The PS3 Logo? Nope! Thank Gawd!

[Anonymous]

http://www.dgs-online.nl/nieuws/?id=10806

Unvieled at the same press conference that Sony announced Rambus as it's partner. All I have to say is: Oh my.

http://www.kindstranger.com/Photos/dp/ps3logo.jpg

[Mr. NEStalgia]

It just brings one question to my mind...Why?

-=Mr. NEStalgia=-

[RetroYoungen]

Wow. Ug-ly. Geez, what were they thinking when they came up with that? Well, that and keeping the Playstation name, they're a huge company and can't think up an original name?

[zmeston]

Wow. Ug-ly. Geez, what were they thinking when they came up with that? Well, that and keeping the Playstation name, they're a huge company and can't think up an original name?

Just curious: why do you think Sony should ditch the PlayStation name when it's the most recognizable videogame brand in the history of the industry?

Also, the PS3 logo (presuming this is the final version) is in the same style as the PS one logo, and I don't recall a massive outcry about that. How is this ugly?

-- Z.

[Charlie]

Just curious: why do you think Sony should ditch the PlayStation name when it's the most recognizable videogame brand in the history of the industry?


Oh come on now, I can think of several more that are more reconizeable. Atari, Nintendo, Gameboy to name a few.

[GENESISNES]

yikes, sony. yikes. they should just keep the same PS2 logo but add a three instead of two. and why have the 3 red?? just keep it all the same color!
well, it looks better than your avatar fluke.

[Anonymous]

haha true dat. I originally used this avatar as a poke at Kid Fenris, but I never bothered to change it. Perhaps I should take care of that little problem heh.

[zmeston]

Just curious: why do you think Sony should ditch the PlayStation name when it's the most recognizable videogame brand in the history of the industry?


Oh come on now, I can think of several more that are more reconizeable. Atari, Nintendo, Gameboy to name a few.

Atari and Nintendo were recognizable in their day, but the PlayStation is the best-selling game system of all time, and is the current casual/mainstream term for videogames: "Let's play PlayStation," et cetera. If it's not more recognizable, it's certainly equal in brand-name power to Atari and Nintendo at their peaks.

But let me once again ask the original poster: why would Sony ditch the PlayStation name? And what would you suggest as an alternative?

-- Z.

[Charlie]

Actually the Gameboy is the best selling machine of all time... since the GB, GB Pocket, GB Light, and GB Color are basically the same machine, then it easily suprases the PS or PS2. It's not even close.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Only...puaj!!!!

[zmeston]

Actually the Gameboy is the best selling machine of all time... since the GB, GB Pocket, GB Light, and GB Color are basically the same machine, then it easily suprases the PS or PS2. It's not even close.

I'll gladly concede that the GB is the best-selling portable system of all time. Also, if you can give me a reliable source for sales figures of all the various GBs, that'd be great.

So, let's rephrase the question: should Nintendo dump the Game Boy name, since it's been using it for twice as long as Sony has used the PlayStation name?

-- Z.

[Six Switch]

Ugly.Creative,yea,but also very ugly.

[kainemaxwell]

Geez that's ugly!

[Bratwurst]

Not ugly. Neat!

[Darth Vader]

I hope that logo is just a joke and not the real thing.

[Anonymous]

if you can give me a reliable source for sales figures of all the various GBs, that'd be great.
According to Nintendo's own annual financial report ending March 2002, 136 million gameboy units had been sold, with 18 million of those being GBA systems. I would assume that in the last year the CGB (which declined from 18 million units in 2001 to 4 million units in 2002, a decline from 83% to 27% of total GB sales) probably accounted for an inconsequential amount considering the discontinuation of the GBC line in 2002. Which would mean that of the 14 million units sold since the end of the report, 10 million have been of the GBA SP.

At the end of fiscal 2002, 12 million systems have been sold outside of Japan. Unfortunately, they don't give specific numbers for the US.

The report can be found here: http://www.nintendo.com/corp/report/financialstatements_5-30-02.pdf
the statistics are at the end of the report, on the last page.

[Charlie]

136 Million minus 18 Million is you don't count GBA = 118 Game-Boy systems out there. The PS is around the 100 mark, but several million short of the GB.

[RetroYoungen]

Wow. Ug-ly. Geez, what were they thinking when they came up with that? Well, that and keeping the Playstation name, they're a huge company and can't think up an original name?

Just curious: why do you think Sony should ditch the PlayStation name when it's the most recognizable videogame brand in the history of the industry?

-- Z.

I just have the romantic notion that companies should change the names of some of their products sometimes, like Sega did with the Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. Yeah it's recognizable brand right now, but I'd at least LIKE to think that the name Sony behind it would be enough because people would associate it with Playstation.

"This is from the same guys that made Playstation? Whoh, let's buybuybuybuybuy!!!!!"

[RetroYoungen]

Oh, and I don't know what I would call it. But then, I'd hope that someone over at Sony could think up something. ::shrugs::

[Needle]

That logo needs to be streamlined a little. I like what they're trying to do, moving from the hard edges of the PS2 to a curvy, circular motif, but right now the PS3 logo is taking up way too much space. It's coming off as uneven and unbalanced to me.

</aesthetics>

[stargate]

That logo needs to be streamlined a little. I like what they're trying to do, moving from the hard edges of the PS2 to a curvy, circular motif, but right now the PS3 logo is taking up way too much space. It's coming off as uneven and unbalanced to me.

</aesthetics>

I agree. It looks like a half assed Olympics logo...

[zmeston]

if you can give me a reliable source for sales figures of all the various GBs, that'd be great.
According to Nintendo's own annual financial report ending March 2002, 136 million gameboy units had been sold, with 18 million of those being GBA systems. I would assume that in the last year the CGB (which declined from 18 million units in 2001 to 4 million units in 2002, a decline from 83% to 27% of total GB sales) probably accounted for an inconsequential amount considering the discontinuation of the GBC line in 2002. Which would mean that of the 14 million units sold since the end of the report, 10 million have been of the GBA SP.

At the end of fiscal 2002, 12 million systems have been sold outside of Japan. Unfortunately, they don't give specific numbers for the US.

The report can be found here: http://www.nintendo.com/corp/report/financialstatements_5-30-02.pdf
the statistics are at the end of the report, on the last page.

Cool. Thanks for the heads-up!

-- Z.

[zmeston]

136 Million minus 18 Million is you don't count GBA = 118 Game-Boy systems out there. The PS is around the 100 mark, but several million short of the GB.

Yep. Although the GB line had a half-decade head start and a lower retail price, making the PS1's sales figures even more impressive by comparison.

Oh, some IM feedback from a game-publisher friend about the PS3 logo: "I'm just trying to figure out where the fuck that is going to fit on my packaging."

-- Z.

[dave2236]

I just want to put my vote in that that is UGLY . Stick with what works and go with the normal PSX logo

[Achika]

That logo needs to be streamlined a little. I like what they're trying to do, moving from the hard edges of the PS2 to a curvy, circular motif, but right now the PS3 logo is taking up way too much space. It's coming off as uneven and unbalanced to me.

</aesthetics>

I agree with Needle. I couldn't figure out what to say, but I think you summed up my feelings nicely. It's nice from a design point, but the footprint will be a bit big.

[kevincure]

It's not too bad of a design, as far as I'm concerned. I don't think the footprint issue will be that big a deal - the PS2 logo isn't even on the PS2 game cases (only the words Playstation2 and the generic PSX logo). The N64 logo has a similarly large footprint.

As for a name that doesn't have "Playstation" in it somewhere: no chance. Everyone knows what Windows and Gameboy and Playstation are, so each ititeration just continues the theme. It wouldn't surprise me if a large number of gamers didn't know that Playstation was from Sony - the cases themselves don't say Sony anywhere on them, and the PS2 console only says Sony on the side, not anywhere on the top near the logo.

[Oobgarm]

PSX controllers do, in fact, say SONY on them.

The console says SONY on the lid.

See here (http://vidgame.net/SONY/psx.htm) and here. (http://vidgame.net/SONY/PSONE.htm) (shameless plug for Achika)

I think plenty of folks know that their Playstations were made by SONY. If not, well, then they're either blind or stupid.

But I do agree that the "Playstation" brand recognition is necessary.

[bargora]

It's true that Sega put a new name on each of their systems, but I think that the impression in the consumer's minds at the time was that Sega was a videogame company. Hence, there was no need for a second trademark to let consumers know that the Saturn was a video game console.

Sony, on the other hand, makes all sorts of shit, so it uses the Playstation brand to set apart its video game consoles from its Discman CD players and Videoman (whatever) camcorders. So really, the name of Sony's current-gen console is "2". LOL Pretty uncreative, I admit, but since they've already got a three-syllable trademarked brand name that's NOT going to be dropped from their video game console packaging, short sub-names for their iterative console releases really are their best bet.

I mean, I would actually pity the poor Gamestop employees the day their manager forced them to answer the phone with "Thank you for calling Gamestop where you can reserve Super Street Fighter 4 EX Alpha for the Playstation Erythromycin." @_@

[AB Positive]

wow, some managers force employees to answer the phone with res pitches? Cripes...

then again we make our numbers easily without them. :-D

-AG

[Achika]

It's true that Sega put a new name on each of their systems, but I think that the impression in the consumer's minds at the time was that Sega was a videogame company. Hence, there was no need for a second trademark to let consumers know that the Saturn was a video game console.

Sony, on the other hand, makes all sorts of shit, so it uses the Playstation brand to set apart its video game consoles from its Discman CD players and Videoman (whatever) camcorders. So really, the name of Sony's current-gen console is "2". LOL Pretty uncreative, I admit, but since they've already got a three-syllable trademarked brand name that's NOT going to be dropped from their video game console packaging, short sub-names for their iterative console releases really are their best bet.

I mean, I would actually pity the poor Gamestop employees the day their manager forced them to answer the phone with "Thank you for calling Gamestop where you can reserve Super Street Fighter 4 EX Alpha for the Playstation Erythromycin." @_@


You bring up a good point with the Discmans, etc. I can't help but thinking that they are trying to tie in this logo with their current design of walkmans & discmans.

http://www.avland.co.uk/sony/dcs901/dcs901.jpg
http://www.minidisc.org/walkman_logo_2000.jpg

But by the time they release this logo on a system, they'll have a new line of designs for their music products.

AdamG--it's usually per DM. Our district, EVERYONE is supposed to say Madden 2004. It's "supposed" to be a firable offence to say something else. I've been saying Halo 2 forever (not that I care for either game but we aren't taking reserves on SC5 for GBA) and not gotten in trouble once. :-D

[bargora]

AdamG--it's usually per DM. Our district, EVERYONE is supposed to say Madden 2004. It's "supposed" to be a firable offence to say something else. I've been saying Halo 2 forever (not that I care for either game but we aren't taking reserves on SC5 for GBA) and not gotten in trouble once. :-D
Yeah, in the district where I shop, if I call around to the various stores, I'll be informed of a different pre-order opportunity at each store! And what's up with no pre-orders on SC5? Do they only do pre-orders on the titles that are supposed to be blockbusters?

It was interesting to see the new discman logo. I'm sure you're right about there being somebody at Sony trying to bring a unified theme or look to the various product lines' logos.

[Aswald]

That's ugly, with a capital "UG."

[Arcade Antics]

I don't think it's great by any stretch, BUT...

Without having seen the console yet, it may be a little unfair to trounce it. As a logo, it's not quite working yet.

But as a conceptual, work in progress logo it has potential.

I see them trying to incorporate the broadband netplay kind of thing with that logo. Picture the various circular shapes of the "S" and the "3" as a bird's eye view of gamers with their hands out in front of them, holding a controller. One gamer faces the "console" (the "P") and the other gamers (the "3") link up to the first couple of gamers who are hooked into the console.

They're trying something new. It could use a little work, but I'm not ready to dump on it just yet. :)

[bargora]

Heheh. Insert Credit (http://www.insertcredit.com/) is now reporting that the logo is a hoax. An April Fool's joke in June?


Not News: PS3 Logo Revealed
June 11, 2003 6:07 PM PST
Dutch Gaming Society Online / TR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update: Right. This news is not real. Alex Vo let me know that this thing was PSM2 UK's April's Fool joke. This is what I get for trusting Tim Rogers, ladies and gentlemen. Take a look below and laugh at our foolishness.

To me it looks more Japanese, more sleek, more hardware. It's the new PS3 logo! Here's what Tim had to say though, in his inimitable crankery:

What the hell is up with the fruity colors? Is Sony willing to take such a bold move that might cost them their grip on the confident, "adult" gamers of the world? First they plan to make a portable system, which only children care for, and now they make a logo that looks like something out of a cartoon? What's next? A cel-shaded Jak III? It's corporate suicide! They've been brainwashed by Microsoft!

I . . . kind of like it.

[scooterb23]

Looks like a bunch of handcuffs...maybe there will be some more Mature games on this system???