People use " selling on hype "as a negative thing to bash console saying it doesnt deserve such sales.

Different tastes aside you're telling me that the lineup of PS1 games is something that would persuade you to buy a console?

Until Resident Evil 1 and Tomb raider came out in early 1996, PS1 didn't really have a killer app. Sure there were a few good games here and there...but a console like the SNES was killing it with must play titles like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG and Yoshis Island in the same timeframe. 

Never looked at hype that way, but you sure do have a point now that I think about it. I still remember all the hype PS1 & PS2 (even 3 managed to get a lot of hype, despite its price tag) and by that time I was still a very casual gamer, unlike today. I think there was a lot of word of mouth everywhere, and how people really wanted not just to play games but the whole package. It was hype and it's not different. But I think hype, the word tself, has many meaning: from the price tag, to the console's features, to the games, etc. Everything is hype and everything builds a console's successful lifespan.

I recall hearing about the very cool realistic graphics and the CD player. I can't say for sure the year it was, maybe between 95 or 96, but there was a lot of hype going on on TV for example. But I was a kid, so I can't recall all the details or exact date unlike in PS2 & PS3 era's.

PS4 is selling just like PSone, PS2 and 360 (yes, the X360) sold before it. People in general , but mostly gamers, saw it as the next gaming machine to own. Simple as that. Most people buy the games already available on PS4, the Maddens, Fifas and CODs of the world. Sure they can still play those on their old-ass PS3/360, but why should they? There's this new thing called PS4, it's AFFORDABLE, it's the NEW COOL TOY, my friends are *jumpin in* so why wouldn't I, etc., and besides, more games will be coming, it's how consoles work, no one was born in 2005, they know consoles last for more than a few years and the games take time to come out, and they eventually do, so why wait?

From next year, it will be more than hype selling the PS4

I'm fine seeing the ps4 selling on hype because when the real games come, the huge sales should come naturally.

Part of it maybe your age at the time.  I was at that age owning the N64 was "lame" and the PlayStation was rapidly becoming the "cool" system to own among the teen crowd.

Fair enough. My perception may be a little skewed as I bought a Saturn at launch and was only starting to get jelous of PS1 come fall 1996. :)  

Till then I saw PS1 as a hype console not any better than the Saturn. Being a Sega games fan I was much happier with Saturn for Christmas 1995 than I'd be with PS1. Shinobi Legends + VF2 + Virtua Cop + Sega Rally were better games to me in 1995 than anything PS1 had.

I also think first Xbox, Wii and n64 had launch games on day 1 that you absolutely had to play (Halo, SM64 and Wii Sports). However one console stands out for having the best launch... Dreamcast US launch was absolutely insane. Dont think there was ever so many games that pushed gaming forward tothe next level available on day 1. 

To say it's selling "only" on hype is indeed wrong and a often a way to downplay the sales. The PS4 was the console to gather all these good factors, hype was only one among others