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Editorial Content Director Casey Ayers spells out what today's big naming news means for Nintendo and the future of the industry.
April 27, 2006 | 2:00 PM PSTby: Casey Ayers
Disclaimer: The proceeding article is editorial content. The views expressed are those of the author and do not neccessarily reflect the official position of the Advanced Media Network.
Everyone is going crazy over today’s news of the Revolution’s official name. I see images of people jumping off the roofs of buildings, busting each other over the head with their GameCubes (by the handle, of course), and sticking sharp and pointy things into a voodoo doll of Shigeru Miyamoto.
Stop.
I was mad, too. However, after clearing my mind and lamenting the death of the Revolution code-name, Wii begins to make more sense on a number of levels. As you will find in Josh Valone’s prophetic editorial slated for tomorrow evening, Nintendo’s number one priority for the Revolution- sorry, Wii- is marketing. In this sense, Wii is an even shrewder name for the console than Revolution ever could have been. Let me explain why.
It looks like Wi-Fi
Look for Nintendo to make a massive push towards online play at E3. The name of their console signifies this, and they cannot possibly be blind enough to not see that. This all but confirms Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing as launch titles for the Revolution in my mind, both as online titles. As well, I have renewed faith that Miyamoto’s rumored original IP will be an online-enabled or massively multiplayer title. Am I inferring too much? No. One of the strongest statements a company can make is in the naming of its product. To leave only a stray “f” off of the name puts it too close to target to be wrong. Don’t believe me?
It sounds like community
Actually, it sounds like “we,” but same difference. This further emboldens the idea that this console is meant as a multiplayer and online event. If the idea of the controller was not already enough to spur group playtime, the multiplayer aspects of the title are. It may have taken Nintendo a little long to get on the online bandwagon, but as anyone can see with the DS, now that they have figured out how to do it, much less do it simply, Iwata and Co. are thoroughly ensconced in the idea of internet play.
It sounds like fun!
What’s the sound one makes when going down a roller coaster? That’s right, “Whee!” Sure, this might have a different spelling, but Nintendo probably hopes to capitalize in this regard. I doubt that many gamers ever had enough fun with even such masterpieces as Wind Waker or Metroid Prime to shout “Gamecube!” The Wii will be a different case.
It’s bold.
Though we as gamers may find the name “Revolution” to be a sign of strength and upheaval in the industry, many non-gamers find it to be jaded. This may seem ridiculous, but after polling several friends of mine who are not even aware of what E3 is, the name Wii was at least unique to them, if a bit strange. Revolution, on the other hand, comes across as almost generic in an age where such strong words have become jaded parts of everyday language. Think I’m wrong? Look at Sega’s history of naming consoles. Master. Genesis. Saturn. Dreamcast. Each is as pretentious and high-minded as the last. We may adore the sheer ego as gamers, but to the general public, it’s nothing special.
It’s different.
Wii, on the other hand, fits with a new mold of exotic and odd names. Nintendo isn’t alone in this regard. Try to think objectively for just a moment--does the term iPod make any sense? Just by reading the name, can you describe its function? No. The name would have to be iPlayLotsOfFilesToGo to be the case. How about the Toyota Yaris? The Ford Fusion? The Honda Fit? The Scion tC? These too have no immediate relation to what they are (cars). Yet this seeming gap in reality is what draws curiosity. The name Playstation is self-explanatory, just as GameCube might be. Wii, on the other hand, is an unknown. People will be curious simply to find a way to categorize the device. Of course, once they play with it, they might just find that the Wii doesn’t fit into pre-existing categories, after all.
It’s the Font
Take a look at the FedEx logo for just a moment, if you will. Do you notice the secret in its design? Aside from simply stating the name of the company, the space between “E” and “x” forms an arrow. This is a little piece of subliminal messaging that was very intentionally part of the logo’s original design. It signals FedEx’s commitment to moving forward, on time, always. The Wii logo acts in much the same way. The two "i"s in the shape of the name also look remarkably like a universal symbol for a person. Go look at a bathroom sign and chop the poor guy’s arms and legs off. You’re left with Nintendo’s “i." Nintendo even says as much in their own description of the name: “Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.
They Know This is It
If nothing else, this name tells us once and for all that Nintendo knows they cannot compete in the same game as Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo’s two competitors are playing a high-stakes poker game, always taking every chance to raise their bets, safe in the assurance that one of their other profitable ventures will back them up if they are dealt the wrong hand. Nintendo knows it cannot play this game. Yet they have not quit. They have simply changed the rules. Sony and Microsoft might still be playing poker, but Nintendo is quietly switching the game to something more akin to blackjack. Nintendo knows that they only have one more hand before they fall to the path of obscurity in the home console market that has left Sega a mere shell of its former creative self. They know that their tactics are risky, but they know that the easier path spells certain defeat. Perhaps here they can still win. Perhaps here they can act subversively, rather than arrogantly taking its competitors on full force. Perhaps they can start a true revolution just as noisy as the iPod’s has been. It all starts with a name.
And the fact that W is the 23rd letter and subtracting the two Roman numeral “i"s equals blackjack? Pure coincidence.
Casey Ayers is Editorial Content Director and host of the Inside Track Podcast for Advanced Media. Though most of the time he works behind the scenes coordinating our various opinion columnists, you can always expect to hear from him when big news hits the presses.
Everyone is going crazy over today’s news of the Revolution’s official name. I see images of people jumping off the roofs of buildings, busting each other over the head with their GameCubes (by the handle, of course), and sticking sharp and pointy things into a voodoo doll of Shigeru Miyamoto.
Stop.
I was mad, too. However, after clearing my mind and lamenting the death of the Revolution code-name, Wii begins to make more sense on a number of levels. As you will find in Josh Valone’s prophetic editorial slated for tomorrow evening, Nintendo’s number one priority for the Revolution- sorry, Wii- is marketing. In this sense, Wii is an even shrewder name for the console than Revolution ever could have been. Let me explain why.
It looks like Wi-Fi
Look for Nintendo to make a massive push towards online play at E3. The name of their console signifies this, and they cannot possibly be blind enough to not see that. This all but confirms Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing as launch titles for the Revolution in my mind, both as online titles. As well, I have renewed faith that Miyamoto’s rumored original IP will be an online-enabled or massively multiplayer title. Am I inferring too much? No. One of the strongest statements a company can make is in the naming of its product. To leave only a stray “f” off of the name puts it too close to target to be wrong. Don’t believe me?
It sounds like community
Actually, it sounds like “we,” but same difference. This further emboldens the idea that this console is meant as a multiplayer and online event. If the idea of the controller was not already enough to spur group playtime, the multiplayer aspects of the title are. It may have taken Nintendo a little long to get on the online bandwagon, but as anyone can see with the DS, now that they have figured out how to do it, much less do it simply, Iwata and Co. are thoroughly ensconced in the idea of internet play.
It sounds like fun!
What’s the sound one makes when going down a roller coaster? That’s right, “Whee!” Sure, this might have a different spelling, but Nintendo probably hopes to capitalize in this regard. I doubt that many gamers ever had enough fun with even such masterpieces as Wind Waker or Metroid Prime to shout “Gamecube!” The Wii will be a different case.
It’s bold.
Though we as gamers may find the name “Revolution” to be a sign of strength and upheaval in the industry, many non-gamers find it to be jaded. This may seem ridiculous, but after polling several friends of mine who are not even aware of what E3 is, the name Wii was at least unique to them, if a bit strange. Revolution, on the other hand, comes across as almost generic in an age where such strong words have become jaded parts of everyday language. Think I’m wrong? Look at Sega’s history of naming consoles. Master. Genesis. Saturn. Dreamcast. Each is as pretentious and high-minded as the last. We may adore the sheer ego as gamers, but to the general public, it’s nothing special.
It’s different.
Wii, on the other hand, fits with a new mold of exotic and odd names. Nintendo isn’t alone in this regard. Try to think objectively for just a moment--does the term iPod make any sense? Just by reading the name, can you describe its function? No. The name would have to be iPlayLotsOfFilesToGo to be the case. How about the Toyota Yaris? The Ford Fusion? The Honda Fit? The Scion tC? These too have no immediate relation to what they are (cars). Yet this seeming gap in reality is what draws curiosity. The name Playstation is self-explanatory, just as GameCube might be. Wii, on the other hand, is an unknown. People will be curious simply to find a way to categorize the device. Of course, once they play with it, they might just find that the Wii doesn’t fit into pre-existing categories, after all.
It’s the Font
Take a look at the FedEx logo for just a moment, if you will. Do you notice the secret in its design? Aside from simply stating the name of the company, the space between “E” and “x” forms an arrow. This is a little piece of subliminal messaging that was very intentionally part of the logo’s original design. It signals FedEx’s commitment to moving forward, on time, always. The Wii logo acts in much the same way. The two "i"s in the shape of the name also look remarkably like a universal symbol for a person. Go look at a bathroom sign and chop the poor guy’s arms and legs off. You’re left with Nintendo’s “i." Nintendo even says as much in their own description of the name: “Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.
They Know This is It
If nothing else, this name tells us once and for all that Nintendo knows they cannot compete in the same game as Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo’s two competitors are playing a high-stakes poker game, always taking every chance to raise their bets, safe in the assurance that one of their other profitable ventures will back them up if they are dealt the wrong hand. Nintendo knows it cannot play this game. Yet they have not quit. They have simply changed the rules. Sony and Microsoft might still be playing poker, but Nintendo is quietly switching the game to something more akin to blackjack. Nintendo knows that they only have one more hand before they fall to the path of obscurity in the home console market that has left Sega a mere shell of its former creative self. They know that their tactics are risky, but they know that the easier path spells certain defeat. Perhaps here they can still win. Perhaps here they can act subversively, rather than arrogantly taking its competitors on full force. Perhaps they can start a true revolution just as noisy as the iPod’s has been. It all starts with a name.
And the fact that W is the 23rd letter and subtracting the two Roman numeral “i"s equals blackjack? Pure coincidence.
Casey Ayers is Editorial Content Director and host of the Inside Track Podcast for Advanced Media. Though most of the time he works behind the scenes coordinating our various opinion columnists, you can always expect to hear from him when big news hits the presses.
November 20, 2009
