Yep; I’m still talking about ARCWAVE. The ever enticing new brand from WOWTech (Womanizer, We-Vibe) is ready to break headlines. Haven’t read my previous articles about Arcwave? Here’s one I wrote the day before the Ion dropped, and here are my first impressions of the Ion literally the day after – I’d like to think Arcwave was waiting for me! (Probably not…)
Anyway, now you’re all caught up, let’s move on to the ARCWAVE news:
There is none. Yikes.
Surprised? Me too! If you’ll remember, in the article you hopefully just read, the original trailer for Arcwave included 4 products. I broke down some of the more impressive technology like seemingly industry leading sonic capabilities, and as time has continued, we’re yet to see anything that would reflect that technology. Does it help that the original trailer has been scrubbed from the internet? Definitely not. The only piece of content that I could find that referenced four products was the official Arcwave’s Facebook page’s former cover image; and even still, that has since been replaced. What does this lead me to believe? Arcwave is either doing a very interesting (and slow) rollout of products, or they just straight up scrapped the other toys in the line. Let’s discuss.
Scenario 1: The Argument for A Slow Rollout
Alright, Arcwave, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for this first scenario. Let’s say you’ve gone with a mysterious, slow, and subtle rollout. Let’s say you removed the original trailer for the sake of keeping everything under wraps as the following toys were released. Your YouTube channel, which is easily your most popular social page, makes mention of a range of products. In the About section, it reads:
“Welcome to Arcwave’s YouTube channel, where you can discover how our range of products are elevating the male orgasm experience. Subscribe to our channel for the latest product news, how-to guides, and even more ways to get the most out of the Arcwave range.”
The word Range is mentioned twice! For this argument, this is some of the most promising information.
Similarly, the website (which is stunning, by the way) has a few formatting cues that make me think there’s more to come. The Technologies tab, for one, seems unfinished; there is a selection for “All”, and a selection for “Ion”. It sure does seem like they’re waiting to add something new! Similarly, in the reviews towards the bottom of the home page, a note from ‘Julian K.’ makes note of the “Products”, plural. When you take these things into account, it sure does seem like there’s still more to come. However…
Scenario 2: The Scrappening
(Disclaimer: About halfway through writing this part, I realised I sounded a bit mean. Arcwave & WOWTech, I love you. There isn’t a brand of toys I recommend more. I’m doing this because I love you. Call me. xoxo.)
This is the bad timeline. The global pandemic hit hard, and production on these clearly technologically intensive toys had to be delayed, or scrapped completely. In this scenario, the trailer was removed because the other three toys have been removed from the line. After all, trailers for a movie don’t get removed once the movie is in cinemas.
But then, you may be asking, why all the reference to other products? To a range of toys? Well, if their Facebook is any example, they don’t keep things updated. Since creating the Facebook page in January of this year, they’re yet to actually make a post. The changes they’ve made on the page so far? In July, they added a cover image (the aforementioned Four Product image) and changed the page name from “Arcwave” to “ARCWAVE”. A week later, they changed their name right back. The latest update has been an updated cover photo, to replace the now oft-mentioned Four Product image. Their twitter? Zero tweets, one retweet; an article about the Ion. Their Instagram is their most active account, making a post on the 10th of October, about 2 weeks before I write this; the kicker? Not a single post mentions any sort of toy, range, or otherwise. As someone who moonlights as a social media manager & curator, the lack of coherency & consistency upsets me; this company surely has the world at their disposal, why the lack of creativity on socials? Their website, as beautiful as it is, is still clearly a work in progress. The US page is up & running, but as soon as we get redirected to Australia, the US page kicks right back in. Should you go and change the URL to Arcwave.com/au, you’ll be greeted by an admin login. Trust me, I’ve tried every default login to hopefully get a sneak peak, but whether it be a secret for Australians, or just poor website rollout, only time will tell.
When it comes to the release of more toys, I think the window has passed for a prime time to release; The Ion has reached 10,000 pre-orders, meaning they have capped the number for the time being. The announcement video for the Ion has garnered over 170,000 views, but numbers have been plateauing as of recent. The window to chase the momentum of the Ion release seems to be passing.
So… Now What?
Considering some of this, it certainly seems like production or rollout has taken some sort of hit. It’s not their fault; at least I don’t think we can blame a global pandemic on a sex toy company, but from the way things are going, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be seeing a new toy anytime soon. On the other hand, maybe I’m being pessimistic! I’ve been proven wrong when it comes to Arcwave before, and I’ll be happily proven wrong again. The Ion is a feat of engineering and is bound to be a favourite, and if it has a few friends, I’ll be happy as ever to add them to my collection; in the meantime, give us something, Arcwave! You captured the world with the Ion, so show us what else you can do.
Okay, pessimism over. If you want to stay updated with Arcwave and my cold takes on the world of sex toys, keep heading back here, where I’ll continue the Arcwave Saga with every new update, or lack thereof. If you can get your hands on an Ion, do it. I believe with every nerve and inch of my body that it would be worth the world. If you’re like the rest of us, keep waiting, and keep your eyes peeled. Arcwave has more to give, it’s only a matter of time.
Alex is a consultant at the Oh Zone Adult Shops.