There's a lot to discuss here.
I'm sure the Xbox One would have sold more units if they were designed to self-destruct the way the Xbox 360 did. That's why the Xbox 360 sold more units. For comparison, the NES sold around 60 million consoles during that generation and was considered a huge success, so really the Xbox One numbers aren't bad especially considering there was good competition during that generation unlike when the NES was dominant. Honestly I'm surprised the PS4 sold more consoles than the PS3 did, I'll trust your statement but I'm really surprised by that.Originally Posted by kupomogli
I don't know if game exclusivity is really a necessity for a console to be successful. With the PS1, Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil 1, 2, 3, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, etc, all had PC versions. There were plenty more PS1 games with PC versions as well, I just focused on the more blockbuster PS1 games. With the PS2, Silent Hill 2-4 were on the PC as well, PC versions were everywhere yet these consoles did more than just fine.
Something you didn't mention with needing physical discs; including Bluray playback as standard. If the PS5 included 4K Bluray playback as standard it would be a lot more desirable compared to needing an upgrade. As it is without a disc drive, anyone who buys this still needs to keep other devices hooked up to their TV which gets messy if someone has less space, it's not an all-in-one media box like the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 were. I knew several people who basically bought a PS1 for a CD player, a PS2 for a DVD player, and a PS3 for a Bluray player. The PS5 doesn't include that benefit, not without an added cost. The Xbox 360 offered an HD DVD player as an extra, but nobody even mentions HD DVD compatibility when mentioning the 360 these days. People still mention the PS2 as a DVD player and the PS3 as a Bluray player, these features really need to be included as standard to be marketed effectively.
Even after all that, the main reason to want a console over a PC is just ease of use. I just want a standardized format where I can put my game in, and it just plays. I don't need to worry about minumum requirements, I don't need to change settings just to get it to run properly, I don't need to update drivers or firmware, I don't need to deal with patching games, I don't need to deal with more online accounts or online payments, etc. Only that's not where consoles are anymore, which defeats the purpose of owning one. I haven't heard of any hassles like that with recent Nintendo consoles, I'm assuming that's actually the case besides general firmware updates. The N64 had the Expansion Pak which was annoying for compatibility, I do really dislike this console and this non-standard issue is one of the many reasons why. Cost is definitely a consideration too, consoles really should be priced cheaper than PCs to be purchased over a PC. With the cost of the PS5 Pro this feels like the 3DO again, an overpriced PC substitute console, except I appreciate the 3DO more for what it was trying to do at that time period. Personally I'm done with modern consoles unless I find any for cheap secondhand, I don't see much reason to own one at this point.
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