Why do console games require pressing START button to go through a redundant splash screen?

Specifically on the 'Press Start' tradition, on current consoles (at least on the 360), it's actually part of certification to accurately capture the profile / controller which the player is on, and to allow them to use any controller. The 'Press Start' screen is a way to do this - it's just a way of detecting the active profile if there is more than one plugged in.

In addition to what has already been mentioned, it provided a way to acquire a seed for randomness on old consoles before they had clocks.

Infamous broke the tradition by simply loading up the last save. Since someone accidentally loading another's game wouldn't really contain any spoilers in this case, I thought it was a great move. However, many games contain splash screens for the same reason that any software does: to further advertise the game and justify itself as being awesome even after you bought it, so you're satisfied with the product. I'm not a programmer, but from a back-end perspective it may also give the user something to look at while parts of the game load.   I don't really mind the splash screen; it only adds fifteen seconds to the wait before playing the game, and can often help get me in the mood. Recently I've been starting up Skyrim and leaving it on the splash screen while I cook so I'll be ready to go when I can sit down for a long session.

Answering the question in your comments: Why is that screen there? Why doesn't the game just load up? Splash screens are there to quickly get something on the screen for the user to see while the game itself is loading and initializing. Otherwise you might see nothing (system appears to hang) or a long system load bar or cycling animation. (Apple requires PNG splash screens in iOS apps to give the appearance that the app is loading quickly.) A typical/traditional UI boot up sequence for a game goes like this: Initialize the graphics buffer as quickly as you can (black) Put a logo up on the screen...note there is no real overhead for maintaining a static image Grab control of the audio device, initialize some other quick stuff. If audio init takes a long time maybe show another splash image. Start an animated splash with audio While the animation is playing initialize the rest of the game Wait until animation is finished if necessary (fast device vs slow device) Go to main game screen/menu, ready to start. Without the splashes, you'd be treated to the device appearing to hang, or a spinning disc from the time you launch the app up to #7.

Its kind of like a website, especially a portfolio site; something that has a splash page is more representable than something that goes straight to the main menu. You get the feeling of more "clutterness" if you are portaled to something that has a lot of options. It gives a more presentation that "This game is polished, and we even took the time to make a splash page", which in a way becomes counter-intuitive nowadays because us gamers play video games to waste time, or find an immersive experience yet we believe some parts of the game are a waste of time. Odd isn't it?   It did get to the point that it does feels like a chore to skip through a splash intro / page. But if you think about the days when we started playing games; we savor every moment of it.   I can see your point though that this can or should be obsolete, but its a nice touch. No matter what.   + I believe in some games, the only page you can watch "game trailer (what the game is about)" is on the splash page, and not on the main menu if you idle (maybe some games do, but I believe a majority has the media on the splash page). If you idle on the options screen (New game / load game / options / etc.) it doesn't load the media. This is great for preventing people to accidentally confirming "New Game" while the game is showing a media, because that wastes incredible amount of time. (I'm pretty sure you know how it feels accidentally going to "New game" instead of load game; the intro for the game goes for a long time before you can go back to the main menu.)   If I'm not clear on some parts, feel free to ask; My writing style is a little hard to understand sometimes, I believe. :)

Why not? I would hate if the start screen wasn't there, because I usually turn my game on and then go grab a snack and something to drink. I'd hate for it to just jump right into the game and I end up getting attacked or something. But also, I don't know why you're distinguishing between console and PC games. A lot of PC games I've played do this, too. As a few other people have mentioned, I think this screen is for the ability to load up different save files (because the game isn't always going to know which one you want to play from) and also to give the game itself time to load up. Additionally, it lets you play around with the settings and what have you, which is better than trying to do it elsewhere. I hate screwing with the settings in the middle of playing a game, it's frustrating because then I'm sitting in the middle of my game waiting for the new settings to load.