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PS3 Motion Controller Named “Gem”?

K

Kolgar

Member
Gem? What? A gem is a jewel. This new Sony motion controller needs a name that nothing else has. I like someone's suggestion above to call it "PS Motion." Maybe they can add some flair to that, but it's a better start because at least it is somewhat descriptive of the actual product.

Perhaps Gem is the internal code name? Sorry, I haven't kept up.
 
P

-PXG-

Member
o_jem.jpg


???

EDIT

NOOOOO! I was beaten :(
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
neorej said:
here's a crazy idea: maybe it's the codename EA uses and Sony has nothing to do with it!
Click to expand...

I doubt EA has codenames for other people's products...

You can see where the name 'gem' comes from though. I presume it refers to the ball thingy and the fact that it's a bright shiny thing.

Though it is a bit strange, I really don't think 'ps motion' or 'ps wand' are better. Those are quite boring/staid/predictable labels really.
 
N

neorej

ERMYGERD!
gofreak said:
I doubt EA has codenames for other people's products...

You can see where the name 'gem' comes from though. I presume it refers to the ball thingy and the fact that it's a bright shiny thing.

Though it is a bit strange, I really don't think 'ps motion' or 'ps wand' are better. Those are quite boring/staid/predictable labels really.
Click to expand...

I'm sure EA is prototyping gamedesigns and calling it "That Nameless Schtick Motion Controller Sensor Thingy By Sony".
 
K

Kolgar

Member
gofreak said:
Though it is a bit strange, I really don't think 'ps motion' or 'ps wand' are better. Those are quite boring/staid/predictable labels really.
Click to expand...

I think Sony's struggled enough with the odd/weird/esoteric marketing this generation.

They don't need a name like "Gem." They need a name that tells customers straightaway what the product is so they can start generating interest in it.

A boring/staid/predictable label may be boring/staid/predictable, but with Wii already the de facto standard in motion-controlled gaming and with Natal on the way, I don't think Sony has the luxury of time here. They need to get the word out about what they're offering, loud and clear, without obfuscating the message behind a meaningless name.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
comparisons to Wii are interesting obviously. clearly GAF thought it was terrible and that everyone would laugh at it, and just as Nintendo predicted it became part of everyday vernacular and nobody raises an eyebrow or hesitates to say it in front of other people.

Gem is a bit different i think because it's already a word, and it already has certain associations with it where as Wii wasn't already a word.

it's interesting in that it has feminine connatotions. that isn't a bad thing though, as it does sort of set the stall out to say 'this isn't just for our existing users, we are looking to broaden our appeal'.

i'm sure they've done lots of research on it to see who it attracts and who it turns off.

i'm just mainly interested that they're naming it after something that already exists rather than trying to build their own word and brand as Nintendo did.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Kolgar said:
A boring/staid/predictable label may be boring/staid/predictable, but with Wii already the de facto standard in motion-controlled gaming and with Natal on the way, I don't think Sony has the luxury of time here. They need to get the word out about what they're offering, loud and clear, without obfuscating the message behind a meaningless name.
Click to expand...

Silly abstract names don't have to obfuscate the meaning of the product. I think this gen might have taught us that, if anything :p Other parts of 'the message' will be a lot more critical than this.
 
K

Kolgar

Member
gofreak said:
Silly abstract names don't have to obfuscate the meaning of the product. I think this gen might have taught us that, if anything :p Other parts of 'the message' will be a lot more critical than this.
Click to expand...

Abstract is fine. Preferred, even. As Plagiarize pointed out above, "Gem" is an existing word with an existing meaning that's not even remotely related to the function of what Sony's trying to sell.

That introduces an unnecessary obstacle right away. In marketing, there's no decision more important than what to name your product. And it's easier and better to make up an entirely new name and assign it meaning than to try and assign a different meaning to an existing word.
 
S

Sage00

Once And Future Member
Reminds me of this.

“This was actually a huge internal battle, to the point where there was research done among consumer groups,” says Harrison, who, having seen various youth groups reacting badly to the name PlayStation, had his own fears about it. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, the name is bombing and everyone is going to hate it’. I shared the information with Tokunaka-san, and he said, ‘Oh, that’s nothing, you should have heard what people said about Walkman’. And that pretty much ended the debate.”
 
P

-PXG-

Member
andycapps said:
:lol :lol So funny reading that graveyard of a thread. So many people banned since then!

And about the name, Gem. If that is the real name I don't care more or less for it. I will probably end up getting a couple for the family.
Click to expand...

I love how people give the Wii shit for it's "waggle" but when Sony announced it was doing it too, people were all over it's dick in seconds. Gem, or whatever the hell it's really called is so dumb. Like Home, just another waste of time and money, that could have gone towards something else.
 
BJK

BJK

Member
I only want it if they start calling 3D TV "The Holograms."

THEN the name makes sense.
Otherwise, you've just labeled the new product for your predominantly male audience after a component of jewelry.
 
S

shinshero

Member
PS3
GEM
Wii

What they all have in common is that they are three letter words. Easy to remember, easy to say and easy to market.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
This generation sucks at naming. Wii is obvious, Gem sounds like an artifact of the 80's, and Natal makes me think about squeezing out a baby.
 
womfalcs3

womfalcs3

Banned
Neither Natal or Gem are final names. They're not marketable.

They're code names like Gran Paradiso and Bon Echo were for Firefox.
 
B

BenjaminBirdie

Banned
bearcatjosh said:
PS3 Jim?
Click to expand...

This would be amazing. Like United's Ted? An average, approachable name. "Jim" is your best buddy, here to help you out with all your gaming fun.

It would be the boldest naming move in console history and be phenomenally successful.

I am not even joking!!
 
T

Thunder Monkey

Banned
BenjaminBirdie said:
This would be amazing. Like United's Ted? An average, approachable name. "Jim" is your best buddy, here to help you out with all your gaming fun.

It would be the boldest naming move in console history and be phenomenally successful.

I am not even joking!!
Click to expand...
I'd really enjoy that.:lol
 
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