OMG Lilac PSP! Sony says 'Girlz Play Too'

You do realize that whole game/web thing you want to play is meant for girls, right?
So... should we call you Sony Girl from now on?

There is so much fail in this statement

Fuck off, Longhorn. Most media these days is written with some bizarre intention to make it cater to stereotypes. If something isn't reaching the 18-35 males, it needs some tits and explosions. If a channel doesn't have enough women of the same bracket watching, they put up a load of house and garden makeover shows.

It boils the whole entertainment industry down to formats aimed at some imaginary average person who is absolutely un-unique and has only a small selection of generic interests. This is what I meant by imaginary demographics, not female gamers.

I wouldn't say there's no such thing as demographics in business, but I agree with the making good games part. My main problem with demographic marketing is that it leads to belittling and stereotyping the audience you are trying to reach. This "girlz" crap makes me sick.

< sarcasm >

You mean you don't want a pretty lilac colored psp to play barbie pony games on?

< /sarcasm >

Yeah, certain groups of people are always going to have somewhat predictable interests, and it's fair to try and cater to those in some way. But like you say, if it leads to all content just being aimed at a dumb stereotype (some of the TV channels in britain are massive examples of this), then that's just boring for everyone.

Ive seen girls have PSP (The Hot ones)
also 3 girls at my church saw the Pink PSP and they said they wanted one

@ NoughtSoClever - THERE'S A BARBY PONY GAME??!!!!

~~
http://tiny.cc/yzUel

@The Baron
"Stop targeting imaginary demographics and just make good games."

Now I may not be the best person to argue this since I generally don't like the PSP's library myself, but one can't deny that the PSP has some very good games (GTA, Disgaea, God of War, FFT, etc). If the PSP didn't appeal to girls before, then I find it unlikely that it was because the games weren't good enough.

You know, people may not like what I'm about to say, but perhaps this kind of thing actually works? Sony has been in the gaming business for over a decade now (and longer if you consider their collaboration with Nintendo) and their gaming departments have the sales numbers for everything they release. Perhaps they're still doing this today because it works?

I know the hardcore crowd on Joystiq generally disregard these kind of things, but it has been proven in the past that the hardcore gaming crowd aren't exactly the best predictor of sales (for an unlimited number of examples: Look at basically everything Nintendo has been doing). Sony haven't been making the best decisions for a while now, but I don't think that they just decided one day to do this kind of thing. Their R&D department must have done some research to determine that this would increase sales to women.

Besides, I don't see the big deal as I love the color. Hell, I proudly owned an Indigo GameCube. I might even trade in my black PSP for the lilac one.

@MarioSpitza: You seriously can't consider Sony's *recent* marketing to be anything but a failure. They're doing terribly to reach out to consumers in any way, as well as doing a poor job of publicizing their own products. Now they are alienating certain groups of gamers.

I also love the color, but they don't need to label it as "for girlz." Girls will ultimately be attracted to the product and will probably buy it, no label needed. A label like that is just insulting and alienates certain consumers.

I've seen the Lilac when I was still in Hong Kong about 2 months ago. I've also seen quite a number of girls in Hong Kong playing Monster Hunter interestingly enough. Then again, they're usually playing with their boyfriend killing monsters and whatnot.

"...This "girlz" crap makes me sick."

Really though, it should only be the underlying tone of condescension that makes you sick. My wife for instance, loves her "metallic rose" or whatever color phone. Probably wouldn't mind the Sony Vaio pink laptop. It's not wrong to assume women tend to prefer pink/liliac whatever to in your face red, black or otherwise...it's that its wrong to pidgeonhole a woman gamer into a "feminine" color.

Hell, I suppose it says something that I'm reluctant to use my wife's phone in public too though. Stereotypes, stereotypes, they are a pain.

I never said the PSP didn't already have good games. But it's clear that this marketing strategy was pretty much off the top of some panel of middle aged men who have no idea about how to entice female gamers. Lilac PSP? "OMG"? "Girlz"? You can't really compare this to how well the Wii was marketed towards families and 'casuals'.

The really sad part is that this sort of marketing DOES work. ¦(

This hot girl I know wants the Dissidia PSP bundle...

Sony has repeatedly failed trying to market the PSP, so is any of this a surprise?

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2009/08/04/fat-princesss-patch-of-ample-proportions/#comments

Let me know when you see it.

"lol lets see uter drink GARGANTUAN MEGAN FOX bath water"

I achieved cult status,... that's scary.

I think I speak for the whole Joystiq community when I say WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH YOU AND YOUR MEGAN FOX BATHWATER SAM RAIMI PHILIA. For God's sake, shut the fuck up already

@PSN: John-Paul-Jones
you don't speak for me.
i, for one, look forward to the pudgy bastard's daily antics and requests for chocolate pudding.

Sorry John-Paul Jones, but when someone that has "Led Zeppelin" in his name says that Taylor Swift's first album was good, says anything, they lost any sense of value attached to their opinion in my book.

What? I can't listen to both Taylor Swift AND Led Zeppelin? I'm a huge Led Zep fanboy but I admit that her first album's really catchy

No, you can listen to whatever the hell you want. I have a diverse taste in music as well. I just don't understand how you can appreciate something as genius as Led Zeppelin and then turn around and listen to garbage like Taylor Swift.

It's like being offered the finest cuisine with white truffles and all that and then taking a bottle of ketchup and squirting half the bottle all over it.
I don't really attach value to the comments of people like that.

No John Paul. Musical tastes are absolute.

I know what you mean, but I respect Taylor Swift more than a lot of the pop stars today (including Hannah Montana) because

A) she writes her own music
B) she's not provacative
C) her first album doesn't adhere to shitty pop beats and that it has more of a country twang

I'm not saying I listen to her everyday (that slot is only held by Zeppelin, Velvet Underground, Miles Davis and John Coltrane), but her first album is the kind of pop - to me - that's different from the kind we usually hear in the radio. In fact, I haven't even listened to her for a few months now. Anyways, why does music have to be the most subjective thing, though?

You mean "Gameboy Micro"?

Also, if it's a Lila color, you're doing something wrong.

no its a big black one ;)

What are you winking about? Ewww

unless you have an N-gage.....*cough*chode*cough*

I'll "N" YOUR gage!!

I'd like to congratulate Mystile for winning this reply chain.

Pin-Sized Penis? Is that what it stands for?

Thanks Blank-Mage... Party at Sam Raimi's house and John-Paul-Jones is not invited!

jeez u ppl took this to a whole other lvl, one joke with inuendo and i get all this!?

There's a party! Oh-oh I know what will make this better....


*picks up phone*

Operator get me Megan Fox, the phone number of a Fat Costume Emporium, and Home Depot!!!

Such anger... are you out of bedazzles for your bedazzler or just on your period?

What are you, an idiot?

"It's not any any way offensive, obtuse, or insensitive for companies to make products to sell to the gazillions of women who buy pink powertools and laptops covered in fake crystals."

But the problem is, by specifically categorizing your products per gender, you alienate a large group of people. Yes, there will be girls who will buy this. Yes, there are a lot of girls who like pink and sparkles (I own a pink DS). But by crusading a "girlz campaign," you make assumptions about ALL girls. You'll attract some, alienate others. The DS comes in pink and Nintendo does a lot of marketing towards female and older audiences, but never comes out and says that certain products are made specifically FOR a type of person. That's called having tact.

And it IS offensive when companies make outright, specific assumptions about a group of people. It'd be like devising a marketing campaign called "HISPANIX" and advertising games like Viva Pinata and putting out products that "Hispanic people will love." Demographics targeting is fair game and often necessary in business, but you have to be careful.

He's right though. This bullshit sells. Why the hell are they making another Resident Evil movie? Because people love bullshit.

Lol and now Barbie is a whore! Seriously, she's nothing like the ones I had as a kid.

You know, there ARE female gamers out there who get more excited by the Dissidia bundle or the God of War bundle right? I actually like that lilac PSP, but I HATE HATE the game it's coming with. I would like nothing more than to see Hannah Montana skewered and set on fire.