Nintendo's Counter-Revolution: Wii Will Rock You?
Oh no. Talk about an unexpected development. I know people were hoping for some big news from Nintendo with E3 around the corner, but I doubt that this is what they had in mind.
For some strange reason that may never be completely clear, last Thursday Nintendo scrapped the working title for its new next-generation gaming console - the perfectly appropriate and respectable "Revolution" - and replaced it with "Wii". As in, "Wii have no idea why Nintendo did that".
I may have missed something here, but I didn't know that Nintendo was even considering a name change. I thought Revolution was etched in stone, a permanent feature much like the console's screwy-looking yet fascinating TV-remote style controller.
Should I have seen this coming? I know details were scant at the recent GDC 2006, but I'm racking my brain trying to recall if Nintendo president Saturo Iwata even said the word "Revolution" during his keynote address. (All I seem to remember from that portion of the event was Iwata giving away copies of Brain Age to the audience.) Nothing I've seen over the last few months indicated that the name of Nintendo's fifth game console was up for grabs.
I decided to dig deeper into this mystery to find some logic behind this move. What does "Wii" even mean? Well, a Nintendo Web site - ironically with the URL http://revolution.nintendo.com/ - stated the following: "Introducing...Wii. As in 'we'. While the code-name 'Revolution' expressed our direction, 'Wii' represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else. Wii will put people more in touch with their games...and each other. But you're probably asking: what does the name mean?"
Actually, yes. I asked that very question.
" 'Wii' sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that this console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. Wii has a distinctive "ii" spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play. And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd. So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you."
Is that so?
"Because, it's really not about you or me."
No?
"It's about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything."
Thanks for clearing that up.
