I was discussing with a friend recently about my PS4 purchase and he mentioned how $399 just seems steep to him.  I mentioned that with a 500gb HDD the system actually feels quite affordable.  I remembering spending $299 on a PS2 in 2000 and over the course of the system I bought 4 memory cards roughly totaling $130.  With PS3 was $399and I replaced the 20gb HDD with 500gb for $70.  I have no idea what demands future games will hold, but if 500gb can last me this generation means added value of least $50 to me.

My point is assessing the cost of a console is not as simple the cost of the unit itself for me.  Cost of peripherals and games for me really do come into it as well.  Do you consider these factor when buying a system?  Would a cheaper controller, packed in game, online store credit, month or so online pass or large HDD affect how you see what a system offers? Or would you prefer a cheaper console and the choice to buy the extra aspects even if they were all more expensive than would be otherwise?

It should come with everything you need to run a game, and not to a bare minimum like sony and their 20gb PS3's or MS and their arcade 360's - thats just stupid and must be a pain for the casuals who dont think in the future.

The main thing I look at is the games. If the system has enough games that I want to play then I will get it. 5 to 10 games and I can usually talk myself into getting it.

Your friend is smart to wait. The price of the system will come down and more games will be available. At least with single players games you don't have to worry about everyone moving on. I only bought the slim version of the PS3 and Xbox One, but couldn't wait this time.