Nintendo's next-gen console, which had been known as Revolution, now officially has a name: Wii. The name is pronounced like the word "we." What went into choosing this name?

"While the code-name 'Revolution' expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.
Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else," says Nintendo. "Wii will put people more in touch with their games ... and each other. But you're probably asking: What does the name mean? Wii sounds like 'we,' which emphasizes this console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii."

Nintendo's official explanation continues, "Wii has a distinctive 'ii' spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.
And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd. So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.
Because, it's really not about you or me. It's about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything."

You can check out the new logo in action here.

With the official name for the console revealed, now all we need is an exact price and date and of course those extra "secrets" that Nintendo has consistently said they're still holding on to. Stay tuned for E3!

Update:

Following Nintendo's announcement of the new name, we spoke with Nintendo of America PR Manager Matt Atwood to find out more.

While Nintendo has known about Wii internally for some time now, this announcement apparently marks the first time that their development partners have heard of Wii. "Internally we've known for a few months now," Atwood told GameDaily BIZ. "Externally no one's known about it... and quite honestly everyone internally has been operating under the code name Revolution and we decided today, 'Let's go and make some news.'"

He continued, "I think the reaction in general... people are wondering, because it's a very unique name and that's exactly the point. The Wii is a very unique system. And we're not following any of the conventions of naming it 2 or 3 or 4 of the current system. This is about a completely new system, a completely new experience, and attracting completely new gamers as well as our hardcore fans."

We mentioned that the logo philosophy sounded similar to the Xbox 360 because Microsoft had said "the experience revolves around you," while Wii means that this "console is for everyone." Did Nintendo take into account the 360 name?

"Probably the similarity is that anytime you name something you want it to reflect the experience or the system; I think the best names do... You mention Xbox 360, but it's still Xbox," Atwood said. "Our complete thought here is that this is not a sequel to something... this is completely new. As far as comparing it to other names you can compare it more to unique names like Yahoo!, Prius... Maybe initially you think 'What does that mean?' and it's really provocative, and once you get your hands on the Wii it will be very clear why it's named this."

Atwood also said that Wii is likely to have "profound social implications" because it will bring people together to share the unique experience the console provides. "When you have the really good moment playing a video game and you just feel like the developer nailed it, and you want to express that to your friends," explained Atwood. "And when someone can't identify or appreciate it, it's a little bit frustrating... The social implication is this: You go home for a holiday or you and your sister hang out, if you hand her a game like Brain Age you might not get your system back. She's going to want to play it, she's going to want to get one... That's what we're seeing with the DS and that's exactly what we think Wii is all about."

One of the first things that occurred to us when we saw the name Wii, was Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. Atwood told us that this was not done deliberately, however. "That wasn't the intent but we certainly don't mind that. We've already stated that we will be online out of the box and so that will be a very important part of the experience... And the online component is an important part of getting people [to play Wii]. One is ensuring that the hardcore gamer is engaged but also there will be experiences that will appeal to a more casual type of player, but in the future I don't know that we'll be calling them casual players. We'll have a new name for them because they'll be Wii players."

Lastly we asked about Nintendo's timing of this announcement; why not save it for E3? "E3 is about the games and about playing," said Atwood. "We don't want to focus on anything else. We want the name out there; people can start to get comfortable with the name now. Basically, if you don't play this... playing is believing with this system. Because it's such a unique concept we think it will have huge appeal. The important thing for us is to get the controller into people's hands and playing the games. And so we want E3 to be all about the gameplay experience."

Also be sure to check out the reaction to Wii from some of GameDaily's editors in the blogs.