That's what I was going to say.Static doesn't just build up on a carpet and jump... IT'S AN INSULATOR! Your console would have to be dragged across the carpet to attract stray electrons if it were to built up any charge... the carpet itself has none. Glass, rubber, they all work the same way against carpet in the generation (collection) of static electricity. Going INSIDE electronics requires you to be grounded because of YOUR static charge. That static charge can be built up by dragging your socks or rubber-soled shoes on carpet on a dry winter day, but it doesn't just some off of your carpet and zap electronics.Electronics are some of the most sensitive and fragile consumer products available, so it is cruscial that they be engineered for worst-case scenarios, like being placed on carpet, plugged into bad power, or placed near a source of vibration. Regardless, people "in-the-know" shared knowledge that they could extend the life of their equipment by not subjecting it to those conditions, but as soon as one begins failing when you so much as breathe on it, everyone begins to act like this common knowledge was some sort of requirement. Living rooms have carpet. Outlets are close to the floor. The product MUST be designed to operate in this scenario. They are only stressing these extra care techniques to customers to limit their already staggering losses to poor reliability, but pretending that it's "stupid" to not follow them is to pretend that it is common knowledge to all, when it simply isn't.