Are console exclusives good for the industry? For the consumer?

[Conina]

SvennoJ said:

- Exclusives can be better optimized simply because they only have to run on one hardware target.

Usually it ain't only one hardware target anymore. A PlayStation-exclusive on PS4 is expected to also run well on a PS4 Pro, a PS5, a PS5 Pro and probably even on a PS6 and PS6 Pro. Additionally there ain't only one setting for perfect optimization, you have to optimize for several settings (performance mode, resolution mode, RT mode...)

So the days of programming "close to the metal" are over and it ain't much different anymore compared to multi-plattform development. Hardware abstraction got very important for "exclusive" games.