Okay, so the name sucks. The general consensus is that Nintendo's boffed naming their new console. The moniker is reminiscent of everything from the French word for "yes" to the childish word for "urine." Not exactly the association that Nintendo was looking for, but is that why everyone is freaking out?

Traditionally, game consoles sound like, well, game consoles. The machines either invoke play (Atari 2600 or the PlayStation), technology (Intellevision or TurboGrafx-16), entertainment (Super NES or Xbox) or adventure (Magnavox Odyssey or Dreamcast). "Wii" invokes something far more mundane: us. The horror.

Fans across the global have truly been surprised, some delighted and others disgusted. Over what? Love it or despise it, Wii does not change what's inside the console. Between an innovative machine with a stupid name or a stupid machine with a fab name, I choose the stupid name.

With the DS, Nintendo's showing that they really aren't making traditional consoles anymore. Luke at 1Up writes, "Is Nintendo now just the weird uncle in gaming that we look at and say, 'Oh, don't mind him, he's a little bit off.' I for one, hope not, but I am starting to wonder." The Nintendo-of-late has been off and slightly strange. But isn't that the point?

We Wee Oui Wii [Ninendo Japan]

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