Really gotta hand it to Microsoft

[IkePoR]

AlfredoTurkey said:

TheTruthHurts! said:

It is a Beast of a system!

Outside forums no one really cares about the hardware wars. Sure, there is some brand loyalty here and there. But the average consumer doesn’t keep up. We see examples of this each and every year when games like Call of Duty, Madden, and now Star Wars Battlefront fly off shelves regardless of the hate.

I am lucky enough to own a Pro, Switch, and XBox One X.

Some people say that $500 is too much to pay for a console. Not when you get what is packed in the XBox One X (you already hit on several points).

I think sales are going to surprise some people, but if they don’t I’m just glad I own one.

The mainstream only cares about what's "cool". In the US, that has been NES, Genesis, PS1, PS2, Xbox 360, PS4 and now Switch. Brand loyalty is, like you said, for internet message boards. What wins a console war is getting the "cool" moniker and getting it early. In the US, if you get that, you win.

I'd agree if it weren't for seeming logic with most consoles.  Typically it seems the consoles with the best games/best value "win" the gens.  Which is why PS4 and 3DS won this gen(no shade to Vita - it had some games but those memory cards and the lack of original content hurt it a lot).  

Wii had the fad effect  -  everyone had to have one, so there's an argument for the "coolness" effect.  But PS2 for example had the best value and arguably the more diverse library. I don't think it's a coincidence that the PS2 is considered "cool" while also being the most valuable 6th gen console.  PS1 was the same deal.  

While I agree there's some merit to the coolness factor, I disagree with that being the main draw to these generations.  Coolness is the effect of a console's value.  I think, right now at least, people want a Switch because it's a valuable device; the cool crowd is partially present, but they haven't shown up in droves like they will say next year.