Wii are very amused

Stan Beer
Sunday, 30 April 2006 17:38

Your IT - Home IT

For the past three days I have resisted writing a single word about this new Nintendo game console, formerly code-named Revolution, which now goes by the new moniker Wii.

The thing that struck me though was not the name itself but the fuss it has generated. One would think that people who are interested in the games console market would have better things to do with their time than discuss the pros and cons of a name.

Not one word of speculation that I could find in preliminary searches has been spoken about the actual product under development. The only thing that seems to be important is the name itself. Just to put things in perspective, we are talking about a major new product that is going up against Xbox 360 and PS3! Who gives a damn about a name!?

Obviously Nintendo does. However, they must be laughing themselves silly at Nintendo HQ right now. The amount of free publicity they have received for simply coming up with an easily remembered three letter name is better than money in the bank. A few quick questions to gamers: do you remember the name of Nintendo’s upcoming console? Have you discussed it with your fellow gaming colleagues? Do you intend to be amongst the first to take a look at the first models that make an appearance at a gaming show? Have you come up with any silly jokes about the game with your friends – some plays on words like the title of this article perhaps?
We all know the answer to those questions, don’t we? Please accept my heartfelt admiration and congratulations Nintendo. What a fantastic name and marketing exercise. Everybody now knows about your upcoming product and is awaiting its release. And you did not need to spend a penny on advertising. The title of this article, on reflection, is probably not entirely correct. Wii are not only very amused but, in fact, Wii are very impressed.