"They used to be called the "console wars," and to the victor went the spoils. When Sony's PlayStation and PlayStation 2 dominated the Sega, Nintendo, and Microsoft competition, selling over a hundred million boxes into our living rooms - each! - they created a profitable virtuous cycle. More consoles meant selling more games, which meant attracting more developers to make even more games, which meant big dollar signs for Sony."
"The box will continue to be the tip of the spear, but it's no longer the point. But to get those dollar signs spinning and keep them spinning, console makers greased the wheels. The console wars were initially fought with exclusive games, tempting you to buy the only system that could play Final Fantasy VII, or Super Mario 64, or Halo."
Console competition historically centered on exclusive games that drove hardware adoption and created a virtuous economic cycle: more consoles led to more games, which attracted more developers and generated substantial revenue. Sony's PlayStation and PlayStation 2 each reached over a hundred million units, exemplifying that cycle. Hardware still serves as the visible centerpiece, but its role has shifted away from being the sole point of value. Console makers leveraged exclusives to entice buyers, and competition later expanded to include social and multiplayer dynamics that pulled friends into platform ecosystems.
Read at The Verge
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