^wow is that your new signature pic post? I just saw that in the Microsoft mall thread.

A modern game system isn't just a self consuming product for the most part, it's a platform. So much like a video format, it's not about the player itself but the movie library that format supports. What makes a console is the software, not the hardware. Therefore sales matter, eventually it does, and it's just what it is.

A console may get a good stream of content for a good while, but if sales aren't good enough eventually that content will stop flowing and you're gonna have to buy another console sooner. So unless you're a late adopter, completely ignoring sales patterns is a little stupid.

But then again that depends on your tastes, if you're not particularly unique then perhaps sales won't be that relevant. But if you want a lot of content for a longer time, which most people do, you might wanna check with the markets just to make sure it's doing OK. Doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a market leader, but if it's at least selling well enough the platform will more likely continue to flourish.