14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo has filed a trademark in Japan for the name “Zii,” saying that it will be used in relation to videogame and other electronic devices. The paperwork for the new trademark is said to have gone through on October 30 and assures that the name is protected in Japan but not in any other states.
The videogame world has long speculated that Nintendo is getting ready to announce a new gaming console, probably a Wii home console with the capacity of playing back High Definition video and with a bigger hard drive. Considering that a Z can look an awfully lot like a 2 if the right font and size are used, maybe Nintendo is getting ready to announce to the world that a successor has been created and will be available to gamers at some point in 2010.
Siliconera, the site, which originally unveiled the trademark application, is mentioning that maybe the “Zii” name is being protected because of the fact that Creative Labs is creating a handheld computer called ZII, in capital letters (all of them). Nintendo might be keen on making sure that the new device is not in any way confused by customers with the Wii or with a product coming from the console and videogame creation company.
Ever since it was released, the Nintendo Wii has been criticized by some for its limited processing power and storage space. The maker dismissed the criticism by saying that those players who are attracted to it and its motion control do not need HD and a lot of space.
But in 2010, Sony is set to release a motion tracking wand and Microsoft is also preparing Project Natal, so Nintendo needs to make sure that it is not left behind in the console race, thus a new and improved version of the Wii could be on the cards, and it might be called Zii.