PS4 wasnt the most expensive at launch though.

But the Xbone was the more expensive, they just price dived to compete

And they kind of did... Microsoft and Nintendo shot themselves in the foot. All Sony had to do is side step the mess and go, "That's not us!". Insta-win. Sony won the 8th generation back at E3 2013.

Look at the numbers again and you will be surprised.  Besides ps3 and ps4 are like night and day even in the way they were assembled. totally different hardware.

Xbox One started with 500€. PS4 started with 400€.
Most expensive console? I don't think so...

well to win a generation it need more then luck i think, and that's why PS4 wins. A company that can utilize other competitor weakness by exploiting it and straightening their strength is bound to be a winner.

Because PS4 is not a beast so it launched at a very nice price range.

Mostly though it nothing to do with power and everything to do with games+other features.


N64- cartridges being too small, arriving late to the party
Xbox- New brand, lack of established games, ugly box= uphill battle
PS3- Price, which is more to do with bluray then anything else.

Graphical prowess is always a competitive edge, but it can't compensate for lack of support and unreasonable pricing.

It's because this generation of consoles are all fairly inexpensive, and as a result underpowered. Sony got their fingers burned in the PS3 era by releasing high end tech at a premium price. People simply couldn't afford it or wanted to see a slew of games and a price cut before they bought one. This time around the PS4 came in a nearly half the price in my home country.
I personally would prefer a top end more expensive console that was up to scratch against high end PC's. Think about it, you only buy a console every 5-7 years and the same people bitching about $900 AUD PS3's are the same people who buy a $700 AUD iPhone EVERY YEAR, and the new model has only slight improvements.
This generation of console clearly had a set price cap in mind when they were designed, maybe because of the amazing success of Wii with underpowered and inexpensive tech?

Sure, being competent and making the right calls is lucky... Guess Sony was luck 4 times in a row.

Sometimes customers are dumb. I would pay 200 more for a more powerfull ps4. And I can't make myself expend mora than 300 on a cell every 3 years.