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[Fbh]

Sony's advantage isn't just having a device that's easy to use and relatively cheap. Their real edge is that the PlayStation brand is huge—really huge. People buy a PlayStation for the same reason they buy an iPhone: it's a device that's already cemented in people's minds as the video game console.

The fact that Sony numbers its consoles as PS1, PS2, PS3, etc., also gives them a marketing edge. Anyone choosing between a PS5 and a PS6 will immediately know the PS6 is the newer, better one. It's simple, practical, and that's how products should be. You can bet thousands of people have already been confused about the difference between a Series S and a Series X.

Five years ago, at the start of this generation, people said Microsoft had a powerful play with the Series S + Game Pass combo, since it would be the perfect console for people who only play COD, FIFA, GTA V, and so on. And the theory does make sense—on paper. But in practice, it works differently.

Most people here have no idea how the market actually works.

The brand recognition is what helps Sony stand out within the console market. But a big reason why consoles as a product (regardless of brand) are appealing to so many people to begin with is their affordability and ease of use, which is what matters in a discussion centered around consoles vs PCs.
If Sony could sell just based on brand alone they would sell their consoles with a considerable markup just like what Apple does with their products, they'd be selling the base Ps5 for $800 and the pro for $1200, and it would sell just as well as it does now "because it's a playstation".
They don't sell the consoles with a low profit margin for fun.

That's my point.
Releasing their games on PC isn't cannibalizing sales as some people said it would happen because exclusives aren't the reason why people buy a playstation. It's cheap up front, it's easy to use and, as you pointed out, it's a well known brand, that's why it sells.
People on GAF have a tendency to act is if Playstation lived and died by its exclusives, but that's just not true. The average PS5 owners gets it to use it for all or most of their gaming, not just exclusives.

Some people on here really think the average Ps5 owner is going to see Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 coming to PC and be like:
"Oh no, the Ps5 I got for $399 is completely worthless now. I'll now spend considerable time figuring out a PC build, then I'll go buy a $400 GPU, a $150 CPU, $180 motherboard and spend another $200 on other stuff like RAM, storage, cooling, etc. Then I'll spend 3 hours going through the nerve wracking process of building your first PC. Then I'll start my games collection from scratch on Steam, I'll put this big black box in the living room next to the TV, which my wife will be thrilled about, and I'll configure it to launch into Steam Big Picture mode so it has a console-like interface, though I'll still have to keep a wireless keyboard and mouse around becase I'll still need to use them sometimes"

 

[Dirk Benedict]

 

[Ebrietas]

The brand recognition is what helps Sony stand out within the console market. But a big reason why consoles as a product (regardless of brand) are appealing to so many people to begin with is their affordability and ease of use, which is what matters in a discussion centered around consoles vs PCs.
If Sony could sell just based on brand alone they would sell their consoles with a considerable markup just like what Apple does with their products, they'd be selling the base Ps5 for $800 and the pro for $1200, and it would sell just as well as it does now "because it's a playstation".
They don't sell the consoles with a low profit margin for fun.

That's my point.
Releasing their games on PC isn't cannibalizing sales as some people said it would happen because exclusives aren't the reason why people buy a playstation. It's cheap up front, it's easy to use and, as you pointed out, it's a well known brand, that's why it sells.
People on GAF have a tendency to act is if Playstation lived and died by its exclusives, but that's just not true. The average PS5 owners gets it to use it for all or most of their gaming, not just exclusives.

Some people on here really think the average Ps5 owner is going to see Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 coming to PC and be like:
"Oh no, the Ps5 I got for $399 is completely worthless now. I'll now spend considerable time figuring out a PC build, then I'll go buy a $400 GPU, a $150 CPU, $180 motherboard and spend another $200 on other stuff like RAM, storage, cooling, etc. Then I'll spend 3 hours going through the nerve wracking process of building your first PC. Then I'll start my games collection from scratch on Steam, I'll put this big black box in the living room next to the TV, which my wife will be thrilled about, and I'll configure it to launch into Steam Big Picture mode so it has a console-like interface, though I'll still have to keep a wireless keyboard and mouse around becase I'll still need to use them sometimes"

This is less of an argument against first party exclusivity and more of an argument that in the current competitive landscape Sony doesn't actually need first party games at all. They simply have the de facto console that runs everything short of Nintendo games. They can quite literally just sit back and collect rent.

But the landscape could quickly change. Maybe the switch 2 will be good enough for most third parties going forward. Maybe steam home consoles will become a reality and provide very serious alternatives to ps5 and ps6. In that environment Sony will need exclusives just as they did in the ps3 gen.

 

[sachos]

PlayStation is now the de facto home console

If you want a box that sits under the TV and runs GTA, EAFC, Madden, CoD, Elden Ring etc then you just go with PS5.

First party exclusives are important, but they're not as big a deal to the mass market as people here make out.

I agree with you to an extent, but think about how they achieved the role of de facto home console: they crushed the PS4 generation with exclusive games so much better than the competition. That kind of dominance gets people talking.
Mass market users are then reached by that "talking", they watch a video "What console should i buy?" and they hear Playstation can run all those games you listed plus it has great exclusives, maybe they wont buy those exclusives, but hey, its better to have the chance to buy them so they go for the PS4/5.
Basically, even if mass market don't care about exclusives, i think they end up influenced by them in an indirect way.