"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as
sweet." - William Shakespeare [Romeo and Juliet Act II, Scene II]

So Revolution would, were it not Revolution called, retain that dear perfection
which it owes without that title. While one may wish it to be true, the sad
fact remains that in the eyes of the majority, a name can be of utmost
importance.

For the past year, the world has been waiting in anticipation for details
surrounding Nintendo’s mysterious new console. What innovation has Nintendo in
store for its fans? How does their next console compare to its competition?
Will Nintendo attempt to pull in a more adult audience with the Revolution than
it has before? As the months roll by, Nintendo has been proving to the world
that they know just how to keep our attention and they have shown that they are
still on the edge of innovation in the game industry. Much like the DS before
it, many were initially drawn back at the unveiling of the systems unique
approach to input, and also like the DS, after the public realized the
potential of such unique and intuitive gameplay, they questioned how they ever
could have doubted Nintendo to begin with.

To those closely following the industry, it is clear that Nintendo has what it
takes to continue to compete with Microsoft and Sony, despite the new systems
relatively lower specs. All that is left for Nintendo to do is to successfully
market their system to the mainstream gamer. Thankfully, such innovation nearly
sells itself. It would take a pretty big foul up to damage Nintendo’s potential
as a strong competitor during the next generation of consoles. A pretty big
foul up indeed…

“Introducing... Wii.”

On the morning of the 27th you could practically hear the sound echoing
throughout the internet of millions of gamers clicking on their system tray as
they checked the date to make sure that it was not the 1st. Certainly Nintendo
could not have left their revolutionary console title for one which millions of
gamers already associate with a common bodily function. “Nice try, Nintendo,
we are not falling for this one.”

As the day went on, reality began to set in as people realized that Wii was not
a joke. At first it was just disappointment to some as Nintendo left behind
what many considered to be the perfect name for their new console, but
eventually they began to understand the true extent of it all. Sure, anyone
with half a brain could see past the name of a console, right? People today
are not so superficial!

I do not believe there is a large enough :rolleyes: emoticon on all the internet
to express my views on the topic.

But is the name really that bad? Taking a step back and looking more closely,
the name does in fact stress Nintendo’s approach to game development and
innovation quite literally. Nintendo has always stressed that their consoles
are intended for people of all ages as they are devoted to producing games
which we can all enjoy. As Nintendo put it, “…it's really not about you or me.
It's about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything.” Perhaps the name
is not as poorly thought out as one may initially think. The name does
accurately portray Nintendo’s continuing strategy. Could it be that Nintendo
understands the chances they are taking and simply has faith in their audience
to see the name in the way that it was intended? Maybe some of us just have an
overly pessimistic view of the average gamer.

No matter how you look at it, you still have to wonder if Shakespeare was
right -- what's in a name? After all, Nintendo’s latest console is just as
innovative regardless of title. Maybe the more adult audience is mature enough
to see past Nintendo’s decision even if it initially strikes them as a poor
choice. I, for one, remain pessimistic, but in the back of my mind I hold a
shred of hope that things may not end in tragedy for Nintendo.