What on earth are Nintendo playing at?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4953650.stm

The Nintendo Revolution, as it was formerly known, is now going to be called the 'Wii'. Is it going to Wii on its opponents? Surely they're taking the Wii? etc.

That link will change when they next make a comic, so for posterity maybe you'd like to add a little more?

This has to be a piss take, surely?

*gets coat*

What worries me is all the talk of Wii sticks...

"Pronounced 'we'".

Stupid fools. Wii, to me it should be pronounced 'why'. Even then, wii is a stupid idea.

Wii's that then?

I love it, if only for the jokes it presents.

"I'm gonna go play with my Wii, mum!"
"If you play with your Wii too long, you'll go blind!"

Ah... the fun times will roll.

Their goal is for it to seem odd for people to not have one under their TV, like a DVD player is found in most houses these days (and the VHS player used to be, but perhaps not so much anymore). Somehow I suspect that this name has not helped their cause in the English speaking world...

I can understand that they didn't want a word that was only in English because they wanted a global brand, and they didn't want something that would be abbreviated (yeah, because that's done so much damage to the sales of the PS2 and the DS), but even so... Wii?

What would have been wrong with 'Rev'? Everyone was used to calling the new machine the Revolution, it was being shortened to 'Rev' often anyway, Rev implies fast engines as well as holiness, and it's a short word that should be easy to export anywhere. It also isn't slang for 'urine', which has got to be an advantage.

I'm sure they've put a lot of thought into this, and probably a huge marketing budget too, but the reason this annoys me is that I was so convinced by the concept of the machine that it's galling to know that they've done something that is immediately going to psychologically make people think that it's rubbish. It's graphics are not going to be better than the GameCube's so they needed all the help that they could get to convince people, and 'Wii' just isn't helping them.

*hands Nintendo a gun and indicates in direction of their foot*

Nintendo can call it wee if it wants. I'm going to call it the revolution.

Whadayah mean it won't have better graphics than the gamecube??? I don't belive Nintendo hasn't got this part yet. You're ment to have the BEST graphics if you want to be big.

That's the point of Nintendo's new plan: they don't want to be constantly trying to get more polygons on screen than the competition. All that leads to (in their view) is pointless expense for game makers which doesn't actually produce any real benefit to the gamers. Is Quake 4 really that much better than Quake 1 just because it has better graphics? No, any improvement is due to changes in the game design.

There is also the benefit that the Wii will most probably cost about a third the amount of money as the other consoles. To me, that's already a big advantage.

Nintendo say that new great games come from new ways of playing, not just better graphics. It's not a 100% certain bet, but they might just prove themselves right on this one.

Yeah... Nintendo have had to fight the "other" corner lately. Microsoft go for pure power, while sony go for variety of games, and play the "the cool console to have" card, which attracts all the third party software developers.

Nintendo would probably lose if they tryed to beat sony and microsoft at their own game, so they're going for the "something a little bit different". It's risky.. but I can imagine it could work. Nintendo always seem to come out with the quirky silly games. The ones that seem daft, but are irresistably fun anyway. Like Super smash bros.

I do think they could have done better than Wii, but still.. I suppose the jokes will settle eventually.. and a whole new generations of utterly peculiar but fun games like pikmin and the like will make people smile once more.

Why did Nintendo have to wii on the good name? Why?!

I think this sums it up nicely

That would be the one previously in a deleted post to this thread, but yes, I still agree with it.

Witl, I think you're right, Nintendo are going to win over people with new and interesting games. I just get the feeling that they have done themselves a diservice with the choice of name for this console.

I remember the days when consoles had different names in different regions of the world. Yes, this was before the internet meant that we could all complain to each-other instantly, but I suspect that we'd all get used to it soon enough. English speakers could have a console called Revolution, Japanese people could have it called Tak-San, or something like that, and so on for the rest of the world.

Does anyone's head explode when we say 'Mega Drive' and not 'Genesis'? No? So would it be so bad again today?

I suspect that the global market is giving us bland products that are supposed to appeal to everyone. Back in the 1980s most British games contained very British images, things like slippers, cups of tea, and booze. today games are all supposed to have 'international appeal' but that just seems to mean that they have no identity, or that they ape cinematic conventions (Grand Theft Etc) which just means that they copy America. There's nothing wrong with making a game American, but there need to be games that are British, French, German, Slovenian, Zimbabwan.

Damn, that's nasty. I've never typed 'Zimbabwan' in my entire life before and so I don't know if I've spelt that correctly... But that's my point, there are whole aspects of this planet that we are avoiding. We are so diverse that creating a single name is not a good idea, and neither is the homogenisation of the games themselves.

I love Nintendo. Let me start by saying this.

That said, I think Nintendo has royally screwed themselves on this one. The Wii name will hurt them initally with the "we're too cool to get the Wii" group who was already dazzled by the technically lackluster XBox 360. I think the problem is is that we're all fans of hardcore gaming, but let's face it, the vast gaming population isn't going to give two shits about a new RPG (espescially the fantastic but visually dated Nippon Ichi games) or about Japanese games like Guilty Gear and the like. Most brain dead monkeys that play games like three things: licensed games, sports games, and Halo, and despite Nintendo's powerhouse franchises, they're just not enough to draw in the pre-pubescent egotist crowds that have the buying power.

I always find it interesting to note, that despite how rumours have developed that the xbox 1 did 'ok'. The Xbox original was a financial failure.. and not by a little bit, The original xbox was the worst financial failure of all time. The gamecube with perhaps quarter the media campaign actually did alright long term.

I think it's something to do with the type of fans nintendo have. This is where I go into total guess mode now... But I don't seem to remember it actually being small kids that were buying out the gamecube. It was people like me that just didn't care that the games were cutesy and cuddly. I just remember sitting there.. seeing a console that cost less than a third of every other console on the market in it's own generation. That had crazy games like super smash bros, the newest zelda, and the latest incarnation of mario kart.

For the price of less than 2 xbox games (which didn't seem that impressive anyhow) I was sold on the game cube. Likely I'll get a PS3 and a Wii, once I spot a Wii second hand and the ps3 come down in price too. It's not any loyalty thing on my part. It's just the situation now is like.. deja vu. Xbox 2 will rant about how much power it has, and it'll have 3/4 flag ship game series. PS3 will have more games than sense, and is where I'd put my money on most people saving their pennies for. Then you'll have the Wii.. the cheaper alternative console for people that want to have a beer and four controllers, and knock the snot out of donkey kong for constantly leaving banana peels on the track in the new mario kart.

My opinion is that the Wii will be second in the console competition, just like the gamecube was. It's different enough that it's daft name won't hurt it too much.
It's not like any of nintendo's consoles were ever "the cool console" to have not since the good old super nintendo days.

Not cool? Clearly you never saw this....

I stand corrected!

I like the VG Cats' effort a little better.

Personally I prefer the more surreal take on it from SoreThumbs

That's quite weirded me out. It's a little too believable.

To round out the list, /GU Comics did one as well.

I probably should explain for those who don't read SoreThumbs, the flesh Mario statue is actaully Saywer (the guy who says, "Yer guess is as good as mine kid...")'s penis. Which was cut off when he was serving the the army in Iraq. And apparently looks like Mario.

I understood all of those words, but that hasn't actually clarified anything.

My brother reads that. The explanation actually clarified it for me.

Goddamn it.

Sawyer was a soldier serving in Iraq. During fighting his penis was cut off, and when he was taken to be treated it wasn't recovered. Later, his penis was picked up by someone who thought it looked like Super Mario. It changed hands a few times from there, now apparently it's owned by Nintendo.

Any clearer?

Oddly enough, the same thing happened to my penis.

I get the plotline, it's just barking mad... And I like it!

Sore Thumbs does have a barking mad plotline, and that's why I keep it bookmaked.

Sore Thumbs is indeed excellent, and I need to get back to reading it. Too bad GPF is in the middle of a year-long story arc and can't be bothered to dip into pop culture for a few days.

Just watched the Nintendo press conference at E3. My God the Wii is looking better and better every minute. The new Zelda made me cream myself, Red Steel looks awesome and the new Tennis game looks a bundle of laughs. Wii is definitely my next generation console of choice.

Wii is my number one for two reasons: the price and SSB: Brawl. Look it up now.

Oh.....My......Dear....Lord.

Snake. 'nuff said.





I think I've just Mariogasmed.

I bet Sony are livid one of their icons has been pilfered. Hehe.

Something tells me this isn't going to be a good few years for the Playstation 3. An overly expensive system, coupled with reduced functionality on the most 'affordable' of the versions and a lack of any true Triple A titles for launch means most sensible gamers won't be opting for the PS3, imo.

You're forgetting the PS3 is the only console to be able to play Blue-ray video discs out of the box. Assuming Blue-ray beats HD-DVD, it'll be the cheapest player out there. That's hardly a merit for the gaming console in itself, but you have to admit it'll add to the pulling power, what with it being about half the price of most basic stand-alone blue-ray player.

That in itself may be enough to ensure the success of the Blu-Ray disk.

I wouldn't underestimate the power of the Playstation brand! Despite the price I'm sure I'll get one.

True, but Sony doesn't have the greatest of track records when it comes to releasing new proprietary formats. Betamax, anyone? The PS3's Blu-Ray playback will probably be basic at best, just as the PS2's DVD playback is. Also, we're assuming that Blu-Ray will be the dominant format over HD DVD. I'll admit, I've no idea which format is better; Blu-Ray or HD DVD. People who are significantly less 'tech savvy' than me (and I'm not saying I am, hehe) are likely to opt for the HD DVD brand, because DVD is already so well established. With Microsoft releasing a stand-alone, affordable HD DVD player to go alongside its Xbox 360, the competition is going to be fierce.

Perhaps I will buy a PS3 in time (if only for Metal Gear Solid 4) but whilst the system remains as expensive as it is, I won't be one of the early adopters.

This is a guide comparing the two. Blu-ray does seem to be the superior format and has the best chance of success in that they have most studios backing it.

*shrug*

Hmm, that's pretty interesting. I'll conceed the point, hehe.

Perhaps that will be a major selling point for the PS3. I mean, lets face it, the PS3 is a pretty damn powerful console. Also, I guess the power of the Playstation brand cannot be underestimated.

Hmm, we'll see what happens I suppose

It also comes down to the old issue of a machine being as good as its games. The Xbox had a superb start with Halo, but didn't manage to follow up with anything really intriguing until the last twelve-months or-so with games like Oddworld:Stranger's Wrath. If Sony want to win the next-gen race before it even starts then I suspect all they need to do is say that the next Grand Theft Auto game will be out in the first few months of the PS3's life.

I don't really care about the Blu-Ray capability. I don't have, and won't be getting for a long time I suspect, a HD television, and none of the other equipment in my house can play Blu-Ray disks, so why should I move on from DVD?

There is this big discussion about which format is going to win, as if this were something that's going to be decided in the next twelve months, but I suspect the liklihood is that most people won't buy either. We've all got DVD players. We've all got DVD collections. The picture looks fine to us. I've not yet found out precisely why we're all expected to want to upgrade.

Also, new technology is always driven by sex, and usually porn. Unless Blu-Ray and HD-DVD can offer tech-geeks a new way to get their jollies then I suspect that neither will do that well.

My prediction? I don't think either is going to really suceed in the way that they are hoping. Blu-Ray will probably do better, purely because it's in the PS3 which will put it in more homes instantly, but we're moving a lot closer to purely digital formats. iTunes has prepared the way for people to be accustomed to paying full price for virtual goods, and the only thing holding things back now is the speed of broadband.

I suspect the reason we're expected to change is less the desire of the public, and more the desire of film makers and artists being tired of working in a very old resolution.

I have seen a HD DVD.. and I suspect if I sat there and watched films with it for long enough, I'd go back to normal definition footage and be a little disheartened with what I used to think was decent. I guess the trick is to getting enough people to see things in that way.

I think the trick is to not charge the earth for the new equipment. Have you seen the prices on those things? The TVs are three or four times an expensive CRT, the players are starting from six times more than a very good DVD player, then there's the extra expense for the HD digital box connection, then replacing all the old movies. That's a lot of money for something that doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference.

I'm a fidelity snob, and I've spent a fair bit of money getting decent audio in my living room, but my girlfriend can't tell the difference, and she's like most people. They think it's nice if it's there, but they don't really care that much.

Maybe they're marketing to the folk that have to be the ones with the newest and best gadgets first.

Like the people that bought CD players before most singles were ever even released for CD, and the first folk to buy DVD players when very few movies were available for them and they cost an arm and a leg. There was very little use in them at their release, but there are always gadget heads that want to be the first.
Prices will probably go down as more and more are produced on mass.

I believe currently that all HDtvs for example are produced by a single company in Korea called LG. All companies that sell HD (including the ones that sell them under their own brand label like sony and panasonic) actually buy them from LG first. In Korea they have already 100% made the move to HD, and haven't looked back.

My guess is they want to phase them in via the richest people first.. then the people less able and less able.. until like VHS and cassette, it becomes too much of a hinderence to stay with the old.

I have to say, I do love seeing film in HD.. normal screen technology (PAL) is that horrible 720 x 576... it's not even as high quality as some camera phones are getting. We only don't notice because we're just so used to it.
To people used to PAL images (in the UK).. you know when you watch american shows.. (not films but likes the news and stuff) ever notice how it's so much less sharp? Well that's 720 x 486 it's not really that many less in pixels but through my eyes, it's a big shift in image quality.

HD goes up to 1920 x 1,080 pixels.. that's a near double increase in image quality. It's hard to describe what that looks like without seeing it.


Ok here's an experiment, get a picture with a larger resolution than 1920 x 1,080 and change the resolution to 720x576, that's what UK images resolution works at, now blow up the image to about 300% size, assuming you're on a 17 inch monitor, you're now seeing how you see TV. If you have a pretty big TV you can blow it up to about 500% on a 17 inch monitor.. looks pretty pixelly right. Now start from scratch and reduce it's size to only 1920 x 1,080 and see how for you can zoom and remain clarity.

Old pal kinda defeats the object of having massive screens, since the quality suffers as you increase the image size.

Before you say it.. cinema works on a much higher resolution than pal.. that's why you get good quality at cinema and no horrible pixellyness. It's a hard thing to demonstrate though. I'm all for the change really.

It will be a while to reduce in price probably.. but it will be nice to have HD standardised rather than this current NTSC and PAL systems.. and faffing around with conversions. It's also nice that more detail can be picked up on distant objects on HD than can be on PAL especially on faces. I sense that will allow for more freedom in film directing.... sadly more work for animators though.

Silly thought I had to share:

Microsoft: Floba-dob-a-dob
Sony: Fliba-dibba-dib
Nintendo: Wiiii!

*chuckle*

/sleep-deprived-spam

All great ideas are thought of whilst using the toilet...

They're making alot of games that make you wanna shout "WII!"