In the beginning... well ok, it was Magnivox, Atari, Intelevision, and Coleco...
But it was Nintendo that resparked video games. Starting with the NES at home, everyone wanted to play. Nintendo was cool.
Then Nintendo met Sony, friends at first, then bitter rivals. Nintendo's demand to control manufacturing processes, and refusal to leave the cart both helped them defeat themselves.
Then the Gamecube. A great console, minimized in the west (US mostly) by looking to much like a toy. Gamers were growing up, and the tipical gamer was not 12-14 anymore. The Nintendo games rocked, but people (myself included) didn't buy the console, even if they longed to play some of those great games.
Now here comes the "Wii"
Just as I was getting excited about Nintendo again... Just as I was planing to buy. Just as I thought Nintendo realy had a winner.
Nope
Just looking like a toy held the Gamecube back from selling well, never mind the great games. In marketing the truth is perception is reality.
Perception so far is a full on laughing at the name. Teasing of the name. And lockeroom humor about it. A low price could actualy hurt it now. If you are ashamed to say it, why would you buy it. I know I will not.
Not because I'm so childish, or to cool to own something named the same as the action of a child peeing. But because I think the a name like this will stop sales, which will stop development of games, which means no matter how low priced it is... I would be waisting my money
This name alone could kill the console. No fanboy reteric can change that.
And that is truly tragic.