Nintendo renames the Revolution

No, we're not making that up. A quick trip to the Nintendo Web site confirms that this is not some sort of practical joke.

It was widely known that Revolution was merely a developmental code name for the company's follow-up to the GameCube, and most observers were expecting Nintendo to announce the new, official name at May's E3 industry trade show. The Web site outlines the company's reasoning behind the name--which is a good start, considering the company will be on the defensive about it from this day forward.

We'll have more reaction to the name change as the day progresses, but the jokes are already flying ("Did they misspell Wi-Fi or Viiv?"). My initial thought: The name change reminds me of Sega's Dreamcast, which was seen as a step backward from that console's earlier, cooler code name, Katana. But Dreamcast is light-years better than Wii, to be sure. The question is, will it actually detract from sales, or will gamers grit their teeth and just slap a homemade Revolution sticker over the label?