Everything is a gimmick going by that definition, the one used in the gaming context talks about features that are considered useless, to be the most flexible console ever is hardly a useless feature.

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.

Based on the stance you are taking of wanting to use the word accurately than shouldnt you be arguing the people like the OP who use it incorrectly instead of arguing with the people who want the word to be used properly?

Going with that definition any feature of any console can be described as a gimmick.

Let's make some example.

The 8GB GDDR5 RAM of the Ps4 is a gimmick, since games uses roughly half of that, and you certainly don't need 3GB of fast ram to share videos on twitch. Ah the share button is also a gimmick anyway.

Playstation Plus is a gimmick, since they offer you a game you wouldn't have bought anyway but you're really paying for it, with a subscription.

The Cell Processor of the Ps3 was a gimmick, it was used by marketing to make you believe the Ps3 was more powerfull. In reality it was unnecessarily complicate and only a couple of 1st party games really used it, while most 3rd party games did run better on 360.

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.

Your rationalizations always sound so self-absorbed.  You want people to prove to you that their intent is not what you've inferred?  That doesn't even make sense.  

Basically, you have know there is no way you can prove that I was only referring to Nintendo fans so you're just trying to string intangibles like "context" and "connotations" together with duct tape and moonlight.  Why?  Beats me.  Regardless, all you have is supposition.  

My original post was about how silly it is to get upset over the word one way or another.  

"Get over it. It's just a word."

That fully includes the OP, too, who was obviously trying to use the word to bait people.  I even posted elsewhere that I disagreed with what he said.

I also haven't argued with anyone who wanted to use the word properly.  People are saying "but that applies to everything" which isn't true at all.  

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.

Anybody that legit plays a game for 3 hours and then puts it down either has an extremely hectic life, or just doesn't like video games that much. I play 4 hours minimum. 8 hours on a day off. I average 35-40 hours a week. I ride a bike 7 miles to work, and go to the gym 5 days a week, so it isn't like I'm just sitting around all day munching Doritos and chugging Mountian Dew while gaming.