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Originally posted by: Ian Sane It's just an unfortunate coincedence that pretty much since Iwata took over I haven't been too keen on the direction Nintendo's been going in.
How can you not like the DS and what it's doing for the market?
I call it like it is, personally. I weigh the consequences of an action through my eyes, Nintendo's eyes, and the eyes of the potential customers.
Fanbase, developer, hater. That's the trinity: the three views which I try to consider.
From Nintendo's view, they believe that "Wii" will go forth, enslave people with morbid curiosity and entice them into a purchase. Creating a buzz and a stir. I believe they're half right.
The hater is likely someone who once liked Nintendo as a kid but was swayed by Sony/MS into believing that Nintendo is for children. They want to be right in believing that Nintendo is the wrong choice, but the thing is, with enough evidence to the contrary,
they will come back.
The fanbase is mixed. Some of us like the name, believing in Nintendo's vision. The rest of us are either put off or at least concerned. I fall into the concerned category.
Frankly, I don't want to buy another Gamecube: a system which will experience severe drought through the latter half of its lifespan. The reason for that drought was the fact that sales weren't up to par with those of other consoles AND the perception that Nintendo was aimed at children often turned away developers of mature franchises. It was a compounding problem which ultimately dropped the cube in last place.
I hope the word "wii" doesn't turn people away from the console, especially new people. Even so, I just can't see the need for the name in the first place. Was it necessary? I think Nintendo had MORE than enough going for their new console to take the lead without a bizarre and questionable name.
So that's what I'm looking at. Nintendo was doing great things up until this: backwards compatibility, downloads for retro/new games, any USB device for storage, Red Steel being the premier game...and then, naming the console "The Wee".
Ever hear of the Chevy Nova debacle? Apparently, the car sold VERY poorly in Spanish-speaking countries. Had Chevy done some research, they would have learned that, in Spanish, "No va" directly translates into "doesn't go". Who's going to buy the car that "doesn't go"?
Like it or not, product names have a REAL consequence on their sales. I'm afraid that "wee" might do the same thing for the Nintendo that Nova did for Chevy.