Did Nintendo Punk Us with Wii?

[Angelcurio]

Looks like the name Wii is no trademarked, something is a bit fishy:

Did Nintendo Punk Us with Wii?

I spoke with branding company Igor International yesterday about Nintendo’s choice of Wii as the new name for their next-gen console.

During the interview Steve Manning became convinced that Nintendo had deliberately picked a bad name for the console and that it was, in fact, fake. Manning thinks that Nintendo is creating an enormous viral campaign by releasing a fake name and then coming back during E3 and announcing the real one.

It looks like he’s not the only one who thinks this. Site Snark Hunting is also convinced, here’s why:

Crazy? Here is the first clue, “By letting the gaming community vent now about the name, they will be less distracted as launch titles for the system are announced and initial reports about what it’s like to play the games begin to come in.” Allowing your audience time to vent is not SOP in a name announcement, and also telegraphs that Nintendo knows what a stinker this name would be.

Second, it’s not possible to engineer a worse name for this product.

Third, and this is a big one, there are no trademarks registered by Nintendo nor by any dummy corp in the U.S or over there for Wii. This is unprecedented for Nintendo and it is not possible that his is an oversight. If Wii were the name, they would have registered it. In fact, no new trademarks have been registered by Nintendo at all. This leads us to conclude that Nintendo has in fact registered the real name under a dummy corp, which is SOP when trying to keep a name a secret prior to launch.

I’ve asked Nintendo reps straight out if this was the case, several times, and they deny it through and through. They also say they don’t know why the name isn’t yet trademarked.

Manning is now calling this the “most savvy name announcement we have seen in many years.”

We think Nintendo is setting you all up to be Punk’d at E3, generating a massive amount of positive buzz when the scam and the real new name are announced.

Given that their video game audience is the same demographic as Punk’d, the whole campaign is perversely elegant. Except of course for failing to make the illusion complete by registering a TM for Wii.

Personally, I think this would run too many risks and could far too easily backfire for Nintendo to attempt it. I’m thinking Nintendo just thinks the shock is going to create an instant and lasting impression.

Nintendo Wii Brilliant [Snark Hunting]

Link: http://kotaku.com/gaming/punkd/did-n...wii-170381.php

[Shrinnan]

The reason I think Nintendo said that by announcing the name now people can vent it through is by the fact that when Wii was first announced people wouldn't like it but maybe through time they may grow attached to it.

It does seem like this could be a marketing ploy though but if it isn't (and their main reason for announcing it now was so that the name wouldn't take away from their presentation at E3) then the name will probably be the only thing talked about at Nintendo's booth. Full of disappointment. Hopefully that isn't the case, however.

[Naboomagnoli]

Ooh, interesting concept - publicity through deliberately bad false names.. Nintendo aren't generally all that marketing conscious though.

Looks like the name Wii might be getting flushed down the toilet after all

What was the predicted name of the Sony online network service that was rumoured ages ago? The one that was Korean for Community or something.. I seem to remember that was similarly silly.

[will729]

I'm not going to hold my breath on this theory, it doesn't sound very nintendo-like to me. I do hope it's true though =/

[Hypx]

It'll be a smart idea for "Wii" to be fake.

[HypnoticPoison]

Everyone’s now wondering whether Nintendo has (finally) lost all contact with what they’re customers actually want. I guess it’s possible that this could be some sort of pre-E3 press stunt; “all publicity is good publicity” right? Let’s hope so, gaming consoles shouldn’t embarrass their owners at the store. But my gut feeling is that Nintendo’s just totally lost it...

[The Butcher]

Wow never did thought of it like that. It is a good to pick a name that would piss off gamers everywhere to start talking about their system.

If this is true then I said Nintendo did a good job at marketing.

[AJJets107]

When it is E3 and they say it is not called the Nintendo Wii I wasn't fooled.

[Xstationcube]

If the name “Wii” is not trademarked, then wii should try to trademark it ourselves before Nintendo does so that they can’t use it.

[spandexman]

Update: This just in from Nintendo on the subject of the missing Wii trademark: “Nintendo has filed many trademark applications for Wii. Trademark Web sites often take time to update, and you can expect the Wii trademarks to appear shortly.”

The article updated. Sadly it looks like the name is official.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

[jesusmcrighteous]

It could go either way, though I will agree with previous posts that making a fake name is a bit odd, even for Nintendo. Could this be part of Nintendo's theme of disruption?

Oh, on the Nintendo ad for the Wii, there is a TM on the bottom.

Only a week more to go until we find out!

[Azu]

I hope you're not so disappointed when you see Wii is the final name that you won't even notice all the cool games for it.

[Firewarrior]

What a bad choice of name.

tsk tsk nintendo :P

[narutoboy]

nah I don't think nintendo's that smart. If this is a hoax or marketing ploy , I think it will do alot more harm then good.

[will729]

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/wi...aysayers-wiip/

trademark showed up, Wii it is

[Noon of Doom]

I expect many a pun in the timeline of 'Wii', and years after, when i tell.. i mean others tell they're kids about the name.

Sounds kinda cool after a while though, no? ARGH

[Grovestreet]

The new name Is dIc... http://ps3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=21383

[Trinity]

I have lost all my respect to nintendo. Nintendo proves once again their company is a joke

[c.a.p]

I have lost all my respect to nintendo. Nintendo proves once again their company is a joke

Get over the damn name, I know it's awful but I bet you'd still be playing the PlayStation brand if it was named something stupid. You guys are taking things too seriously, just calm down.

[Cera]

The new name Is dIc... http://ps3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=21383

That is just a joke.

[Grovestreet]

Yeah yeah, It is just a joke :P
Someone remove that other topic if ya's want, seeing as there is no point in it now, Seeing as none of ya's really fell for it :P

[Master]

Released just one year ago, LittleBigPlanet proved to be one of Sony’s biggest recent hits. Media Molecule created a unique gaming experience that encouraged users to not only play through pre-created storyline levels, but to try their hand in building and sharing their own levels. It was one of our favorite games last year, and Media Molecule continues to release content packs on a regular basis. Recently, we learned the biggest forthcoming patch would include water – what we imagine will be a massive addition to the game. What’s best about the LBP world is that it’s so immersive; so much in fact that MM has gone on recorded saying a sequel is not necessary.

As you probably know, Sony is releasing LittleBigPlanet PSP on November 17. We’ve spent some time playing the game, and we are happy to report that the PSP take is spot on to the original PlayStation 3 version. Mind you, the PSP version is a bit scaled down, and noticeably lacks the PS3’s entertaining multiplayer modes that are a blast to play with friends, locally or via the internet. Still, the core gameplay mechanics in the PSP version are as strong as they are in the PS3 version. In fact, some elements work so seamlessly on the PSP that at times we forgot we were playing it on a handheld device.

So what are the key differences between LittleBigPlanet on the PSP and PS3? We’ll start with the most noticeable differences, and that is the lack of multiplayer. Senior producer Mark Green has explained why multiplayer was lost on the PSP version. Essentially, the PSP is not capable of running multiplayer with the game’s current physics system. The decision was strictly due to technical issues. Running multiplayer would cause the PSP to lose about a third of the processing power and a third of the system memory. That is an explanation we understand after playing through the game. The physics are so spot-on that they feel identical to the PS3 version. Still, not being able to play through levels with friends online is a noticeable loss in the PSP version.

One of the other differences rests in the checkpoint system. The PSP version is decidedly more lenient when it comes to dying and respawning at checkpoints. After playing through the game for about a week now, we did not encounter one level (either in storyline mode, or user created) that we failed because we died too many times. This does not mean the game isn’t difficult. Some of the levels offer some very elaborate and difficult puzzles that left us scratching our heads. In one particular sequence, we rode a vehicle and shot cannonballs at a pursuing dragon. We had to shoot the cannonballs into the dragon’s mouth to keep him from swallowing us whole. This took us several tries, but we never actually failed the level; instead after a dozen or so tries, we out ran the dragon and made it to safety.

The biggest similarity you’ll notice right from the beginning is the absolutely adorable presentation. We hate using the word adorable, but it’s the best way to describe the brilliant voiceover, tutorials, and of course, the loveable SackBoy. From the intro movie to your first attempt at creating a level, the presentation is stunning and a joy to play. Sure the graphics are not HD PS3 quality, but for the trusty PSP, they are very good.

If you’ve played LBP on the PS3, then you know how much attention Media Molecule put into the game’s physics system. That same system is alive and well in the PSP version. The only major change is the smaller depth of field in LBP PSP. While the PS3 version has several layers, the PSP version only sports a couple.

LittleBigPlanet was a huge hit for the PS3, and with the forthcoming release of the PSP version, Sony is likely hoping it’ll help sell the handheld device, along with the new PSPgo. Does LittleBigPlanet PSP deserve your hard earned cash? Does the lack of multiplayer make this game just another random platformer? Or, has Sony found another platform for the loveable SackBoy to live? Find out in our review of LittleBigPlanet PSP next week.

[The_Only]

I'll get to this right after i've got my Abe feature up.

[The_Only]

Doing this now.