The name is Wii. Nintendo Wii.

Yesterday, Nintendo announced that what has so far been called Nintendo Revolution, will now be Nintendo Wii. Wii, as in "We". The latest game console due to hit the market sometime later this year, Nintendo has so far called it as Nintedo Revolution. Now the company has said that the name will be Wii. "Revolution" was just a direction, Wii is the answer, said a Nintendo official.

Why Wii? Why not just Nintendo Revolution, which the gaming community had come to accept as the next from Nintendo? Nintendo seems to have wanted an innovative, inimitable word in mind, which led to Wii. The latest Nintendo console will have two controllers - one a remote and the other a joystick. The two "i"s in Wii depict the two controllers, says the company. Revolution was just a codename, says Nintendo.

With Wii, Nintendo hopes to create a feeling of togetherness, and (hopefully) a new gaming experience. "Wii won't be like anything we have seen before," says Nintendo.

Not everyone is excited, though. "Wii? Why?" wondered a youngster, baffled at the seemingly unpronouceable name. Said another: "Wii are not impressed."

But Wii or not, the name of a console or that of a game rarey had any impact on its saleability. Since Nintendo is confident of making an impact with its product, it decided to go in for a wacky new Wii.

Nintendo Wii will be up against Microsoft XBox 360 and Playstation 3 Console.

Nintendo Wii will be the successor to Nintendo GameCube. Its development began immediately after the GameCube was released. Though Revolution was kept as the codename, the gaming community had come to believe that it would be the final name, because an earlier codename Nintendo DS was retained as the official brand name.

It is expected that Nintendo Wii will have the facility to accept data input through a stylus. Of all the Nintendo consoles so far, the Wii will be the sleekest. The controller is seen as the most revolutionary of the Wii features, expected to attract greater numbers of gamers to Wii.

The Wii can be hooked up to a television or a computer monitor. Nintendo Wii users will be able to watch DVD movies too on the console, but will have to buy an extra dongle for this. The dongle is to be inserted in the front of the machine. Wii owners will be able to connect and download Nintendo games online.

According to Nintendo, the Wii is designed to be small, quiet and affordable. It wont be able to play high-definition video. It will have a quick start-up time compared to others in the Nintendo family. Interestingly, Wii will not have hard drive.

The price of Wii has not been revealed yet, but Nintendo had earlier planned to release the product under $200. The latest announcement from Nintendo does not mention its price.

Wii are waiting!