I don't think Sony ever had the dominance that Kleenex or Rollerblades had, so I suspect that if Sony decided to 'Pack it up' and stop making consoles it wouldn't be that long before "Playstation" became a very rare word. At the same time the Playstation and PS2 were popular enough that people will remember the brand long after it no longer exists, just like "Studebaker"

The only reason Sony may want to change the name of their primary gaming console is if they were forced to make something like the Wii in a future gen. The PS3 is known out of all the consoles right now as the most powerful and HD powerhouse(the first thing that comes to mind for someone who owned a Wii might be the price). They can always stop numbering it and make it "Playstation (name here)" that is catchy and would work to whatever objective the console is set to accomplish. But for how much they've invest the playstation in w/Blu-Ray that chance of them going in any different direction fully is highly improbable, so I think the name will stick for years to come.

Like any product line, the PlayStation brand should be abandoned as soon as it becomes disrupted. So about 1.5 years ago when the Wii launched. If they want to stay truly competitive, their best option (which would seriously piss off their userbase) is to abandon the PS3 and PSP, start a new product line with matching or superior values to the Wii's (in terms of mainstream opinion, not in terms of the existing core demographic), and give the new line a different brand name.

At this point, however, Sony does not appear interested in abandoning their secure upmarket position for a less secure but potentially more lucrative downmarket position. Which is ironic for a company whose first products were very affordable transistor radios which outsold the competition of the time because they were portable (and thus fit peoples' needs better than a home-based radio). I guess it all comes full circle eventually...

 Where I live (New York) most 30+ people are far more likely to know what you are talking about if you say "PlayStation" than "Xbox." (most also know what "Nintendo" is too) Under 30, most people I've talked to respond equally to Xbox and PlayStation. (ie. neither is more recognizable as a brand) Also, if some says "yeah, I've got a 360", the general reaction is "Hey that's cool" but when I say I have PS3, most people look at me like I'm a celebrity or something. (Maybe because of how expensive it is?) At least where I live, most people are pretty impressed if you own a PS3. Again, I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing it's because of the price (ie. "this guy can afford to buy a PS3??! Wow, he's got to be cool or something..") more than anything else.

It might get a little ridiculous continuing with the numbers if you starti getting into double digits. If a name change comes i'll be fine with it.

People are fickle and not very loyal so it probably doesn't hold as much weight with the mass of gamers but obviously it does with me.

Forgive my ignorance, but what the hell is HSBC?

The only thing my cursory Google search turned up was the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corporation.

i think they will change it if ps4 sells lower then ps3

 I never saw that commercial when the PS2 came out, but I like it

A sony console would not really be a sony console with out the PLAYSTATION name with it.