Paul Frew
Introducing Nintendo's new console: Wii
April 28th 2006 04:48
Wii? Yes Wii. Nintendo announced today that their new console, set to compete with Mircosoft’s already released Xbox360 and Sony’s upcoming release of the Playstation 3, will be renamed from Revolution to Wii.
The main message being conveyed on the Official site of Wii , is that the console brings people together with the essence of “We”; uniqueness, cooperation and team play.
Now in my opinion this is can be a clever marketing ploy for Nintendo or a great disaster. Even though it is just a name of a console, it does set it aside from the other consoles. Xbox might have been a silly name at the start, however was quickly adopted as another major console in the gaming war.
From what I can see, Nintendo continually switches the names of its consoles for each generation. For example: NES -> Super NES -> N64 -> Game cube -> Revolution (to Wii). Comparatively Sony and Xbox haven’t really followed suit, with keeping the original name and just adding a digit or few to the end.
Could Nintendo possibly be trying to diminish the names of its old consoles which did not perform as strongly in sales compared to its competitors?
Perhaps, the new name Wii will grab attention of the media and gamers alike with its unusual name and likeness to other words which children might find comical or offensive. All in all, I have not felt much vibe about Nintendo’s new console, with the anticipation of the Playstation 3 holding my breath. Sadly, even Xbox and the PS2 both outsell Nintendo’s present console the Gamecube here on Australian shores, with GC’s and its games becoming hard to find in shops.
None the less, Nintendo does have a strong fan base, with the Mario franchise still running strong on both Nintendo’s hand held consoles and the GC. I just hope Nintendo’s Wii will not be Sega’s Dreamcast.
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Comment by charles
ZCars
Ponderous
A very sleek design there which is a lot different to the N64 and Gamecube, both of which looks like an el cheapo plastic toy from Paddy's market with a "CAUTION: Not suitable for ages 5 and up" sticker plastered on it.
With the Wii looking "all grown up", I hope to see games that are less childish (bar Mario, Mario Kart etc.) and which appeals to the larger audience of the gaming population, i.e. 15 - beyond 20's age group.
Like yourself, I hope Wii doesn't turn-out to be Sega's DreamCast but having said that, I don't think I'll be helping its cause with my eyes already firmly set on the upcoming PS3.
Charles.
Comment by Dani
lol yes Nintendo always comes up with a 'unique' console design...interesting colours too. I also agree with you Charles, Nintendo has to open its games to a larger audience of gamers apart from children. This would definitely help them compete against Sony and Microsoft on a larger scale. After all...a large proportion of gamers are adults.
Ahh and the mysterious PS3..yep I also have my eyes set on Sony's new wonder. I can't wait till all the new gen consoles are released - we are in for a real console war once again!