Topic: Is the Name Really That Bad?

[Chozo Ghost]

I hated the name "Wii" so since this follows the same convention would be make sense for me to hate it as well.  I actually think it is awkward to pronounce.  "Whee-yoo" does not really roll off the tongue... unless you're Japanese which kind of reveals the likely source of the name to begin with.

I think that makes sense. There seem to be a lot of Japanese words which end in a U (Ninjutsu, Nunchuku, Pikachu, etc.) To them the name probably seems natural and they don't see anything wrong with it.

[Minsc]

I'm all ready used to Wii U, it won't be a problem.  In all seriousness, people won't be calling it the Wii U.  People are lazy.

Here's what I called the consoles over the years.

Nintendo Entertainment System - The NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System - The SNES
Nintendo 64 - The 64 (or N64)
Playstation 2 - PS2
The GameCube - The Cube
The Xbox 360 - The 360

Out of laziness, The Wii U - The U

The U sounds fine to me.

[Chocobo_Rider]

@Chozo Ghost

Actually, I think nearly every single about that conference EXCEPT the name shows they very much want to appease the """hardcore""".

Which one were you watching? Microsoft's? =P

I actually think it is awkward to pronounce.  "Whee-yoo" does not really roll off the tongue... unless you're Japanese which kind of reveals the likely source of the name to begin with.

Agreed 100%.

Out of laziness, The Wii U - The U

The U sounds fine to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1zTpPEXNGQ

[Adrock]

Didn't stop people who owned the "Nintendo Entertainment System" from buying the "Super Nintendo Entertainment System." Nor Playstation 1, 2, or 3.

I addressed this in other topics. Hardcore gamers won't have a problem distinguishing between the two. Never have and never will. It's everyone else, including and especially casual gamers, that Nintendo should be concerned about.

[Mop it up]

Since there wasn't much at all shown about the system then there isn't much to talk about other than the terrible name, that's part of the problem. This doesn't seem so bad here, everyone complained about it when it was revealed but now they've mostly moved on to discussions about everything else. When this thing is about to release I doubt we'll hear any more about it.

Though it really is a truly awful name, for the reasons mentioned here. I can't say I'm surprised they came up with something worse, though I, personally, had no issue with the name Wii. The Wii already had the aforementioned issue with the image-conscious consumer, and now the Wii U has the issue of sounding too similar to the previous product. So the name is horrible not because it sounds stupid, but because of these problems.

I've seen and heard members of the gaming media, who really should be above this kind of thing, spending far too much time talking about the name of the system, at the expense of discussion about aspects that actually matter.

This kind of thing has been going on for five years now, so I certainly didn't expect it to be any different now.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Now I wish I had actually started working on that pic of an ambulance racing to the scene of an accident while making the weeooh weeooh weeooh sound.

seemed like too much work for a GIMP novice like myself.

I like to put some smoking out the back tires but that's beyond me right this sec and I really should be working.  The Ambulance is from Macross.

if you could replace the sirens with the gifs too, that would be perfect.

You meant the Spinning Sirens?  I don't know how to do that off the top of me head and keep the spinning.

You gotta create layers and each frame of the spinning siren would get it's own frame.

I technically know how to do it, but it takes me forever to do anything as I am teaching myself the program.

[ShyGuy]

hahahaha where is that picture of Jon Lovitz from?

[Adrock]

The Wedding Singer

[Chozo Ghost]

You should find a way to make that ambulance lift up off the ground and then blast off into the future just like that back to the future gif. It would also be cool if the Wii-Us coming out the top could be animated along with it.

[Kytim89]

I am still holding out hope that Nintendo revealed this name just to test the audience and the real name is something more seriuous that will encourage hardcore gamers to buy the system like "Super Wii." When I hear that I think Super Saiyan Goku or something.

[Chocobo_Rider]

I am still holding out hope that Nintendo revealed this name just to test the audience and the real name is something more seriuous that will encourage hardcore gamers to buy the system like "Super Wii." When I hear that I think Super Saiyan Goku or something.

Eff the """hardcore""" gamers, a new name would make many of US happy pandas.

[Adrock]

The brand confusion problems with WiiU still apply to Super Wii. What the **** is a "Super Wii?" Think about the Motion Plus/Wii Remote Plus. These adjectives like "super" or "plus" don't necessarily make you think of something separate. They make you think of something additional, as in for the Wii instead of newer than the Wii or the next Wii.

You understand what "Super Wii" means because you play videogames. My neighbor who doesn't play videogames has no idea what that means and that's why naming it WiiU or Super Wii or Wii HD is potentially a problem. Not sure I'm explaining this well, but I tried.

[Chozo Ghost]

Anything with Wii was a bad idea. That brand name should have been dropped. And before you say they can't drop it due to its popularity, need I point out they did indeed drop the Gameboy brand?

[Mop it up]

Nintendo didn't drop the Game Boy brand after only one generation. It wasn't until they created a handheld that attempted something completely different from what the Game Boy brand was all about that they decided to leave the name behind and create a whole new brand. The Wii U may be a new system, but it is still building on the Wii and Wii controllers are a primary input for it, or at least are for multiplayer games.

[BlkPaladin]

After 15 years, and three major and various minor revisions and one offshoot. They are doing the same thing with the DS, which in it first major revision is the 3DS. The only system that doesn't fit the bill is the Gamecube which was their least popular home console. (The VirtualBoy is the offshoot)

Someone brought up that if they just called it the Wii 2 there wouldn't of been such a reaction because of somewhat expecting it. But just like the Wii name they will get over it.

[Adrock]

Nintendo didn't drop the Game Boy brand after only one generation. It wasn't until they created a handheld that attempted something completely different from what the Game Boy brand was all about that they decided to leave the name behind and create a whole new brand. The Wii U may be a new system, but it is still building on the Wii and Wii controllers are a primary input for it, or at least are for multiplayer games.

One could argue that WiiU is completely different by the definition you provided of Gameboy to DS. A the same time, one could argue that DS was just building on the Gameboy with the touch screen and microphone. Point being, it's too difficult to quantify the effect the changes had to each piece of hardware.

With keeping the Wii brand, Wii 2 would have been the safest bet and even that isn't idiot-proof (mostly because nothing is). Personally, I don't think Wii 2 is a better sounding name than WiiU. It's not about the name sounding stupid; it's about the name defining something.

[Kytim89]

Wii 2 sounds better than WiiU

[BlkPaladin]

It could of been possible to change the name. But with the current way they are setting things up with the multiplayer so dependent on Wii controllers it wouldn't been a sensible move marketing wise.

[Mop it up]

One could argue that WiiU is completely different by the definition you provided of Gameboy to DS. At the same time, one could argue that DS was just building on the Gameboy with the touch screen and microphone.

The goal with the DS was to expand the market, whereas the goal with the Wii U seems pretty much the same as the goal with the Wii, just a better way to go about it.

[Oblivion]

Actually, I think the goal of the Wii U is to do what the Wii couldn't: appeal to all types of gamers. Hence the name.

[Mop it up]

Except that was the goal of the Wii, Nintendo just didn't understand what it would take to accomplish it.

[Adrock]

I'm confused. So if the Wii didn't accomplish that goal that means they would have to change their strategy, hence the tablet controller. And wouldn't that mean Nintendo is doing something different even if the goal remains the same? Using that logic, if they're doing something different, why should they stick with a name that was part of a strategy that failed? That would be counterproductive. Right? Ugh, my head hurts.........

[NintendoFanboy]

im a nintendo fanboy they could call it a turd if they wanted and make it brown and lumppy.
i'd buy it. but the snobbish HD crowd sees Wii(anything) as kiddy mass market
Shovel ware crap console.
 They had to break away from the Wii name, and didnt.
The hardcore, will not buy a add on hard drive( i dont mind) or put up with SD cards.
and will never buy a Wii.
 When the hard core game stop selling in the beginning of its life cycle, and
they quit making the Dark siders II or Ninja Gaiden games, we Nintendo fans will
 be left with a Wii HD and have to buy a 360x2 or Ps4 to get the other games.
Im so over the multiconsole gaming,
So it matters because they want the hardcore but tell the hardcore, Look at out
Kiddy/ family friendly stuff.
 wont happen, but im excited and like i say i welcome the Turd HD.   

[BeautifulShy]

I guess I will chime in on this. For me the system name isn't that important in the big picture. I mean it isn't like we are playing a system because of the name. We are gamers and the games are the things that should matter much for a system. I mean how many here has bought a system based on the systems name? If anybody answers yes then well I really don't get your train of thought. I mean for games themselves isn't the most important thing is the content in the game itself. Look beyond the name and at the ideas and content that the Wii U can have.

[pololmejor]

Has anyone thought about the UDraw? The UDraw has plenty of features the Wii U controller have, and they look simillar so could it be that the U from Wii U had inspiration on the UDraw?