Dumbest. Name. Ever."The reaction within the gaming community will be completely polar. On one side will be the die-hard Nintendo fans and those who think anything new is great, but on the other side will be people who think that the name is juvenile and a mistake. There will be no in between or compromise because the name has no relation to anything else and is completely off the wall. In the end though, the gaming community will be more concerned with the games than the title. The name change will possibly have a huge impact on sales. When parents go buy their kids something for Christmas or a birthday or whatever they try to find things that are flashy and "cool." But a name that has no inherent meaning (due to the intentional misspelling) isn't bound to catch an untrained eye. Throw on that the fact that children are probably not going to be attracted to the console that isn't as powerful as the Playstation3 or Xbox 360, and non-gamer sales could be pretty low. However, if the console is priced correctly then it may do fairly well because even silly names will sell at low prices. The name though won't effect a dedicated gamer's purchase because he won't care and will worry more about the games. Most people are going to wish Nintendo stuck with Revolution, especially at a time when video games need nominal validity. I think video gaming is at a cross roads right now; it can either become a massive mover and shaker in society or it can remain a niche activity for the "gamers." The industry has noticed a slowing trend in sales this past year and consumers have become unsatisfied with the quality of games being produced. For the gaming industry to take the next step it must project a unified front of professionalism and maturity. However, this cannot be done if some people decide that their "originality" is more important than the industry's health. I like the controller idea and welcome that change, but I do not believe that Nintendo (or Sony or Microsoft or anyone else) has the right to go out of their way to be so different they seem standoff-ish. With this name change Nintendo has essentially said "We really don't care that the industry is attempting to grow up and develop continuity, we are more concerned with just being different." This attitude will not benefit the whole industry in the end. I will give it props for being slightly more professional than the ill-fated Gizmondo. Furthermore, the name has little to no reflection on the concept behind the console. "Wii" means nothing, and it especially doesn't indicate any new style of gaming or presentation. "Revolution" at least provided the player/consumer with an idea of what they were getting. Throw on that the fact that there has been no real indication of how this new console will break any gaming barriers that the other consoles haven't and "Wii" makes even less sense. If it isn't obvious, I'm not a fan of the name. I really want the console to do well and succeed because of the innovative controller design (I plan on buying the "console previously known as the Revolution" near launch), but that does not mean I have to like the name. For the record, I also don't like the name Xbox 360 when compared to the project name Xenon.

Chris

Wow. I've had the "Wii" on the mind a lot today so I will say it again. Wow.I've been giving Nintendo a lot of praise lately for making a lot of really good decisions, which just had to come back and bite mii in the butt at some point. If nothing else, we should all accept some of the blame for this. Wii all wanted a good, more creative name for their new platform other than a new twist on the word Nintendo or a literal description of the hardware like Gamecube. Wii should have known that this would happen. So in the grand scheme of things you sii, this just makes sense. Like most gamers it seems, the name left mii perplexed and unsure of what I really thought about it. My first reaction was that it wasn't that bad. It is certainly creative and unlike anything that you might have expected from Nintendo, which is essentially what the hardware is supposed to bii. After some time, however, I began to doubt my initial assessment of the name. I'm sure Nintendo figured that a console that is as different and unique as the "Wii" is going to bii, deserves a name with similar attributes. In that light, they succeeded. The real question is, at what cost. If there is one image that Nintendo has fostered in the last decade or so, it has been that Nintendo makes kids games. They've become the, "console for your little brother" company. Of course us adults love their stuff too, but sii, wii are growing up. Wii want more mature, non-kiddie games and wii won't wait forever. The quality of Nintendo's products have not declined over the years, they still make good games, but each new generation of Nintendo hardware has brought a nearly 50% decline in market share so it's really surprising that they haven't learned this lesson. The "Wii" is meant to revolutionize gaming big way and could be a new start for Nintendo. Going with such a cutesy name could really threaten their chances of doing that with an increasingly mature gaming public.If anything this new name will get people talking. It will be very hard to get used to a lot of the everyday gaming conversations that take place in game stores like, "I'd like to get Game X for the Nintendo Wii" or "Will this be coming to the Wii this year?" or "Wii can kick PS3's ass" and what not. I think I spent half the day today thinking of a few dozen "Wii" relate jokes. Indeed, "Wii" jokes will be plentiful. TThe bottom line is that it's going to be a great platform that we are all super excited for. E3 this year is going to be a blast and not just because I'm going, but because we'll all get to learn what Nintendo's new hardware can really do. Realistically, if the name ends up being the only issue that we can complain about when the hardware launches later this year, then Nintendo will probably have a winner on their hands. With that said, I could care less about the darn thing's screwy name. Bring me the games!WWWWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii I say. Wii.

Matt

Initially, I defended it. I even went so far as to say "I like it." But now I fully know yesterday's reaction was like getting dumped and telling the girl "No, it's okay. Thanks for being up front" when in reality it is NOT okay and inside you are furious.Today I am nothing short of dumbfounded.I feel used and a little led astray by the name actually. For the past year, Nintendo has given us die-hard fans tremendous evidence to argue that the Revolution would be such a change in gaming that the lack of horsepower wouldn't be an issue. We believed - and we started getting non-fans and the casual gamer to agree. The big N gave us more evidence that the console would be sleek, the games would be cutting edge insomuch that the kiddie image would finally start to go away. We believed and we started getting non-fans and the casual gamer to agree with that as well.Just when you think Nintendo is finally back in a respectable seat of innovation, they show us their Wii.The internet was and still is ablaze with hatred and jokes. You don't even have to be in a joking mood regular conversations with the name Wii sound comical and totally stupid.And that's the rub. Yeah Xbox and PlayStation were boring names. But after we got used to them, neither of them would be confused with urine or a phallicious appendage. No, I am not trying to be funny or sophomoric about the name; I don't have to be. That's the point. And this very point has the potential to be a retail nightmare. Forget that no one will immediately get what Wii is when they see the logo. Think about the broader problem. Just start imagining the poorly-informed Target employee trying to explain to Sally Soccer Mom that her son would love a Wii.Again, I'm not trying to be comical.I think the name is one of two things only: The most retardedly brilliant name to get people to react strongly or just plain marketing suicide. I think you know which option I'm leaning toward.All this does is put an even BIGGER burden on Nintendo to deliver the most mind-blowing software immediately. I do believe that games define the name. But with a name like Wii, Nintendo now has a mountain instead of a mole hill to climb.Or, maybe I'm completely wrong and after E3 no one will care. Thank God we didn't learn about the name there. It would've clouded the entire week. We can get it all out beforehand.