How much would Nintendo hardware cost to produce without gimmicks?

[pokoko]

Super_Boom said:

pokoko said:

That's not true, though.

The PS4 having dual analog controls is a standard feature that isn't used to attract attention.  The Share button, on the other hand, was a gimmick that they advertised heavily at the beginning and tried to use to set the device apart as unique.  

I mean, what we're seeing is that people want to be politically correct about the word "gimmick".  It's like "handi-capped", which people wanted replaced because other people would say it in a mean way--except we're talking about a business term as it relates to plastic boxes, not about human beings, so it's even more out there.  

I just find it kind of silly, though others can get upset if they want.  I'm just not going to stop using the term correctly because of that.

While you're right that the term isn't negative on its own, context should also be taken into account. Like a few others have mentioned, it's almost exclusively used with a negative connotation on forums like this, essentially meaning "useless feature that is bad." It's stupid and simplified, but it's basically the first meaning people jump to. Given the way the OP is framed, I can understand why people are reading it this way. It's basically the same as "casual gamer", which is another term that shouldn't be negative, but is never used in a positive light.

I'd compare it less to "handicapped", and more to the word "retard." It's a term to describe people with an actual condition, but has been so tarnished by negative usage that even people in the field try to avoid using it. Is it right, probably not, but context helps to understand why people interpret it differently.

What, then?  Should we add a word with a legimate usage to the banned list?  

The problem isn't with people using the word as an insult, it's with people getting upset when the word is used at all, justifying people using it as an insult.

And what should the PC replacement be?  "Hardware advertising point"?  "Marketing feature"?

Maybe it's just me but it feels very unsavory to give in like that.