[stuntcock]

1. when looking at the comparitive architecture of pc vs. ps2, one wonders why the pc model is prevalent or preferred.

To paraphrase Roosevelt: x86 may be a son of a bi+ch, but it's our son of a bi+ch.

Better designs have come out, but they run into a chicken-and-egg problem:
-no one will write/rewrite software for the new chip until it has a reasonable market share
-no one will buy the chip until it is supported by a reasonable amount of software

Read up on the history of the DEC Alpha for more information.