Wii are Disappointed

Sadly, it seems I am not destined to recieve a Wii on the launch day here in Europe. Unlike the US, where it seems people were made to form publicity-friendly lines to acquire their new consoles, here in the UK, we have a less exciting but more practical pre-order system. My pre-order was not within the initial allocation of Wii's, so my only hope for a Wii before the Winter Festivals is if Nintendo manage to ship extra Wii to Europe some time in December. I don't know whether to get my hopes up or not, to be honest.

One thing is apparent - the Wii brand name is a marketing goldmine. Not only did it generate massive initial attention because of the apparent insanity of the name, but now that people have got used to it, it presents infinite opportunities for straplines and punchy headlines of all kinds. Both PS3 and 360 seem quite dull names, by comparison, although I can't deny that PlayStation is a strong brand name and well worth maintaining, and Xbox has the capacity to be used creatively, as in a recent ebay commercial, and in an episode of The Simpsons.

And on the subject of brand names, I notice that Southern Comfort have spent a considerable sum of money advertising their syllabic abbreviation SoCo. It seems this phrase has been around for a while now, but that the company behind the drink wants to push this punchier neologism as their new brand. I presume this is an attempt to appeal to Generation Txt, who are always looking to save a few keypresses on their phones. I have a feeling it will work for them, although it makes me feel slightly queasy to think about it.

Incidentally, my phone's predictive text input renders 'Wii' as 'Wig', 'PS3' as 'Pre' and 'Xbox' as 'Wanx'. Isn't technology grand!

Comments

[Corvus]

Shooting for a launch console? I'm surprised! Pleased, but surprised. Well, keep your eyes open. You never can tell when an opportunity will open up.

"Wanx" is now going to be the way I refer to that console at MBB, probably even after I buy one and lift my ban on its mention!

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to "Wig" out before work.

[Jack Monahan]

greetings from Singapore! :)

When in Melbourne I had a chance at a demo Wii at a department store (yes, a proper department store, excellent placement for the non-gamer audience likely to be so critical to the Wii's success) and even though I only played the rock-simple Bowling game... the implications were clear. As they're saying over on Penny Arcade, the Wii's potential as the absolute ultimate party machine seems strong. I'd very much like to be home with family over a major holiday (not to happen for me this Christmas, sadly) and play Wii with my sisters.

Also, kudos to your cell for catching "Wig Pre-Wanx", one of the hottest new next-gen titles from Japan. What the game is actually about is anyone's guess.

[GregT]

I remember seeing some news on (I think) Gamespot AU that Nintendo are committed to keeping a steady flow of new Wiis shipping into Australia and Europe up until Christmas, so that consumers should stand a decent chance of getting one whether they have a preorder or not. I sadly can't find the link right now though. Check in with your local game shop to see if they know more.

[Jon]

Something from the European rumor mill: Nintendo is going to set a conversion rate of 4:1 for Star points to Wii points according to German mag:
go now

[Chris]

Thanks for the rumour, Jon! 4:1 would convert my Star points into just under 2,000 Wii points at the moment - my only concern is that I'm moving to the US, and I'm doubtful Nintendo will let me transfer my points there. ;)