The Wii had something special that made the hype somewhat make sense. The PS2 also had with its DVD player.

What exactly is the special thing about the PS4? Sony's first online fee? I dont think thats a good thing.
Share feature? irrelevant.
Bluray support? The ps3 already had it.
Touchpad? Touch was introduced to gaming by the DS 10 years before.


The coolest thing about the PS4 imo is the ability to listen to the whole game/movie by plugging in headphones into your controller but nobody I know that owns a PS4 even knows this feature can be turned on.

Its just power and the power is still not enough to kick PC butt.

There is HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPE like watchdogs level of hype and there is HYPE. Only one is deserved hype. To the average joe  tho it makes no difference because they have to swim with the stream they cant think for themselves and do what people tell them to do. They are drones of an ant-queen (PR/Media)

I waited 8 months before I bought a PS4 and ONLY because I got it for 265€.  Idiots vandalizing in electronic stores day 1 to get one console  or people buying it for +50% on ebay are just sad.

Hype factor, it factor, public perception, word of mouth, etc.

Whatever one chooses to call it, like the OP says, it is not directly related to any of the factors in particular that would be expected to give a hardware platform an advantage that directly leads to market leader sales.

But it's not as though any platform can sell consistently and continuously on hype alone. At some point, it has to provide software/games/entertainment experience that keep new customers interested, but having the perception of being the "winning" or preferred platform does make it a lot easier for the marketshare leader to continue to sell its product with less effort than the runner ups.

SCE tried a lot harder to regain marketshare with the PS3 due to the slow start and poor initial public image. MS is trying a lot harder currently with the XBO for the same exact reasons based upon system updates, added functionality, debundling/price cuts/value bundling, catering to customer/public demands, etc. They're doing much better than SCE this generation in that respect whereas SCE seems to be fairly content to take a more leisurely approach to product improvement.

I honestly do not understand the constant assertion that the PS4 is sold on hype alone. I bought mine at launch and have been extremely happy with the selection of games and the speed improvements with the UI in particular. Given its' strong start out of the gate many agree that is a desirable console. Yes, my PS3 still gets plenty of use due to the fact that I am a relatively time constrained gamer and always have a large backlog of games to play. However, so far I have enjoyed my PS4 immensely and am looking forward to many of the announced upcoming games.

The internet would seem to believe that the other console manufacturers are releasing huge exclusive games on a monthly basis while Sony sits back and has nothing available and I just do not see that. Both lineups for the two newer consoles seem very strong for first year and it just boils down to a matter of preference. I play mostly multiplats so for me either console would work but I tend to gravitate toward Sony exclusives so it was the right choice for me. The WiiU is not an option because I simply do not enjoy the type of games they make and without the third party support I would miss the majority of titles that interest me.

To me it is just a strong launch console with a bright future with many games that appeal to me now as well. I mean, are the vast majority of that 10 million user base that bought the console on "hype" just staring at it wondering if they will ever play the damn thing because they bought into said hype but did not really want it? I guess that is possible but seems like a strange 400 dollar purchase.

But then, I do not really get the whole console war thing to begin with so I am sure a lot of those hype assertions are based on that alone. Seems to me that there are three home consoles available of quality making their respective fanbases happy for the most part and that is a very good thing. For me, I was ready for a new generation of consoles and bought the PS4 based on some of the new games and my faith in the Playstation brand to deliver more.

There was certainly a hype factor for me buying it. But that hype was excitement over what I was getting rather than the seemingly negative way the term is generally used when talking about the PS4.

But again, the negativity I see regarding any of the consoles is not really something I understand so it is not really surprising that I do not get the allegations that the PS4 is sold on pure hype.

The fact that it's selling off nothing isn't a sensible argument against it since it will obvious sell even better when games come out.

There are many reasons PS4 sells as it does including hype. PS4 isnt selling much different than the $400 PS3.

All this about PS4 being undeserving is completely subjective. I wonder how selling on the basis of positive word of mouth can be undeserving. I think a lot of people liked the varied stream of quality games on PS3 that lasted to the end. People knew the PS4 would be equally supported for many years. You have to be very short sighted to not consider what's coming further down the line in the form of inevitable great PS4 exclusives.

Additionally the majority of mainstream gamers primarily buy a console for the huge AAA multiplats (GTA, COD, BF, AC, FIFA, TES, Destiny, etc.) and when the general perception is that these games run and look better on the PS4 it's not completely fair to say that it's selling because of undeserved hype. The PS4 is indeed quite a lot stronger. Frankly that's just a fact.

@mizorefan

"It has the worst game library of the gen."

Again completely subjective. PS4's direct competitor is the XB1 and when you consider that Titanfall, Dead Rising 3 and Ryse are all soon to be on PC (and PvsZ Garden Warfare already released on PS4) I think PS4 and XB1 have performed pretty equally since launch. XB1's only big "exclusive" since launch was Titanfall and its hype wore off pretty quickly after it released. If you really think PS4 has a bad library I fail to see what you possibly think is so great about its competitor.

I honestly believe that the idea that consoles can't be sold off their own merits is outdate, from a time where consoles were just toys. Despite getting my ps4 on black Friday, the only launch game I played was Resogun.

As for the silly hype arguments or the its because xbox and nintendo flopped that's just denial.
You can't argue against the reality of PS4 winning but you refuse to accept the reasons why.

Unfortunately I think the hype is dying down. I bought a PS4 during a flash sale and am trying to sell it at a profit (but still well under retail) but am not having much luck. Not sure what's going on...

I don't understand why you're selling it right before the great games start releasing. Have you seen PS4's 2015 lineup of exclusives and multiplats?

What's your price?

Personally, aside from hype, I think people are choosing PS4 because they know what Sony can/will delivery and they like it. Almost like a safe bet.