Why you shouldn't buy consoles at launch dates
Planning to buy a game console at launch? Well, most people do buy them at launch, don't they? But they are foolish to do so. Here are some reasons why I don't think it's wise to buy consoles at launch.
Game consoles have changed the way we game in last couple of years. They have been developing them since Nintendo's and Sega's regime as a dominant force. Doing console business is not a bed of roses though. It's a business filled with uncertain risks. If you aren't going to take risks, you aren't going to get the rewards as it's basically an inverse relationship. Put simply, more risks tantamount to more rewards in future.
But sometimes, when you take those risks like THQ took with their Utablet, these decisions brings you on the road to become a bankrupt company. This is what happened to THQ. When they realized they are in deep trouble, it was a bit too late for them. There is cut-throat competition among Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo here. They will go at any lengths to win over the customers initially. Because they know, that once they get us to buy their hefty-priced console once, we are going to stick to it for next couple of years.
That's why you'll see so many companies striving to get us to pre-order a console very early in the development stage. They want us to commit to the console. They will often come out and over-hype their in-development console to get us to buy one in advance. While most people would stay away from pre-orders and buying it on launch, others that are impatient and want to get their hands on the console early, fall into this trap with ease. Okay, it's not exactly a trap, but it acts like one in any case. Once you buy something, you'll have to deal with all the initial issues related to it.
Buying something at launch is never safe. It's always uncertain and risky. You run yourself the risk of losing a hefty sum of money over something that might or might not turn out to be popular. Just look at what happened to Nintendo's latest console. We were promised a slew of games that are still nowhere to be seen. Early adopters believed their words and bought this console. Huh, it's biting dust in their homes now. You see, that's what happens most of the time when you buy a console without knowing the ramifications. Here are some more reasons why I think you should eschew away from buying a console at launch:Game consoles are expensive
Well, this is to be expected. If you want to get the taste of the game console earlier than everyone else, you'll have to pay more than others. But sometimes, it's not worth the cost when you do so. You see, what happened with the recent launch of consoles like PS4 and Xbox One. If there is anything to take away from the launch, you'll never buy the console early from now on.
Just look at what happened with those poor early adopters. Some of them couldn't even get to boot their game consoles properly. What's ironic is, even after the news of some console failing to boot the games and other slew of issues associated with it, there was no dearth of buyers who were ready to spend their precious $500 on it. But to each, their own I guess. While there is no one stopping people from spending money on early adoptions, we, the prudent and rational people, can at least eschew away from it.
More often than not, the consoles launches are perpetrated in most bizarre and half-assed way as you can imagine. So, we should always stay away from buying it early.Price cuts to be expected
If you are like me who spends even a penny with caution, you'll certainly want to wait for a price slash before getting your hands on a particular console. You know its coming. They have to slash off the hefty price after some time to keep giving their rivals a tough time and survive in this industry. If they won't cut the price, their competitor will, and the entire potential consumer will buy the substitute product instead.
That's why it's almost a certainty that a price cut is just on the horizon and it's just a matter of time. Just take a look at what happened with the Xbox One. While anything can't be said about PS4 yet, Xbox One certainly did what was expected out of them. Well, they cut the price by almost $100 within only 3 months of being launched in the market. It's a slap on the face of early adopters of this console who had to pay more than $500 and also had to stand in cues to get their hands on this console. Well, that's what you get for being loyal to a shoddy brand like Microsoft. It's not about being loyal or anything else at all, but the thing is, you are going to get the big thumb if you buy anything early as soon as they are launched, especially consoles.
That's why it's always better to wait for it for some time than swooping on it and getting it early. Nope, bad idea! I hope now you understand why. If you are still not convinced, read on!Technical issues are dime a dozen
If those hefty prices don't bother you, what with the slew of technical issues associated with the launch? All the issues like server issues and firmware issues are inevitable and can't be avoided. Those big companies know that it's going to happen no matter how much they pretend that they are super-ready for launching their console and everything has been tested.
No, it's never fully done until they do some broad-level testing. And that can't be done until some early adopters get their hands on it. Only then they will be able to weed out all the issues and fix everything.
So, you see, if you have adopted it early, you are basically doing a great job for them by testing it. While they should be paying you for all the strain, conversely, you are the one who pays, more than what's needed. You are screwed, no matter how you look at it.
And no, don't you even try to justify that by saying; we get to play launch games early. Yeah, we have seen how good those half-baked games turn out to be. Barring Forza 5, there is no game that did well on launch. Most of them were basically mediocre at best. If you want to play something that really good, you need to try GTA V. I recently reviewed it as well, so take a glance at my review of GTA V. And the best part about it is that you don't even need to buy any next-gen consoles for it as it's available for Xbox 360 and PS3.
