I just recently bought a PS4 for $150. So being able to play most modern games (with the exception of any new games 2025 or later) is a pretty good deal :)
If any of you guys have a PS4 lying around gathering dust, consider jailbreaking it. Depending on the firmware, it is pretty easy to do and opens up a lot of possibilities. Surely better than being neglected :)
Edit: Firmwares up to 11.00 are jailbreakable as of recently. 11.00 is from around late 2022, so if you have a console that hasn't been in use since then, there's a good chance you can jailbreak it. Base model, Slim, or Pro - doesn't matter
Well, obviously piracy if you're into that. Apart from that, using cheats for games, dumping your physical games and having a permanent copy you can use without the CD and an active license (probably possible with a digital game too I assume? not sure), applying patches like a 60fps patch for Bloodborne, emulation of PS1, PS2, PSP and a bunch of other consoles etc etc.
The article states that the PS5 is responsible for significantly more gaming hours, so a large number of PS4 users are likely mainly using their device for streaming or similar. Hell, I still have my PS2 and 3 in my closet since they're my only dvd and blu ray players.