I miss Playstation 1/2 days, where you just insert disc and play. No install, no online registration, no social sharing whatnot crap, endless downloading, paying for services you don't need/want.
Point is that an SNES could play SNES games with essentially no loading time.
Also there has been an evolution of games that have lead to games accepting loading times. If we didn't developers would find ways to get rid of them. As it is there isn't enough incentive for them to do it, if they can get away with it and put more effort into that lucrative DLC ;)
I think the leap to disks was due to the need for space (sound especially) and loading came as a cost. Perhaps the next-next-generation will all be downloaded onto SSD and we can do away with loading times again :D
The ethernet on the PS2 was optional until one of the later hardware releases. Very few games were released using it until after the PS3 had already shipped.
Maybe I'm a little biased (because nostalgia, and Jet Set Radio), but I think the Dreamcast was ahead of its time by a margin
I will not be buying another console. I've had PC hardware attached to my TV for over a decade for mythtv, a simple PC with steam installed and a TV plugged in, instead of a monitor, will be my next console. Probably next time I upgrade my mythtv frontend it also run steam.
Or perhaps I'll buy a generic $50 android "pc" tv thing and play everything on my phone, on my TV. Probably both setups.
As a bonus all current gen minus one or at worst current gen minus two games can be easily played on a PC.