It seems so, some people in the thread complained their parents don’t use ChromeCast because it needed the phone to use. Apparently seniors are also better if you want to sell an expensive subscription when the opportunity arises.
Chromecast naming scheme did get weird - it's difficult for someone who doesn't follow these things to know if they want the chromecast ultra or chromecast with google tv. I agree though they should have just called the new product something like "Chromecast Box 2025".