Pretty much this. If I build a PC instead of a ps5 next year not only would I spend a fortune but I'll also not be playing most of my favourite games and won't be playing with my friends. And I'd lose years of trophy progress. If ps5 is BC I'll lose all my games too. Consoles all the way. 

Next gen will be very interesting. We could very well see a dramatic shrinkage of the console market similar to what we saw with the Handheld market this gen. With Games becoming easier and easier to access on PC, and Streaming becoming a real thing via stuff like AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, or even directly through Smart TVs, consoles have never faced anything in the way of competition like this. Come next year people won't need a PS5/XB4 to experience Next Gen Madden, Fifa, Call of Duty, or GTA. These games will be available via the Smartphones, Tablets, Set Top Boxes, Smart TV's, and PCs they already own. I believe this will take a huge chunk out of the console business over the course of the next gen.

I think we will see the same thing happen with console as we saw with Handhelds. People want their basic daily needs met by the hardware they use. Consoles will continue to fall behind Smart TVs and Set Top Boxes in the features people use day in and day out. That will lead to people rarely using their console. As these new services grow in popularity, many will just begin playing their games via the device they are already using. For most people, being able to play Call of Duty on Xbox Live via xCloud on their Smart TV will suit them just fine.

I personally will need to see what the next gen consoles are offering.

At this point I am already 99% sure I won't be buying another Xbox as Windows 10 will be offering all Xbox games in their best quality. It will also let me play my games on the widest range of hardware and form factors. Windows 10 also offers Virtual Reality which is a major draw for me going forward.

When it comes to PlayStation, it will be heavily based on the exclusives, but it will also come down to PS Now. If PS Now gets to the point of offering 1st party games in a reasonable time frame, I could end up just playing all PlayStation Exclusives via PS Now on my PC. Three things Sony could do that would get me really excited about PlayStation would be a true Premium tier PS5 and a PS5 Phone, with each platform sharing a unified OS and Library, along with PSVR2 with AAA 1st party exclusives. I would be all in on all three devices if they can accomplish this.

As for Nintendo. They are pretty much a shoe in for exclusives alone. I'll keep an eye on their hardware, and upgrade if anything looks interesting, I'll upgrade, if not, then the current Switch is good enough.

I agree that consoles are starting to look less appealing in the current market. It is hard to justify a piece of hardware limited to gaming, when everything around it can deliver a similar experience plus everything needed for day to day life. I don't think you will be alone in asking why you should buy another console. I think Microsoft is already moving in the direction of offering other and better options. It will be on Sony's plate to show why we should purchase PlayStation and buy into software from PlayStation going forward.

The point wasn't to deter anyone from buying consoles, I wanted a discussion on what you guys would like to see in the new consoles, besides the games.  I don't care about my gamerscore.  Xbox live is on PC.  I could go hunting for acheivements if I wanted to, but I don't.  Feel the same way about trophies.  I've got more than enough games on PS3 & 4 to get tons of trophies.  I still have access to my Xbox live friends, and notifications pop up on my desktop.  I can access PSN on my phone when I'm away from the console.

Playing with a controller is not more fun than a keyboard.  That is a preference.  I own every playstation console.  Some games, I use either one or the other, and some games I would never touch with a controller.  Batman Arkam Knight I wouldn't use a keyboard for, but I would never play any shooter with a controller.

Not remotely interested in persona, and never tried nioh, or bloodborne.  Horizon, I just got tired of after a while.  And Destiny 2, which I own on PC, for free, (thanks activision) I don't like it.

I was hoping things would go beyond, "Just get consoles for exclusives."  Despite exclusives making their way to PC anyway... Yet, I'll say again, even if I could play every game from Nintendo Switch on PC, there would still be a reason to own the console.

To all one's own. That's all there is to be said.

They come down to two reasons for me.
1. I cannot play my precious Nintendo games without a console. Also, PC is not as portable. Though Laptops are decent in certain situations.
2. I am a physical gamer person. I always buy games physically. With the exception of GOG everyone has terrible digital store policies. DRM is the way digital games should be.

I've edited my first post, since you guys totally missed the point. Hopefully it's a bit more clear now.

Exclusives. That's why the Switch is selling so well, and the PS4 (but to a lesser extent). In 2019, the Switch seems like it will outsell the Xbox One's lifetime sales. Think about that a sec. The Xbox One has been out since November 2013, has the most liked gaming online service, and even has a upgrade that is better for high-res gaming than any PC you could buy for the money. Not to mention the affordability of the Xbox One. But again, the exclusives aren't there. Xbox always has had some issues with exclusives, but now it's fever pitch. The only true Microsoft Game Studios exclusive is Halo 5. All the rest of the first-party content you can get on Windows.

As long as gaming consoles can churn out enough exclusives and features, they'll be around for at least a few more console generations.

Games ? I can't play God of War, Bloodborn, Uncharted 4, Last Guardian, Detroit Become Humman, Until Danw, Horizon etc on Switch. And even letting exlusives out of the equation the Switch is not a super powerfull peace of hardware, it limits the kind of game ppl can develop if the only thing everyone is gonna have is a Switch. And regarding PCs, a lot of ppl just prefer to play on a console, its been an age old comment that PCs will make/have made consoles obsolete and its not any more true now than it ever was.

Nah, gave up gaming pc last year. PS and Mac OS only from now on.

Good battery life? Compared to what? Most handhelds, notebooks and tablets have a better battery life than the Switch.

And it would be good enough to justify owning it, regardless of the games? If we exclude games, there ain't much left you can do with the Switch. And even with games included... take away the Nintendo exclusives and the Switch wouldn't do better than the Vita.