for all my stationary consoles I provide exactly that essential part, die display. (I actually have no TV, I had to buy a projector for playing consoles.)
We're not talking a console that requires a component 99.999% of target purchasers already have and which would not add anything to the device if included (who wants a second 40" screen??).
...let's not judge the idea
I'm not judging the idea. I'm attempting to deduce the validity of the rumoured design based on an evaluation of its effectiveness and workability. the idea itself, if well executed (or a variation of it), might be a very good product. As described though, the specific embodiment as per Tottentranz's interpretation, I can't see this design working.
-while my 3ds actually had a 2gb sd-card, I had to buy the mandatory memory card for my vita.
Fair point. That one didn't go down a bundle. One can also ask "what are Vita sales like?"
-while I had super mario in the snes box and mario in the NES box, I actually had to buy a game for my gamecube. (and I argue a game console without a game is not fully functional,because a display in that case would also be of no use)
You can borrow games, download trials, and you obviously want a game of your choosing rather than a random something you don't care for. Leaving that choice with the purchaser makes sense (while bundle prove to be popular because people like all-in-one complete solutions...)
-while my PS3 and PCs have multiplayer out of the box, I have to provide a PS+ account for my PS4 to have this essential functionality
It's an optional service. Not everyone wants multiplayer so it'd be stupid to force that cost on everyone.
-for my PS3 I had to buy an HDMI cable, if I recall correctly.
Many devices come with an excess of cables. Cutting back on those makes sense.
-MS still sells a X360 without a HDD (
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/consoles/4gb ). Why, if not for the lower price? (there are several games that don't work and quite some struggle a lot, the 4GB is not an installation space).
But it runs without an HDD. A handheld without a screen - do you not appreciate what that means?!
If you get a console home and it hasn't got an HDMI cable, you can swap over the cable from your TV box for the time being. That's an inconvenience. If you buy a handheld that doesn't have a screen, connect up your phone enthusiastically and find it doesn't work, you're faced with either $100 for buying the optional screen or considering a new phone. That's going to be a shit experience. That's going to cause internet rage. So either the screen works 100% on any phone, or, better yet, provide that component of the handheld and give everyone that complete experience of a machine they can switch on when they get it home (and if necessary, charge the $25 on overpriced 'optional' memory cards...).
TVs used to include an antenna, nowadays they don't. how do you suppose to use such an incomplete product?
Those antenna's don't work. You need a capable, typically roof-mounted receiver. So we're all better off for TV's leaving out a useless piece of junk adding pointless cost when 99.9% of homes already have the necessary equipment to supply broadcast signals.
it's really just a question of what you expect the user provides. If you design a product by "everybody has a TV" "everybody has internet" "everyone has a phone", it might make not much sense to sell a product including exactly the same features.
Right. But in this case, the 'everybody has a phone' is only valid if the product works with every phone, or the vast majority that people will try to use. Given the variability of hardware and software though, that seems unlikely to me. In the case where it's incompatible with 30% of phones, it'd be a disaster, and you'd have the same disaster if a home console was launched that was incompatible with 30% of TVs, or a net streaming widget that was incompatible with 30% of internet services.
