I would argue that this not a normal console war thing for two reasons:
1.) Xbox sucks and always sucks since 2013 regarding offline play of physical games. (Digital games come from online so I see no reason to care about offline play there.) If you’re an Xbot, you already made peace with always online. In fact, Microsoft was smart to shift to gamepass. It’s like Netflix or Spotify. There is no deception or disappointment. It’s online subscription access to games.
2.) offline access to PS4 physical games was never behind any online DRM... or so we Ponies thought. Now we are finding out they have an online check in and that Sony is at the very least indifferent to that. I think us loyal Ponies should be upset about this. If Sony engineered this, they can unengineer it.
Many are saying the PS5 doesn’t have this kind of check in for PS4 physical media. I take that to mean there is a chance Sony didn’t mean for that to happen on PS4 consoles and it should be further evidence that this “flaw” is accidental and can be removed ASAP.
(I got a Switch and PC too, so maybe I’m not a Pony. I refused Xbox because of the DRM though. If Sony doesn’t fix this, then maybe I’ll reconsider my never-Xbox stance; gamepass does seem like a good way to rent games. My ultimate priority would be for these machines not to have the online check-in ever. I don’t think MS will ever change, but I hope Sony does.)
With internet access being more obtainable, it's much easier to do your own research.
HHW Gaming: This Looming Issue Has PS3 & PS4 Owners Extremely Worried
"So what is the issue exactly? Inside your PS3 and PS4 is a CMOS battery that helps your console keep up with the current time even when it’s powered off or unplugged. If that battery dies or happens to be removed, the console will an internal flag raised by the system’s firmware indicating it might be out of sync."
"To correct the issue, the system will check with PSN the next time to ensure the time is correct. On the PS3, this check is done when you play a game downloaded from the PlayStation Store. On the PS4, it happens when you play a game installed from the disc. This check has to be done at least once, even if the batter has been replaced, so the console confirms clock consistency."
"The timer check serves different purposes on both consoles. On the PS3, it’s done to enforce “time limits” that might have been placed on digital purchases. That same check is even required for downloads that don’t even have an expiration date adding a one-time online check-in requirement for consoles after the internal batteries fail."
"On the PS4, the timing check is used to ensure PSN trophy data is registered accurately, preventing players from pretending to acquire trophies earlier than they had."
"As of right now, this isn’t an issue, and most batteries CMOS battery in consoles average a 10- to 20-year lifespan, but if you happen to own an older PS3 model, time is slowly running out. It’s not an easy fix to do on your own, but Sony could remedy it with a firmware update."
Imagine Sony seeing this as an issue when the CMOS battery lifespan is well above the console's expected lifespan.
Imagine expecting an electronic device not to fail after 10+ years.
Imagine panicking about something that is fixable and may or may not happened to you within 10 years of owning the console.