I think the vast majority agree that Nintendo's new name for the former "Revolution" is either

a)a practical joke or
b)just plain stupidity

We hope (a), but most likely it's (b)!  Anyway, I'm curious.  Between all the moaning and jokes, has the new name affected anyone's decision to purchase the system?  Let's assume everything else remains the same except for the name.  I'm guessing for most people who were already interested in the system, the name doesn't really mean anything.  However, for a "casual" gamer, the name might discourage a purchase.

-avatar!

Well, what do you think?

This is all I have to offer -

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic

I will question the sanity of anyone who replies to this affirmatively.

I am in the extreme minority, I'm sure, but I think the name is innovative and easy to remember.

I like it.

Agreed, Amber, on the first part.  I still have every intention of getting the Wii when it launches, and I'm glad that there have been so many game announcements that interest me.

The name is still stupid though... after all this time referring to it as the Revolution they should've stuck with that name.  What's the point of codenaming systems anyway, unless you can't think of anything better?  No one complained about the Revolution name.  Releasing the name early for the fans and N-haters to foam and bash makes sense though, as it gives them free publicity from now to E3 of people talking about it.  Is it true about there being no such thing as bad publicity?

The only decision this new name has influenced was for me to stay away from certain forums. Yeesh.

It's certainly an odd choice, but I got over it pretty quickly. It will still most likely be the first next-gen console I purchase. I really don't care what it's called.

The reaction it's getting is ridiculous. People are making so much out of so little.

I have to say I rather liked following defense for the name.

The name is unconventional, but that is probably want Nintendo wanted, just as the blog mentioned that Datschge pointed out.

I'm more interested in seeing the games the system will have.

Yes, Kohler is good.  His regular IGN column, "Next Wave" is one of the best things on IGN.

So Nintendo has set the tone.  The more important question is whether or not they will be able to make good on the mass market.  Although Brain Age has only just released in the U.S. and the coveted DS lite is still awaiting a date, Nintendo has yet to repeat the mass market success the DS has seen in Japan in this country.  The rest of the year should be interesting.

Nope, hasn't changed my decision. I like making fun of the name, but I could give a rip about the name as long as the console works the way it's supposed to without blowing up.

As I said elsewhere, the only ones the name would alienate are immature gamers -- but then some might say that such gamers make up the bulk of Nintendo's market. ^_~

Well, it's all well and good, save this portion:

"Is it a homophone for a British slang word that means 'urine'? Yes. But so is the first-person plural pronoun. If I said, 'What are we doing tonight,' would you repeat back to me, 'What are WEE doing tonight? Huh? Huh? Get it?' I would wonder what the hell your problem is, quite frankly.

This argument doesn't stick because the Wii is a noun, like the word that means urine. We is, as he says, a pronoun, which is why making the urine joke sounds unnatural. I understand what he's getting at, but I'd respect his argument more if he replaced that paragraph with a simple: "Keep your pee jokes to yourself."

Anyway, the name doesn't bother me much personally, yet it's an unmistakable hurdle for Nintendo to deal with in mending bridges with those who have felt the company's last system was 'for kids.' Keeping the name Revolution would've had zero impact on sales, but for some people, like it or not, a name like Wii will.

So no, the name change hasn't dimished my hunger for the deck, but yes, it is an unfathomably STUPID business decision.

Has not.
As I said in the other topic, it's just a name. I'm getting tired of all the jokes because I don't really care if it's wee or pee or Nintendo Willie.

No, it's not going to affect my decision either way but it does go down on the record of dumbass decisions and those things mount up eventually.

As for that blog - personally I think that's complete arse. Where to start -

"I often find myself in the position of having to explain why Nintendo's latest move isn't stupid." - Yes, being an apologist fanboy is tough. This sentence sort of says it all really but I'll go on. "And damn if it's not going to get people talking." - yes, talking about how bad it is. There is such a thing as bad publicity. If you don't believe me, ask yourself why you never saw Battlefield Earth.

This one is great - "In short, the fuss over Wii is an Internet Problem, not a Real Life Problem. In real life, the name's soundalike will pass almost entirely without notice." Now you see, my problem with this is that it's completely wrong. We (seemingly unreal) internet people have the benefit of having seen some of the announced games, we know that the DS is doing well in spite of what the shelf space in game shops would tell you. Those real people (how I envy them) don't have that. All they have is "Wii". And to say that toilet humour only exists on the internet shows the man himself does not spend enough time in "Real Life".

But he beats this over the head as it seems to be his only real argument - "you can bet that Actual People, as opposed to the Internet, won't have a problem with it." "Nintendo has decided that if they had to choose, they would choose the vast market of non-gamers and not the smaller market of core gamers."

And I'm going to quote this one again just because it says so much - "I often find myself in the position of having to explain why Nintendo's latest move isn't stupid."

But it wasn't the name Battlefield Earth that kept me from seeing that movie.  It was a mix between the trailer, reviews, and word of mouth, I think.

Indeed - simply using it to point out that there is such thing as bad publicity.

Agreed.

I was going to say that it might sound cooler to Japanese ears, but they don't seem to like it much better. But the Game Cube was originally going to be called the Star Cube, so sanity may prevail eventually.

Holy shit, I'd buy THAT in a Heartbeat!

Seriously though, I don't like the name AT ALL, but it is in no way going to stop me from getting it anyway. I don't care about the name, I just wanna know what they're going to do with the machine already.