Anyone who has used a Track IR system will be able to tell you how useful it can be in racing or flying games, Sony also want to push things like wonderbook despite the GAF hate and if everyone already has the camera that makes it easier for them.
A steering wheel is also very useful in racing games. And what about an arcade stick for fighting games? Are a keyboard for MMO's? Should sony include them in every box as well?
Bundling peripherals to lower the stresshold to drive the sales of a special application is not a good idea because:
1. You don't know if there will be significant higher demand for wonderbook that ensures the return of that investment.
2. If wonderbook can't sell a €60 move controller, it's not going to sell a €399 console either
If something doesn't sell, then it just doesn't sell. If it's something people really want, they'll buy it regardless of the extra peripheral costs (Wiifit, Guitar hero, Eyetoy, Singstar).
There is already a headset in every box anyway and for the extra few $ they can drop the new PS eye in there. You'll be able to see your mates reaction when you teabag him, you'll be able to rotate your head a few degrees to get a better view of the apex in Drive Club. You don;t want it? Don't plug it in. I don't want the headset, or the HDMI cable, or whatever HDD it comes with.
Again, it's not about what you or I want, it's about what the mayority wants. If Sony choses to invest money into peripherals or features only a small minority wants, they may have missed the opportunity to invest that money into something better (that appeals to a wider group of people) because there's not enough budget left. The thing about money is, once you've spend it, it's gone.
You say that they should spend it on something "gamers" care about, but you can't possibly pin it down to something that simple.
Yes you can. If you drop all anekdotes and personal preferences, it's perfectly possible to scetch a generic profile of the "gamer" you want to target and create a product according to their 'basic' needs.
SONY wants to get parents and young kids doing Move based shit, whether it is with a Move or without one, on the PS4. The very best way of doing that is to include the camera in the box from the start because it means every single person will have one.
Troyan horsing the PS4 with every possible feature is exactly what brought Sony's games division in the financial mess. The concept of a 'basic' model is that it should be barebone and not include every optional peripheral that isn't percieved to be part of traditional gaming (aka 'basic') in order to appeal to everybody out there on day one. The PS4 doesn't need to appeal to everybody on day one.
You are right that Sony does want to get parents and young children to buy a Sony gaming system, but you fail to understand that the PS4, within it's first years, is primary designed for enthousiast gamers who want to spend €399 on new technology and not a bunch of peripherals. That's the target, those people will be the early adopters.
Sony already has a €199 PS3 they can bundle with whatever peripheral you like or a Vita for the younger, casual audiences you have in mind.
