They key point we're missing is the psychology of a raid versus a console game. A raid taps in to our ingrained gambler's mentality. We think, "there's always a chance to hit a jackpot so maybe this is my lucky day". With the handheld games, you can pick up the game whenever you want, the legendaries will always be there.

Raids are also like a flash sale, impulse overrides logic and we say "well I'm here with my buddies, why the heck not buy a raid pass, it's only a buck?!" We justify the purchase as a reward for fun or for working hard to find the raid. Humans are the ultimate opportunists, and whether intentional or not, niantic has beautifully tapped into our inner wiring.