Fortune says the Wii name is "scary"
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Nov 2nd 2006 at 3:45PM }
It's a bit early to be doing a year round-up, but over at CNN/Money they published the "Scariest tech of 2006," Mwahahahah! Some things deserve to be called "scary," like exploding batteries. Yes, exploding batteries are frightening. X-Men: The Official Game also deserves mention on the list, that game was scary and painful.That's about all from the really "scary" department. The rest of the list is more a showcase of greed and technological tragedy. They discuss the Window Vista security problems, unreliable VoIP service Vonage and the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Fortune senior editor Peter Lewis says, "l'll wait for some mad scientist in Japan to create The HD-DVD Player With Two Heads, able to play both new HD formats." Lewis, being a good editor, fence-sitting and keeping the peace.
And just to beat a dead horse, already rotted beyond its comedic expiration date, the Wii made #10: "Just for the name alone."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
crono141 @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:51PM
A name which shall live in infamy...
unimental @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:57PM
Wii dont', Wii don't, Wii don't mess around. Hey.
Todd @ Nov 2nd 2006 3:59PM
LOLZ!
JodyAnthony @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:02PM
they can not like the name, whatever, but their article was written very snobbily. Oh you dont like windows? too fucking bad, its used in 90% of businesses, as well as probably at least 2/3rds of homes. most people just dont care enough to learn linux or get a mac.
and vonage, I've never had a problem with it, for the 2 years I've had it. Never had a single sound quality issue or a single dropped call. I have lost my connection a lot, but that is a problem with comcast (the worlds worst isp) not a problem with Vonage.
And actually, the whole bashing on the wii name is stupid. Bash the graphics, the controller, whatever, but when you bash the name, thats just fucking stupid, its bashing something for the sake of sounding 'cool', just like their bashing windows vista. "Just for the name alone." yeah? that makes it 'scary'? fuck you. what does that even mean? I can understand the rootkit thing or whatever, but the name? come the fuck on.
just like theres nothing 'scary' about the hddvd/bluray fight. new products come out ALL the time, and many times there is competition. I know it comes as a shock to some people, but gasp, companies like to sell you their new things to make money.
get over it @ Nov 3rd 2006 2:03PM
if making fun of the Wii for its name is beyond its comedic expiration date then those giant crab jokes must really be stale.
and those riiiiiidge raaaaaacer!!!!!! jokes will need to be carbon dated.
george @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:10PM
sorry # 4 but vonage is a little unreliable. every internet service provider has some slow down once in a while and what if there is a power outage or an internet outage? and god forbid if you are talking and someone else is using the computer or xbox live or something. its not vonage fault but relying on an internet connection for phone service is not 100% reliable.
mandarin @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:44PM
Why no mention of UMDs? Thats scary. Not to mention EA's online moves recently.
droptop GP @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:16PM
"pacing in front of the store isn't goiing to make the Wii come any faster"
droptop GP @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:17PM
JodyAnthony: you have a potty mouth
JodyAnthony @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:18PM
I know, hence my mentioning of comcast constantly dropping my net connection. Luckily though with vonage i have it set so if i don't get to the phone/the internet is down, it forwards the call to my cell. if i dont answer it on my cell, it kicks back to the vonage voicemail. The voicemail alone is worth having it, I get an email with my voicemail whenever I get one, so when I'm at work I can easily see when I get a new call, especially good if I am waiting for a call to come in.
But vonage itself is never a problem. I am often downloading torrents of stuff while my girlfriend is browsing the net on her laptop and I'm playing games on DS wifi, and phonecalls are still crystal clear. Like I said, the only problem i have ever had with my phone is when comcast drops the cable connection, and that is not a problem with vonage itself, but rather the ISP
DkVik1ng @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:18PM
well, to qoute reggie, did you liked the name Google in the beginning? what about IKEA?.
JodyAnthony @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:20PM
and yeah, I do have a potty mouth, sorry if it bothers anyone, I'll try to keep it toned down.
Alkaiser @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:29PM
The jokes about the Wii name may be old news to everyone here, but the mainstream audience has yet to start cracking jokes on it. Wait until your local newscaster has to cover it.
For the record, yes, I DID like the name Google to begin with. It actually makes sense.
Google didn't have to announce it's name complete with a primer on all the reasons you should appreciate how clever and completely non-stupid its name was, either.
DWells55 @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:32PM
Scary? I don't think so. Silly and possibly stupid sounding to a lot of people, yes. I really would have liked for them to have stuck with Revolution. Although the name has lost a lot of the stupid shock it initially gave, I still can't call it a Wii to anyone who doesn't know alot about it. I always find myself saying "Nintendo's new system" as opposed to Microsoft and Sony where I can say "Xbox 360" or "PS3" and everyone knows what I'm talking about. The few times I have said "Wii" it's gotten laughter and confusion out of the people I've been talking to.
-D. Wells
Join me in boycotting EA's spyware and if you'd like, their games altogether: http://www.petitiononline.com/bf2142ad/petition.html
JUJUSTSHUTUP @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:41PM
"And actually, the whole bashing on the wii name is stupid. Bash the graphics, the controller, whatever,"
-JodyAnthony
you know what, i think i will. BOOO THE OUTDATED GRAPHICS IN STELLAR 480P, BOOO THE STUPID ASS GIMICK CONTROLLER, BOOO THE WHATEVER THAT IS THE WII. THANK YOU JodyAnthony FOR THE PERMISSION TO BASH ON THE GRAPHICS, CONTROLLER, AND WHATEVER.
Paul @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:46PM
Any one want to edit that Dodge Claiber commercial so it looks like there discussing the Nintendo Wii.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWBAmNZw4i8&mode=related&search=
IslandLife @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:45PM
@DkVik1ng
Google and IKEA aren't slang terms for urine or any other human waste matter.
JodyAnthony @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:57PM
JUJUSTSHUTUP, why dont you follow the advice your name is giving? I wasn't giving people 'permission', i was saying that at least those concerns are valid ones people have. saying the name is 'scary' is just plain stupid. Like "X-Box" or "Playstation" (oh, I'm sorry, "PLAYSTATION") are good names? Please. The name has nothing to do with the games being played. Their entire argument against Wii is "Just for the name alone." I'm just saying if they want to badmouth the system, take a cue from all the microsoft/sony fanboys out there and actually complain about what the system itself offers, not about the name that holds no significance against the console whatsoever.
FuzzyPickles @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:02PM
I like the name. If I were from another country, I'd probably appreciate it simply because I wouldn't have to buy yet another product with an English name on the packaging.
FuzzyPickles @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:11PM
Oh yeah, and Xbox is a much dumber name than Wii. Sounds like the focus group consisted entirely of eight yeard old boys back when Tony 2 was selling Dreamcasts.
dvnt @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:10PM
Fortune can suck my Wii's balls. And by balls I mean the Wiimote/Nunchaku combo.
AwesomeSauce @ Nov 2nd 2006 5:57PM
IMO, CNN is a poor excuse as a technology site. They cater to people who can't tell a toaster from a computer.
Either way, this reminds me how I've gotten so used to the name Wii.
crabtree @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:15PM
hey, at least its original...
Emceay @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:15PM
It's not dark alley or rabid animal scary, it's baby boomer scary. Like the kind of scared you are of fishing something out of the toaster while it's still plugged in. Even the sound you make is different. It's much more of an "ooh.." than "aah!!"
Nmaster @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:29PM
People who write long posts responding to stupid articles in which the writers aren't even reading scare me...
Rivithed @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:56PM
Hey, check out these pics of the first Wii Kiosk in a South Florida Gamestop: http://www.gamingbits.com/content/view/1272/2/
So forget the name, kids! Wii should be over that since E3 2006!
Superdotman @ Nov 2nd 2006 9:19PM
Say, Joystiq, why don't you run another name acceptance poll? I'd be curious to see a comparison with the first one.
DakidOG @ Nov 3rd 2006 8:07PM
I just can't talk about the Wii with another man. Can you imagine having a conversation about the Wii and someone walking in or hearing the conversation at the worst part possible.
"I HAD A LOT OF FUN PLAYING WITH YOUR WII"
and i'm not trying to be imature these things happen and i don't want to put doubts in the back of anyones head.
GOLD5 @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:25AM
I hated the name PLAYSTATION when it came out. Thought it made the unit sound like it was mainly for kids. (It's way better now that we are on the PS+number system) At least Dreamcast/Kitana and Saturn were a lot more sleek sounding. Even GameGear is better sounding than Wii. They couldn't use Revoultion, think about it, NIKE already owns the crap out of that one, and then many, many others partially own the rights to it like songs and movies with the word in there (Beatles). They would get sued so fast it would be hilarious. (Internal names don't mean squat because they are not making money off a product yet.) Also, remember that people in Asia would not be able to easily pronounce revolution. (No offense, there are several simultaneous reasons that this word would really suck for them to say.) Come to think of it, they should have thought of a cool Japanese word for the 360 because the Japanese just say the words for those numbers and I'm pretty sure that it doesn't hold the same pizzaz for them.
fawazr @ Nov 3rd 2006 2:49AM
Yeah the name sucks balls. But it's gonna have some monster sales this season. You can't argue with sales. I'm biased... I've owned stock in Nintendo for years now. I'm actually (in small part) getting rich off Nintendo. That's not fanboyism, just solid sales. Bad sales would be scarier.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Nov 3rd 2006 6:00AM
Wii is a dumb name. It always will be. It's like naming a child Eunice just to be different and original. Even Eunice has more syllables.
Then again, I have a design project that I call the Albedo (code name was Luna). It's a cool name if you know what it means, but I guess a machine name with a "lub" in it doesn't have that much draw.
x23 @ Nov 6th 2006 7:57AM
"I have a design project that I call the Albedo (code name was Luna). It's a cool name if you know what it means"
i know what it means. it's also phonetically close enough to the much commonly known word "libido"... yes. i'm serious.
Olas42 @ Dec 28th 2006 4:12AM
I hate people who dis the wii because of its name
CALL IT WATEVER THE f@#$ YOU WANT ITS NOT LIKE THEYR FORCING YOU TO SAY WII.
I personnaly have nothing against the name wii its short simple and to the point. Revolution is already a word that you can find in the dictionary, besides at least its original. Playstation, playstation 2, playstation3. NO CREATIVITY AT ALL. i like the wii because of the awsome new controller wich makes playing the wii really fun and makes you feel like your actualy IN the game. besides its pretty cheep and comes with a free game when you buy it