While I would assume most people buy consoles based on factors like price, game library, form factor, etc, what about secondary factors like a console's name or what the hardware looks like; how much do these matter to you, and how much do you think they matter to the general audience?

I don't really look at any system I have as secondary. I don't really main anything. I play where the mood takes me that day.

My bad the thread title wasn't well worded; I meant characteristics that are secondary rather than the console itself being a secondary one.

I don't know how much the aesthetics of a console matter, but all models of PS5 are ugly to me. From an appearance standpoint, I think GameCube is one of the few where it is a liability. It's the purple/indigo lunchbox and still looks like one with the other colors.
I think names matter to the general audience more than appearance.
Wii U, Xbox One/S/X and Xbox Series X/S are panned as names for good reason. PlayStation names (minus Vita) convey perfectly what each platform is. Switch 2 makes it very clear that Switch 2 does not reinvent the wheel from Switch but is a new system.

A cool looking system is always a plus, but if my PC is evidence of anything, it's that even a black block I never more than glance at for a few seconds beyond initial boot can offer some of the best gaming experiences.

Yeah I'm not a big fan of PS5's appearance either, it looks overdesigned to me. 

I would probably have got a PS5 sooner if it didn't have such a hideous controller. The console itself has some redeeming qualities to its appearance, but I don't think it really looks good in a regular living room, so its appearance was also a negative thing when I considered whether to buy it. But overall, the appearance and the name of a console matter little to me. Even in the PS5 case, I was hoping the slim version would improve the appearance or perhaps there could be a better-looking controller, but I always thought I'd get one eventually.

I don't think it's possible to have a console look too ugly to significantly impact sales. I mean, technically it's possible, but no serious company would give a green light to a design that bad. As for the name, I guess Wii U proved that name does matter, although it probably does so only rarely.

I'm also a bit unsure if Xbox has had some names that have detracted from sales. I feel like having an Xbox One followed by Xbox One S and Xbox One X followed by Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X is pretty confusing. "One" isn't necessarily a terrible name, but if it's followed by "Series" and letter that stay the same between generations, it's hard to remember what's what. It's a really generic word followed by some letters that also don't identify the generation, so there's no proper identity. I really have to give it a thought every time I want to remember what the latest Xbox is, and I don't really have to do that with other consoles - and I'm someone who's well familiar with gaming. Imagine someone that's not as familiar, and you might accidentally buy a previous-gen console instead. I reckon Xbox naming hasn't had a huge effect on sales, but I would also be really surprised if it didn't cause at least some confusion. Terrible names - they look and sound kind of cool, but they lack identity.