Actually, a halfway smart idea for Sony might be to release a system that is about double WiiU in power (better graphics, 4gig RAM, somewhat better CPU) but without the tablet controler and undercut WiiU by $25. They might dominate the industry.
The two flaws I see in the OP is that a) current hardware can still wow me so much more powerful hardware isn't overly necessary to do that. The Last of Us looks amazing, and if you told me it took the PS4 to make those kinds of images I'd probably believe you. b) I wouldn't call the 80's or 90's the golden age of PC gaming. I don't know if there ever was a golden age. I've enjoy quite a few great PC games over the years... adventure titles, classic RTS and FPS and more recently some MMO's, but PC gaming was a niche market with low selection in the 80's and 80's. It still is today, if anyting it is bigger now with more options than it was then.
The big draw of consoles is not that they are powerful. It's that their hardware is consistent and they have a large market to sell to. This is true no matter what console makers put under the hood. If software makers want the easiest route to decent profits, that's where they put their games.
