Are indies really that big of a deal in the big picture? Do they drive hardware sales? Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed too as an indie dev for how difficult it is to get traction on the PS. It seems people aren't really going out of their way to look at indies, they have to be promoted to get noticed.

Well, it's at this point neither fact or not fact, it's a prediction on my part.  I'm putting my prediction way out there in advance, and if I'm wrong everyone will know in the fullness of time!  :)

Perhaps a good example, perhaps a terrible example, but the GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition collection that just came out has arguably more work put into it on PS4/Pro than on Xbox One S/X. On PS4 Pro they went to the trouble of doing both "Quality" and "Performance" modes on PS4 Pro. They didn't go to the effort of also doing that on Xbox One X, despite One X being more powerful and therefore being something that would arguably benefit more from the option. So perhaps that'll be an early sign of what I've predicted (reduced effort into Xbox One versions versus PS4 and Pro), rather than there NOT being an Xbox One version. Not having an Xbox One version (while still having a PS4 and Pro version) might come a little later this gen, if it happens. So perhaps we're already seeing an in-between state. :)

Does the Sam and Max remaster count as an indie release? Because it's looking like it'll be PC, Switch, and Xbox only at this time.

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/451542/sam-amp-max-beyond-time-and-space-remastered-announced-for-switch-xbox-one-and-pc/

The fact is PS consumers paid a premium price for powerful hardware, they are generally looking for games that show their new hardware off, in most cases it isnt indies, Sony gets this and are marketing accordingly

No doubt you're right.  I'd go further, PS markets its unique selling point over Xbox as having AAA third-party narrative-based experiences, these days.

But go back a ways, and they were thought of as an indie darling, on both consoles and handhelds.  So I think you're right, and it starts at the top with how Sony markets PlayStation now.

Another indie coming to PC/Switch/Xbox, but not coming (as far as I can tell) to PS: https://www.vgchartz.com/article/451676/aspire-inas-tale-arrives-december-17-for-switch-xbox-one-and-pc/

A fluke, or indicative of a trend? Time will tell, but I'm predicting it's part of a trend.

Indies could slow somewhat more on PS4, given that the PS5 replaced it a year ago now. That and the way PSN is set up for indies as well as PC and Switch being more favorable for indies.
I think most Western publisher AAA support will phase out to very little games around the same time for PS4 and Xbox One. And that time will be late 2023 or so. Japanese publishers will hold on to the PS4 at least that long, I think. But they'll drop Xbox before that. Pretty sure the only Japanese games that do well on Xbox in the past 8 or so years are those published but not developed by Japanese game studios. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Japanese devs and consumers could care less about Xbox One. And for the most part, they could care less about Xbox in general.
I think something helping both the PS4 and Xbox One is the shortage of their successors, the existence of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, and that PS5 and Xbox Series S/X titles can usually relatively easily be downscaled to eighth generation hardware.
And although it's not part of this thread directly, 2022 should be the last year for first-party content on Xbox One and PS4. I'd be surprised to see even 1 first-party game on either of them in 2023.

I agree with your first-party content comment, and would add that it may dry up even faster for Xbox One, since all first-party Xbox content goes into Game Pass, and we now have xCloud streaming to Xbox One consoles.  Microsoft can encourage Xbox One owners to get first-party content by subscribing to Game Pass ultimate and streaming the game to their consoles off of a Series X server.

It's not a perfect solution (people with bad internet, people who live far away from a Microsoft server farm, people who live in a country that doesn't have xCloud streaming yet), but it's a "good enough" solution.  Especially now that the Series S is relatively easy to get, and relatively cheap, for those that can't or won't go the streaming route.

And yes, I think your comments are another reason to think that Xbox One support will dry up faster than PS4 support.  As for indies, Switch and PC definitely seem more favourable for indies.  The surprise to me is that Xbox recently seems more favourable to indies.  We'll see indie support for Xbox One much longer than AAA support, I suspect.

What about all of the indie VR games that release on PlayStation that will never see the light of day on Xbox or Switch? Don't they count?