It is not a contradiction. There is a reason to buy multiplatforms on PS4 over XOne. But that reason is not compelling.

What's compelling for one person may not be for another.

I don't particularly understand why Japan are so insular about consoles.  But they are.  If 360 and a legion of Japanese exclusives (before they were "timed" exclusives") couldn't change their mind, then XB1 with a legion of year-late western multi-plats won't either.

Compelling is subjective, what isn't subjective is the power difference between the PS4 and the XB1. They are both 399, but PS4 is 40-50% (period). Thus if you are buying both consoles on the Merit of Multiplats PS4 has better price efficiency.

Last generation, XB360 had the multiplat advantage, because it ran games at either a more stable 30, or 10 fps more than the PS3. Now that we are talking about difference of 30 and 60 or 1080 vs 720 on pretty much all but one multiplat.

So what compelled people to get the 360 will not compel people to get the PS4.

/debate

You don't understand because you are most probably a logical consumer like me. There's no compelling reason to buy A rather than B when A and B are about the same thing for the same price. Only emotions can lead people to less rational decisions or not even to compare before deciding and thus totally disregarding option B as if it didn't exist. The end result? Some people claiming the XOne only has western games.

This is a flawed way of thinking. You are thinking of the boxes as simple objects in probability not products.

The more similar products are the greater the difference between the two are magnified. Both negative and positive.

No consumer, especially one who will buy anything for 399, will look at the two consoles and pick one randomly.

Perhaps rational is subjective too. I won't go further on that, there's no point. Either people see it clearly and think rationally, or they can just let placebos take over their buying decisions. That's their problem, not mine.

X360 had significantly better versions on games like Oblivion, The Orange Box and even Arkham Asylum and GTA IV. We could see the differences with our own eyes. We could tell which was which without any lables or even side-by-side comparisons. That was significant (it's what compelled some people to opt by a X360). Now the differences are insignificant. Only ignorant/naive people could be fooled by that. Any TV little option, any system feature, any speculation about upcoming games is meant to be more important.

I was not talking about the machines but the games. Of course the machines are different and one should opt by what he/she thinks to be the best system with the best exclusives.

I'm slightly beginning to piece together the point you're arguing here, but it's still kinda tenuous...

Right now, PS4 has over XB1 in Japan:

- Cheaper multi-plats.  XB! is launching with games at full price that have already been out on PS4 for months.

- The same Japanese multi-plat future, slightly better optimized.  All the bigger games - Resident Evil; Final Fantasy; Metal Gear Solid will all come to both consoles.  But from everything we've been seeing so far, they'll run slightly better on PS4.

- The otaku ghetto.  Compile Heart are already developing for the system.  NIS; Falcom & Acquire all have pledged future support and supposedly have games in development.  Gust will soon follow suit.

- Japanese mid-tier support.  Yakuza is already on the system.  We know Gundam is coming.  We know Idolm@ster is coming.  All the Warriors games are already there.

- A history of more third party support.  PS3 vs. 360 support in Japan is like a bloodbath, really.

All I'd say that XB1 has over PS4 is:

- 5pb support.  Which can be a big deal if you're in the niche that buys their brand of VN's.

- Kinect, if you're into that kinda thing.

- A few western exclusives such as Forza & Ryse.

So you can you really say that product A and B are the same when what they're offering is so radically different?

The fact that PS4 is a Japanese-developed console will undoubtedly be a helping hand here too, but I think it's more going to help with getting developers on board in the first place (because they're going to see it as a more viable place to develop on because of Japanese tastes) then people simply buying it because it's Japanese.

Although if things were 100% exactly the same between PS4 & XB1, then I'm sure they'd choose PS4 just because it's Japanese.  That's just the way they are.  There's really not any debate to be had about that because it's not going to change no matter what you or I say.

Of course XB1 doesn't only have Western games.  But all they showed in this trailer was western-oriented games (because I'd argue that the Japanese games they did show are aimed at audiences in the west as much - if not more - than they're aimed at audiences in Japan).  That's the trailer they showed.  If they'd mocked up a trailer full of 5pb games then it would be different, but they didn't.

Well direct all of this to that one person who said the XB1 only has western games lol. But seriously if both A and B are about the same thing for the same price then it boils down to what A and B are not emotions. And who is to say that someone didn't compare A and B before hand? If A and B are gaming consoles it boils down to which one you prefer and which one looks to have more of what you are interested in. In this case "games" if you will. Now I personally thought it was a good ad just not enough Japanese games. The 360 didn't do that hot and it had quite a few Japanese games on it...even more so than the PS3 at one time if I am not mistaken. And it didn't take off at all really. This ad wwhile nice doesn't seen to have anything in it to appeal to the Japanese IMO.  And the culture there is quite different as well as we all know. 

Also while PS4 and the XB1 are about the same....on paper the PS4 is indeed more powerful period. And for the most part while the differences are not HUGE has gotten the better version of multiplats and some nice exclusive content deals as well. Normally if all someone was worried is graphics they COULD get a PC but then they wouldn't be able to play the games that are not on PC  and will be exclusive to the PS4 or XB1 hence the reason they are choosing between those two. 

Bottom line is when comparing the PS4/XB1 the system that has the games or even will have the games one perfers is what matters. But I also get the point you have been trying to make in this thread. 

Dam it. I don't want Microsoft to win. I want a return back to the way things were when Sony dominated the industry and lots of hot anime girls. Western game developers still think bland old Ripley in Aliens or Princess Leia were hot and if they win they'll populate almost all the games with them rather than all the super sexy anime gals Japanese directors would put in their games and that would be the focus of a resurgent Japanese console gaming scene.