Developers and commentators have long held that developing for the PS2 and PS3 was fairly awful [1][2][3][4], so I'm not sure I buy your point.

[1] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/02/oddworld-creator-ex-s...

[2] https://venturebeat.com/2014/07/06/last-gen-development/

[3] https://www.engadget.com/2009/04/03/killzone-developer-says-...

[4] https://gamingbolt.com/developer-explains-what-its-like-deve...