[Barto]

I know I'd buy a Nintendo Vagina.

[Luca]

That's VAGiNA.

[turbulentfurball]

Which bring up the question:

Are the ports for the controllers male or female?

[Luca]

WTF are you talking about? Of course they're female. Other than the old PC serial port, what male ports have you ever seen?

[turbulentfurball]

I know that

I was attempting, and obviously failing at humour. I'll go back under my rock now

[Luca]

That's okay, I was a jerk. I'll go back under my own rock

[Mugge]

Contollers:

Obviously male.

Console:

Originally Posted by Brad Wii == Wee == Penis. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wee_wee and note the redirect)

The highest authority at AN, says that they are male.

So, I think a PVP quote is appropriate now:

[billybobsky]

Originally Posted by turbulentfurball I know that I was attempting, and obviously failing at humour. I'll go back under my rock now

Originally Posted by Luca That's okay, I was a jerk. I'll go back under my own rock

*billybobsky wonders if they are the same rock*

[Mugge]

Originally Posted by billybobsky *billybobsky wonders if they are the same rock*

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[wecallitfall]

a someone who plays the guiat is a guitar player

so does that make someone who likes the Wii a Wiiner?

[ghoti]

I have a student named Dong. Dong. There's another one named Wang. Is it their fault that their Chinese names sound like colloquial English words for body parts?

I pointed out that Johnny Depp's name means "idiot" in German. Is that his fault? Should people in Germany ridicule him for that?

When will this discussion leave the level of 12-year-olds? When will the stupid "gay" remarks stop (not just in this thread)? Doesn't this all strike you as a bit childish?

[turbulentfurball]

Originally Posted by ghoti When will the stupid "gay" remarks stop (not just in this thread)?

I couldn't agree more. I find them offensive.

[Luca]

ghoti, you sure you weren't trying to post in the "Most Unfortunate Names" thread? If so I will gladly move your post.

What you fail to realize is that this is a product that Nintendo will be trying to sell in the US. Names for people have nothing to do with product names. Products don't get emotionally scarred if you change their name. Products are meant to appeal to as many people as possible and their name is a very important part of that.

Would the respectable Depp family have changed their surname to make their son more marketable in Germany and Austria? Of course not. The Revolution/Wii, though, is a product, and Nintendo can call it whatever they want. That they chose "Wii" over all the other options is surprisingly dumb.

I should also point out that the language barrier is no longer a legitimate excuse for embarrassing Japanese-conceived names. In the 80s, Mitsubishi released a car called the Pajero, which means "wanker" in Spanish. They also made one called the "Starion," which is assumed to be a mis-translation of "Stallion" stemming from the difficulty the Japanese have with pronouncing L sounds (even though Mitsubishi claimed otherwise). I'm sure there are other examples of poorly translated marketing Engrish, but they are largely a thing of the past now with the global economy and the internet. You'd think Nintendo would be clued-in enough to Western culture to know that "Wii" is a pretty shitty name for... well, anything you're trying to sell.

[alcimedes]

Dunno, the left half looks a bit female to me.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by Luca ghoti, you sure you weren't trying to post in the "Most Unfortunate Names" thread? If so I will gladly move your post. What you fail to realize is that this is a product that Nintendo will be trying to sell in the US. Names for people have nothing to do with product names. Products don't get emotionally scarred if you change their name. Products are meant to appeal to as many people as possible and their name is a very important part of that. Would the respectable Depp family have changed their surname to make their son more marketable in Germany and Austria? Of course not. The Revolution/Wii, though, is a product, and Nintendo can call it whatever they want. That they chose "Wii" over all the other options is surprisingly dumb. I should also point out that the language barrier is no longer a legitimate excuse for embarrassing Japanese-conceived names. In the 80s, Mitsubishi released a car called the Pajero, which means "wanker" in Spanish. They also made one called the "Starion," which is assumed to be a mis-translation of "Stallion" stemming from the difficulty the Japanese have with pronouncing L sounds (even though Mitsubishi claimed otherwise). I'm sure there are other examples of poorly translated marketing Engrish, but they are largely a thing of the past now with the global economy and the internet. You'd think Nintendo would be clued-in enough to Western culture to know that "Wii" is a pretty shitty name for... well, anything you're trying to sell.

Yea, the Chevy Nova comes to mind. Had terrible sales in some countries because "No Va" translates as "No Go". Who wants to buy a car that doesn't go anywhere? It's kinda like buying a mobil home that ... never mind.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by Barto I know I'd buy a Nintendo Vagina.

See, this will bring in the non-gamers!

[Luca]

http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp

Not so much. It's an urban legend. Apparently it actually sold quite well in Spanish-speaking markets.

The Starion and Pajero are listed in Snopes as well. The status of those is "undetermined," though, since no one in the company has ever actually come out and said, "Yes, we had a little Engrish problem." They just claimed that Starion was a combination of "Star" and "Orion."

[kieran]

Originally Posted by alcimedes Dunno, the left half looks a bit female to me.

Maybe it's a he-she? or a shim? or a hermaphrodite? (which I hear Jamie Lee Curtis is)

[ghoti]

Luca, I posted this in the right thread. I was referencing the name thread, which works the same way. And over in that thread, I tried to point out that this game can be played in other languages too.

It's all in the eye of the beholder. This is not about what the name means, what it stands for, what it evokes. It's what people interpret into it. And for some reason, nobody here seems to be able to think of anything other than reproductive organs. Since most people here are over 12, I'm expecting a bit more. A bunch of jokes, fine. But three pages of jokes that would embarass a teenager?

There's a nice article, btw, that also takes issue with that. And he also has a few good arguments why this is a good name. It sounds like oui (yes) in French, for example. And it's not marketed to 12-year-olds, but to people who make their own money. Hence the name, and hence the lack of concern with those connotations.

[Luca]

I guess you don't read Penny Arcade or other gamer-centric webcomics. The gaming demographic (the average age of which I have heard is 22) responds to crude, silly humor. And when Nintendo releases a product called the "Wii," well, they walked right into this one.

Just look at the posts we have here... they seem pretty immature, but who cares? They're funny! And at age 21, I'm fairly young compared to many people here.

[ghoti]

I do read Penny Arcade (but no other gaming comics), because they have some very cool absurd ideas. I don't care much for their extremely news-centric comics, because those just lose their appeal within weeks, and get completely incomprehensible after a year.

Originally Posted by Luca I guess you don't read Penny Arcade or other gamer-centric webcomics. The gaming demographic (the average age of which I have heard is 22) responds to crude, silly humor. And when Nintendo releases a product called the "Wii," well, they walked right into this one.

Here's a quote from the article I linked to above:

Still, the core gamers are anxious to be appeased. Not just name-wise, but content-wise. Nintendo's gently patting the Internet on the head and telling them that it will be alright, but all the while they're pushing hard in the opposite direction. Nintendo has decided that if they had to choose, they would choose the vast market of non-gamers and not the smaller market of core gamers. [...] The Internet likes to complain, but they don't call the shots. Nintendo knew the reaction it would get. That's why they unveiled it now, not at E3. At E3, the focus will be back squarely on the games. And they'll still be amazing.

[Luca]

Originally Posted by ghoti I do read Penny Arcade (but no other gaming comics), because they have some very cool absurd ideas. I don't care much for their extremely news-centric comics, because those just lose their appeal within weeks, and get completely incomprehensible after a year.

That's why they archive their news posts. I have to say, though, that PA's news-centric comics are funnier than the ones put forth by lesser-known webcomics. VGCats, for example, is extremely hit-or-miss (and it doesn't help that you only get 2-3 new strips a month). Many of the strips require that you have played a particular game long enough and have been through a certain part of it already, and they don't make sense otherwise.

I do generally agree with the sentiments expressed in the article you quoted.

Still, the core gamers are anxious to be appeased. Not just name-wise, but content-wise. Nintendo's gently patting the Internet on the head and telling them that it will be alright, but all the while they're pushing hard in the opposite direction. Nintendo has decided that if they had to choose, they would choose the vast market of non-gamers and not the smaller market of core gamers. [...] The Internet likes to complain, but they don't call the shots. Nintendo knew the reaction it would get. That's why they unveiled it now, not at E3. At E3, the focus will be back squarely on the games. And they'll still be amazing.

It's true. Gamers hate the name, but as Tycho at PA pointed out, the argument has largely taken the same form as every other internet war ever. Everyone is overdramatizing what is, in the end, a small issue. A few Nintendo fanboys are desperately trying to come up with a few reasons why the name is good, and Sony/MS fanboys are taking the opportunity to bash Nintendo in the same way they always have. The same thing happens whenever Apple releases a new product... you have some people evangelizing about how great it is, while others are quick to complain or even throw some angsty fit in which they vow never to buy another Mac.

Wii is still a shitty name though. It always will be. There's no getting around it. People may get used to it but they'll never say "Hey, Wii actually sounds pretty good now!"

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Wrao It is not supposed to sound like a game console. The concept of a game console is alienating to people, immediately when you talk about video games and game consoles and stuff people think of unproductive nerds being anti-social. Nintendo is trying to change that conception, by giving people a system that anyone can easily sit down and enjoy in a way that doesn't require them to learn a bunch of buttons and rules and systems. That is their strategy, for better or worse, and the name fits perfectly with that strategy. They might fail, so be it, that doesn't change the effectiveness of the name, it does exactly what it is trying to do. As for it being a childhood euphemism for urine. Who cares? honestly, who uses that? and again who cares? Do you really want to sit around cracking piss jokes? Also, people are trying to connote it to be phallic, but it isn't. The 'insults' people are applying to it are pointless and trivial with no weight in anything that matters. Nintendo knows this, they are not stupid. There is a lot more to the marketing and sales world than appealing to a bunch of impossible to satisfy nerds. Nintendo is not aiming for the so-called 'hardcore' gamer market, which is a niche within a niche, and the people they are aiming for aren't going to get hung up over something as trivial as the name Wii. It's fun to make jokes about it, I have been doing it too, but if you seriously think that this name is going to make or break the system, or that anyone other than hardcore gamer nerds on the internet actually care, you're fooling yourself.

I agree.

It's not supposed to sound like a video game console. I've been telling people all along that "Revolution" won't be the final name - it's not friendly enough for the system. And as much as I wanted them to name it the NES2, I knew that they wouldn't, because abbreviations aren't friendly, either. I actually figured they'd try to make up a name.

I like "Wii," although I agree that how Nintendo markets the Wii is going to be very important. It's simple, friendly, catchy, and - most of all - unique.

It's not "Gamecube" or "PlayStation" or "Xbox" or [Game-related-term]+[Object]. It's something, for the first time in a long time, totally new.

And, Luca, if you'd honestly let the "coolness" of the name dictate whether or not you will drop $200 for one, well...I don't know what to say.

I think it's kinda sad how many of us claim to "Think Different," yet how paranoid we seem to be of "different."

[Luca]

Originally Posted by Roboman And, Luca, if you'd honestly let the "coolness" of the name dictate whether or not you will drop $200 for one, well...I don't know what to say.

I'm not honestly going to go from really wanting one to really not wanting one just because of the name. Still, I would at least hesitate slightly before buying one.

Also, it's the same thing as people who refuse to buy an Xbox because they don't like Windows and they're both made by the same company. At least, I see it that way. I love my Xbox and I don't care who made it.

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by Luca Wii is still a shitty name though. It always will be. There's no getting around it. People may get used to it but they'll never say "Hey, Wii actually sounds pretty good now!"

At least you're leaving room for opinions and discussion.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Roboman It's not supposed to sound like a video game console.

If it's not a video game console, what is it? Or is the name supposed to have nothing to do with the product?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Luca It's true. Gamers hate the name, but as Tycho at PA pointed out, the argument has largely taken the same form as every other internet war ever. Everyone is overdramatizing what is, in the end, a small issue. A few Nintendo fanboys are desperately trying to come up with a few reasons why the name is good, and Sony/MS fanboys are taking the opportunity to bash Nintendo in the same way they always have. The same thing happens whenever Apple releases a new product... you have some people evangelizing about how great it is, while others are quick to complain or even throw some angsty fit in which they vow never to buy another Mac.

Agreed. You seem to have come to your senses.

Originally Posted by Luca Wii is still a shitty name though. It always will be. There's no getting around it. People may get used to it but they'll never say "Hey, Wii actually sounds pretty good now!"

I wouldn't say it's a shitty name. I would say it's a polarizing name. Those who "get it" will love it, but those who don't (who will probably be in the majority) will hate it. Is Nintendo smart for picking such a polarizing name? Who knows.

Of course, even if it's a lame name, it could still make a good brand. Why do you think Nintendo chose a nonsense word?

Look at iPod. I think most of us would agree - or at least, we would have agreed in 2001, when the iPod was first introduced - that "iPod" is a pretty ridiculous name for a product. I think if people ever stopped and thought about it, they'd think "iPod" was ridiculous too. But they don't stop and think about it. It's a powerful brand.

Nintendo's goal is obviously to get people to associate games with "Wii," just like they associate music with "iPod," DVRs with "TiVo," processors with "Pentium," and searching with "Google" - all nonsense names.

EDIT: 2,000!

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Brad If it's not a video game console, what is it? Or is the name supposed to have nothing to do with the product?

Correction: It's not supposed to sound like any video game console ever before.

Nintendo is trying to get rid of the public's perception of video games. They're aiming this thing at everybody. They want video games to finally become an accepted form of entertainment - as common as DVD players.

Current video game console names aren't really appealing to, say, my mom. By making the Wii not sound like a game console, they hope to make people realize that it's not a game console in the traditional sense. It doesn't have ten buttons and two sticks on the controller to worry about. It's not "Super" or "Turbo" or "Advanced" or "Extreme" or "2" or "360." It's just...Wii.

[Luca]

Originally Posted by Roboman Nintendo's goal is obviously to get people to associate games with "Wii," just like they associate music with "iPod," DVRs with "TiVo," processors with "Pentium," and searching with "Google" - all nonsense names.

The difference being that iPod contains the word "Pod," which could refer to a sort of high-tech gadget of unknown capabilities (not to mention the lowercase i prefix, a staple of Apple products), "TiVo" sounds like TV, "Pentium" sounds like a rare element, and "Google" is an alternate spelling for a gigantic number. "Wii" sounds either like the aforementioned childhood euphamism for urine, or like something small and weak. None of those other names conjure up such feelings for me. Maybe it's because I'm already familiar with those names. Then again, when Microsoft announced that "Longhorn" would be called "Vista," I didn't really hate the Vista name.

"Wii" has an entirely negative connotation for me, regardless of the context. Those other words are a lot better. I think I agree there could have been better names than "Revolution." Perhaps it's too generic, especially since MS went with Xbox "360." But "Wii" is a purely negative connotation in my mind. There are no redeeming factors for it at all.

[Wrao]

OMG The PS3 is like Pees 3... sony is retarded.