The Video Game Critic

Although I presently have no intentions of buying a next gen system, I was just reading some old EGM mags back when the Wii was called THE REVOLUTION.

It REALLY bugs me that they changed the name. I mean "REVOLUTION"
sounds like a cool, next gen, kick butt system. I DO understand the meaning behind"wii" as in "WE the people"...speacilizing both in two or more player games AND trying to get EVERYONE, including non-gamers interested...but they should have kept the REVOLUTION monikor or come up with a better name. I mean, what do YOU think of when you hear "Weeee!"? 1) A guys wee-wee 2) something small, tiny, insignifigant or 3) what people who drank too many beers or smoked one too many joints say-Wheeeee!

What does everyone else think?

Perhaps they changed it because although the control is revolutionary, the system's horesepower is not. Not suprised by the name change. Companies always give a system a code name which is rarely ever used as the final name. Examples are dolphin(gc), ultra64(n64) and even the atari 2600 was called stella at first.

[QUOTE=Alienblue]Although I presently have no intentions of buying a next gen system, I was just reading some old EGM mags back when the Wii was called THE REVOLUTION.

It REALLY bugs me that they changed the name. I mean "REVOLUTION"
sounds like a cool, next gen, kick butt system. I DO understand the meaning behind"wii" as in "WE the people"...speacilizing both in two or more player games AND trying to get EVERYONE, including non-gamers interested...but they should have kept the REVOLUTION monikor or come up with a better name. I mean, what do YOU think of when you hear "Weeee!"? 1) A guys wee-wee 2) something small, tiny, insignifigant or 3) what people who drank too many beers or smoked one too many joints say-Wheeeee!

What does everyone else think?[/QUOTE]

They found the name "Revolution" too combatative and intimidating for new gamers. If you're a non-gamer the idea that the product you want to play is so different it is a "revolution" makes it sound more difficult than inviting.

I would agree with Atari here. I think they made it more universal... especially to women and older folks. My wife loves this dam thing, and she had ZERO interest in video games before this. She actually woke me up today with the dam bowling game.
 
She went into the video game store today, and she looked at CARS, and some other kiddie game, and got excited about Cooking Mama & Mario Party (sigh). We can all say what we think about Cooking Mama and kiddie games, but the fact is my wife is willing to plop down $50 for some of that horsecrap and she was never in the market before. I think the name change helps.
 
They probably alienated Halo-boy or Devil May Cry-dude, but my wife, retired people, children's parents make a lot of $$$. I think it's gonna be another good console war.
 
Funk
 

Ok, I agree that "wii" (you know that LOOKS like it should be pronuched WHY!?") is attractice to women , OF COURSE! I mean, what I said back there- women like all 3 of those connotations, they get excited and shout WHEEE! (no sober guy would), they like cute little tiny "wee" things, and they of COURSE like um... a guys...a guys "WE's"! as in "WE ARE A TEAM HONEY!"

BUT...BUT!...Women are buying the DS like crazy too, and DS- Double Screen- is a good system name that alienates neither non-gamers or gamers! So maybe REVOLUTION is too strong, even
the Nintendo MS would be better (MS for motion sensor, it
COULD be "MS." for Missus, and you could whisper to hardcore
gamers "Psst-it really stands for Missle Strike!" Everybody
wins, nobody miss..es...er waiaminnit, lemee rethink this..

I liked the name change because it was a bold move. People were scratching their heads, which isn't always the best move, but it got everyone talking.
 
-Rob

It is because Wii is the most remembered new brand name of last year. Naming it the 'Wii' as opposed to something like the 'Super Gamecube' or 'Nintendo System Five' was a stroke of genius. http://www.namedevelopment.com/blog/archives/2007/03/wii_remembered.html

The real reason the name changed is because Nintendo wanted to make games based on system name recognition.  They knew that some people would hear the name and think "going to the bathroom", but they liked the name and went with it.

The reason they went with Wii is because they felt it was easy to remember and stuck with people.  Plus it has the double meaning and Nintendo wanted to stress playing games with other people.  We already have Wii Sports and Wiiplay.  Expect more Nintendo games to be named Wii "something".  Nintendo has been doing this since the Super Nintendo days and I understand the name change.

I read all this in an ign news article.  I will do some digging to see if I can find it.

It was their John Lennon "Glass Onion" / "Revolution #9" moment, too avant garde for their own good. I give them points for trying to come up with a name that doesn't sound like a kids toy, though.
 
I mean really, "X"-BOX! PLAY-Station! GAME-cube!
 
 People are getting used to it, so I guess it worked.

I thought that Gamecube was actually a decent name.