What's the benefit of being weird today? A console can achieve pretty amazing graphics with basically off-the-shelf components, so the company isn't really buy

What's the benefit of being weird today? A console can achieve pretty amazing graphics with basically off-the-shelf components, so the company isn't really buying much buy rolling their own solution. The 3d was still being figured out in the 90s, which is what lead to so much diversity in product lineups. Not just for game consoles, but video cards, graphics API, etc. Being weird/unique was necessary because everyone was treading in uncharted territory. Prior to the 3d era, game consoles had repurposed/customized off the shelf components. The 6502 and it's variants were used in all kinds of consoles and computers. And the 68000 was used in many, many more. Gaming consoles have come full circle.