If anything, this thread (and general forum response to this generation at large) shows how out of touch many gamers are with their own hobby, trends in the industry and world of consumer electronics.
I think for some of you, (yes, even the ones that are full of shit about a move to PC) the time to jump off and just primarly be a retro gamer is fast approaching.
The Market isnt the same as it was as the 90s and anyone thinking that this new approach to console gaming is going to fail is as deluded as the people thinking that the frogmarch to digital, always online, season passes, preorder culture and Microtransactions is going to be reversed.
Look im with you on some things. The rate gaming is going, I really cant see myself buying a PS5. This generation is probably my last.
but sitting here crying online doesnt mean shit. The opinions on a place like this only really matter at the start of a generation when the hardcore are the taste makers. Best believe is Microsoft had introduced an always online Xbox one mid gen they would not of got half the backlash they got.
Now these consoles have entered the mainstream, our opinions are irrelevant. The wider market has embraced iterative upgrades in tech and the PS4k will be nothing out the ordinary, especially from a CE company like Sony. As I said before, this is nothing to do with Playstation as a brand. This is something thats come from the mothership to bring Playstation in line with the overall company mission. The mission to push 4K at every opportunity.
As gamers and wider consumers, you have to decide if this is something you can put up with. If you think its a line too far, jump off. No one is forcing you to keep up. But crying into your beer here isnt going to change anything, nor is bringing up the misfortunes of gaming company over 20 years ago that didnt ever have the marketing muscle, the stable of products supporting the jump in visual standard or the wider consumer electronic market that had been conditioned to buy upgraded hardware every 3-4 years.
Honestly, reading some of your nightmare scenarios and arguements sound like you are trying to convince yourself this a bad thing not anyone else. The logic is often paper thin. Let it go. Things have changed. What you thought console gaming was about is dead and has been for over a generation. Either deal with it or move on. There are million other hobbies to have after all.