The G Ki g-spot vibrator hit the shelves about the same time the argument about the g-spot not existing hit the headlines. I missed most of the furor, though, as I was busy testing the G Ki instead of responding to bait like, “The controversial G-spot has no genetic component and therefore probably doesn’t exist,” and “King’s College researchers claim the spot — purported to be a cluster of 32 nerve endings like a female prostate gland — may be all in women’s heads.”

Actually, considering how many women have sex in their heads, the researchers might be on to something about where the g-spot really is. How often has a stray thought tossed you right out of sex? How often have you consciously directed your thoughts down a certain path to increase sexual sensation or pleasure? How many times has someone seduced you with words alone?

I have only reviewed a handful of sex toys in my articles, figuring that lots of people are specifically toy reviewers and my voice isn’t needed. But my beat has been the intersection of sex and technology, and occasionally a toy comes along that bespeaks a new direction or a particular innovation. I’ve highlighted a few of these, such as Je Joue’s original eponymous device and its successor, the SaSi.

Then…

The JeJoue was the first mainstream programmable clitoral massager, with nubs that mimicked finger or tongue motion instead of or in addition to vibration. You used software to create motion patterns you downloaded to the unit, so you or your lovers could customize the experience. Users could go online and share their patterns with other users. The general consensus was that women loved the feel of the device, but the programming was too much hassle.

Je Joue then came out with the SaSi, which had a similar nubby stimulator but scaled way back on the customizations. With the SaSi, you hold down a button for a pattern of movements that you like and hold a different button for a pattern that you don’t, and it remembers your preferences the next time. Not quite artificial intelligence, but not like anything else available, either.

…and Now; Or, the TMI Section

The G Ki is Je Joue’s attempt to make a toy that’s familiar and simpler and less expensive. It vibrates rather than strokes. All you can do is bend it into a couple of different U shapes in hopes that one will simultaneously hit your clit and your favorite internal spot (which may or may not be labeled G).

As vibrators go, I like it as a toy to use with partners, whether in person or online. The hands-free aspect of the toy and the necessity of fully engaging the brain for cybersex makes an effective pairing. Especially if you use a stability ball as your computer chair. (I’m just saying.)

The G Ki vibrating tip does have that clit-numbing effect that its cousin the SaSi does not; I couldn’t orgasm with the G Ki by itself. Your individual body and preferences are bound to be different from mine, so this may not be true for you. But during my solo tests, I had to grab the Eroscillator and keep the G Ki as merely an inside helper in order to get over the edge.

Yes But What Does It All Mean?

On a macro level, the G Ki is a bit of an eye-opener for me. That Je Joue had to backtrack yet another step to enter the sex toy mainstream boggles my mind. But at the 2010 AVN Adult Expo, the developers told me they chose to create the G Ki as a gateway to their more exotic wares.

The economy has something to do with it too — why spend an extra $50 to take a chance with the SaSi when you can get the G Ki for $99? Perhaps retailers are being more conservative with their stock for the same reason. Hitachi massagers, pocket rockets, and rabbit pearls are going to sell no matter what, so a high-tech upstart may need to create something familiar.

It’s a quality toy, with a lovely smooth surface, ergonomic controls, and a choice of four colors. And it’s deliberately less “techie” than the other Je Joue devices. Reading between the lines, I extrapolate that users aren’t quite ready to embrace the extra effort of the other toys even if it meant extra payoff.

As a person enthusiastic about drafting high tech into the service of sensual experience, I’m left bemused and somewhat adrift by this rejection of the more interactive devices, rudimentary as that interactivity is. But I do understand that when one is as busy as most people are, any extra effort may need to be reserved for one’s human partners.