p2p news / p2pnet: Nintendo has been criticized for calling its new game box Wii, pronounced ‘we’.

Among other things, it’s been pointed out that in the UK and elsewhere, having a wee means taking a leak, or a pee, and in Scotland and Ireland, ‘wee’ means tiny.

But, no worries, says company president Satoru Iwatathe. Wii is meant to, "emphasize that it’s fun for everybody – offers easy-playing games, regardless of sex, age or skills," says BusinessWeek Online.

Iwata was among those who had come up with the name and he says GameBoy, "was criticized at start as a weird name, and some had asked if that meant girls couldn’t play with it," the story continues.

But once a product catches on, then so does the name, Iwata is quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Reuters has Nintendo saying it’s unlikely to lose much money on the Wii, "in sharp contrast to rival Sony Corp., which expects a hefty loss on the debut of its PlayStation 3".

Game makers often lose on initial console sales, "but recoup those losses over the life of the product through software sales," the story says, adding:

"Sony expects to post a 100 billion yen ($884 million) operating loss at its game division in the current fiscal year due to costs related to the PS3 launch."

Digg this story.

Also See:
pronounced ‘we’ – Nintendo’s Wii Revolution, April 28, 2006
BusinessWeek Online – Nintendo head has no qualms with Wii name, June 7, 2006
Reuters – Nintendo expects limited losses from Wii launch, June 7, 2006

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