News: Nintendo Explains the "i" in DSi Page 1

Nintendo Explains the "i" in DSi

22.02.2009

Nintendo Explains the "i" in DSi on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

Nintendo was recently quizzed on the reasoning behind the "i" in their latest portable, the DSi.

The inclusion of an "i" in a hardware product would instantly conjure up an association with Apple, iPod and iPhones, but Nintendo has different ideas for the use of I.

The "i" is symbolic of the subject "I" and its personal aspect. Plus, the addition of two cameras gives the system its own "eye" on things. Nintendo hope that the Nintendo DSi becomes more than a game system and more of a personal tool to enrich our daily lives.

Nintendo of America representative

Thanks to GoNintendo.

Do you like the DSi title? Should Nintendo have gone down a different route? What would you name the latest DS revision?

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HazukiSan 22.02.2009#1

Don't you just love PR bullshit.

JoshSL 22.02.2009#2

First "We" now "I/eye" whatever.

ALWAYS ABOUT THE PEOPLE NINTENDO, WHAT ABOUT THE GAMERS. Smilie

Dreamcast is the best console name ever I'm afraid.

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Mr. T 22.02.2009#3

No, they stole the 'iPod' thang. No amount of PR bullshite can cover that up. God bless Nintendo.

Trying to think of a witty signature after 'Hacker-gate'...

Ikana 22.02.2009#4

So what does the 'i' in iPod stand for? Smilie

GR781 22.02.2009#5

Well, to be fair, it isn't iDS, its DSi, which is at least more of an effort than some other companies make...e.g. iPlayer etc.

JonnieRy 22.02.2009#6

I don't understand why they expect you to pronounce the 'i' as a separate letter when they put it lowercase ... as if you don't already pronounce the 'D' and the 'S' individually.

If anything, it should be pronounced Dee-Seye, not Dee-Ess-Eye...

Contradictions promote Cynicism. Bible.

Creating New Sig...Eventually

Echoes221 22.02.2009#7

JonnieRy said:
I don't understand why they expect you to pronounce the 'i' as a separate letter when they put it lowercase ... as if you don't already pronounce the 'D' and the 'S' individually.
If anything, it should be pronounced Dee-Seye, not Dee-Ess-Eye...
Contradictions promote Cynicism. Bible.

yes becasue we all play out pussthree on our lucedetuvs ready for the hud that we bought at humvs

Satoshi 22.02.2009#8

Awww I thought they would have said i for imagine.

Avoid Games Like the Plague, productivity++

JonnieRy 22.02.2009#9

I hate Fonejacker.

Creating New Sig...Eventually

TaoFire 22.02.2009#10

Nintendo hope that the Nintendo DSi becomes more than a game system and more of a personal tool to enrich our daily lives.

lolpsp.

Aki-T spilt the water.

Show Spoiler

irfy 22.02.2009#11

I think its just easier for Microsoft Sam to read like Nintendo... Wee Eye Eye, lolz Smilie

( Edited 22.02.2009 16:49 by Irfy )

Flynnie 22.02.2009#12

hahah, do they think we are stupid!

thisissuperk 22.02.2009#13

I seriously want to know what's up with the technology industry and the letter "i" in lowercase.

Cheesing It Up 22.02.2009#14

SuperLink said:
First \"We\" now \"I/eye\" whatever.
ALWAYS ABOUT THE PEOPLE NINTENDO, WHAT ABOUT THE GAMERS.
Dreamcast is the best console name ever I\'m afraid.

Dolphin would have been an even better name than Dreamcast. Smilie

( Edited 22.02.2009 19:02 by The cheese. )

J4K 22.02.2009#15

Its arguable which console has the best name. But it isn't arguable which has the worst. Smilie

But yeah, if the iPod did not exist, the DSi would not exist as a name. Simple as. It's a ripoff.

Its funny because people were calling the DSlite the iDS. Don't think anyone anticipated Nintendo would actually do it. Smilie

Mario_0 22.02.2009#16

I was always under the impression it was just refrencing the cameras.

^^Click for a wallpaper version^^

xXxTin Can ManxXx 22.02.2009#17

Could they not have just said it stands for "DS improved"? fucking PR shiiiiiiiite.

Also:

HAAAAAZ!

1"We're mentalist psychic Scots , which means we can read your mind. If you're lying, your head explodes and we laugh."

Lynk 22.02.2009#18

Hmm I do this same thing in graphics coursework. Slightly copy something that looks good in other products and then fire off some BS about how it has all sorts of deep meanings and took me ages to come up with.

Add me on anything. I'm always looking for new friends/opponents/town visitors/chances to appear more popular than I actually am.

Zapp 23.02.2009#19

I can understand XBOX... riiite... coz it was a HUGE BOX with an Green X... \"XBOX\" ... but the XBOX 360... it\'s not a sphere so it isn\'t 360.. and it doesn\'t have an blimmin huge great green big X on it?!?! Smilie Smilie Smilie Smilie

( Edited 22.02.2009 23:17 by Zapp )

I see all these people insulting the Nintendo corporation because of the lack of mature content. Yet there is something about Nintendo (at least their games) that strikes a certain unadulterated feeling of joy!!! Pokemon Y - 1048-9263-5562

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Darkflame 23.02.2009#20

So, all those people dissing the name above?
What would -you- call it?
DSeye?
I really dont think you can claim the name has much to do with the ipod, frankly, especialy with a Nintendo system already called Wii.

The fact that i is lower case might, however, be strongly influenced.

( Edited 22.02.2009 23:21 by Darkflame )

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JoshSL 23.02.2009#21

Darkflame said:
I really dont think you can claim the name has much to do with the ipod, frankly, especialy with a Nintendo system already called Wii.
The fact that i is lower case might, however, be strongly influenced.

In a world without Apple's iProduct, I actually don't see the Wii ever having that name I'm afraid. The lower case i is now synonymous with the age of new media, and it's all thanks to Apple, Nintendo are just jumping on the bandwagon.

OK it may not be a blatent rip off in the slightest, but Nintendo are undoubtedly cashing in on that techy trendy audience.

What would I have called it? I'm no director or marketing, but I like the sound of DSC [Camera] or DSM [Media].

On a slightly unrelated note, what was it with "SP" back in the GBA days? It was so random, but it popped up in a few games too. xD

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J4K 23.02.2009#22

I think they said SP stood for "Special". Not too sure about that though.

mila218 23.02.2009#23

I thought it would be "Interactive" ?

--- I am in room 218 ---

Keven 23.02.2009#24

HazukiSan said:
Don't you just love PR bullshit.

I don't know, for making that up on the spot, it was pretty good. Smilie

The former top user was Keven! You'd probably give birth to yourself 1000 times over until you sprout wings to fly away into the fading sun, that or you'd just turn into a lesbian. Who knows @_@ - L, 12/06/09

TruLink 23.02.2009#25

I think people are too quick to assume things when it comes to the "i". Sure Apple popularized it with its behemoth known as iPod. Does that mean Nintendo wants to cash in on that? I'd go with "no" seeing as how every console name has been Nintendos' own, and not a copy of anything else. Go back a few years to when the term "walkman" was in, and even then Nintendo didn't go with "Game Man".

Whatever meaning Nintendo has with their product names is their own way of trying to be innovative in every aspect. The name "Wii" signifies the concept of "we" as in bringing together gamers to play, and also goes with "ii" instead of an "e" to represent two gamers playing.

The "i" on DSi can't even be compared to what Apple has done for a few reasons. First off, as mentioned in a different post, it's not called "iDS", and it's also not spelled "DSi". DSi is just how we spell it for simplicities sake, but if you take a good look at the placement, the "i" is where the ™ would be on a product name. On top of that, the "i" is in-cased in a black circle- resembling the very cameras that are in the DSi.

The final reason is this: Go to the roundtable discussion on how the DSi came to be, and you will see that they clearly wanted to give the DS "eyes", which is also an indicator that Nintendo is simply using the letter "i" to promote the biggest new feature to the DS, its "eyes"- in other words its new cameras.

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