You have probably heard of the new generation consoles that are upon us. You may even ask yourself, "Should I buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X?" Whether you're into the PS5 or Xbox Series X, you might want to mitigate that excitement a little.
If gaming history taught us anything, this is this: Buying a console at startup is almost always a terrible idea. That doesn't mean you will regret buying a console when you launch or that you shouldn't spend your money on a nice new slot machine. In fact, I definitely get a PS5 at launch because I'm impatient, but also very excited to be playing next-gen games.
Unfortunately, console starts are usually pretty bad for a variety of reasons.
Also read: Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X: What We Know About Each and How They Compare Each Other
Lame starting games
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launch games are almost guaranteed appearance Great thanks to the latest hardware, but historically starting games don't hold up in retrospect. With the exception of rarities - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch and the original Halo for Xbox as two notable examples - startup games just aren't usually that great.
If you look back at the PS4 grid, you'll see some mind-blowing exclusives like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack, as well as a number of under-optimized cross-gen ports.
The situation is similar with the Xbox One grid. There were some pretty decent competitors like Forza Motorsport 5 and the memorable but tech-savvy Ryse: Son of Rome. Are these the games the console will remember? No. Most of the best Xbox One games came later, and so did Sony's hit console.
See also: The best PS4 games you can buy: From Bloodborne to Uncharted 4
If you buy a console at launch, you are probably not buying it for a specific launch game. You probably can't wait to try the latest console (like me) or look forward to all of the games to come in the future. If your reasoning is the latter, why not just wait for the game to come out and the next generation console may drop in price?
Plus, the release dates never fail and we don't have any new games to play a few months after the console first launched. Do you remember Watch Dogs and Driveclub being delayed after the PS4 launched? Or how about Below for Xbox One, announced in 2013 that was delayed and then delayed indefinitely in 2016 before finally releasing in 2018?
With rare exceptions, startup games usually don't stand the test of time.
So far, the Xbox Series X and PS5 front rows don't look particularly inspiring either. Epic Games' mega-hit Fortnite is confirmed for both PS5 and Xbox Series X, but almost everything else is up in the air. Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Astro's Playroom are slated to be launch titles for the PS5, but Microsoft's biggest batsman - Halo Infinite - has now been delayed until 2021.
If there aren't a lot of next-gen games screaming your name at launch, why not just wait for the price to drop and the hardware to improve over an updated model? Speaking of ...
The first hardware iteration usually has problems
Sony and Microsoft have made significant improvements to the internal hardware of their consoles for the next generation systems. Although they've tested this hardware behind closed doors, when consumers get their hands on it, it's very different.
If you buy a console at launch, the console is essentially in beta. There are bound to be some problems. If we look at previous consoles, the Xbox 360 had the Red Ring of Death, the PS3 had the Yellow Light of Death, and the Switch was struggling - and is still struggling - with Joy-Con drift. Of course, you can't be sure what problems will arise until the console fails. However, there is a high likelihood that minor console revisions will make changes to add small enhancements or fix hardware issues.
Connected: The best deals and bundles for PS4
Rest assured, if it's still under warranty, Sony and Microsoft will likely both fix the problem that comes up. However, if something happens to your brand new console out of warranty, you may not be very lucky to fix the problem. At least not without spending a little more money.
If you want to avoid all of these, you should wait a few years for minor console overhauls to fix the problems. In fact, if you wait, you might be able to get a brand new model of the console with updated hardware at a cheaper price.
For example, if you waited three years after the PS4 first released, you could have bought the PS4 Pro for the same amount of money. This means that you would have foregone the hardware that enables 4K rendering, namely an improved GPU with 4.2 teraflops of processing power. It was similar between Xbox One and Xbox One X, too. For the same price, you could have an updated CPU and GPU that enables 4K rendering and a 4K Blu-ray player.
If you decide to buy a new console at start-up, you can probably trade it in if a better model inevitably comes out, but you'll still lose money.
The early adopter tax
When you buy a new console on the first day, you pay more for it. Unfortunately, it is the same with most new technical products. You'll always pay more for something when it's brand new. If you wait a year or two, the price will most likely fall.
As an extreme example of the difference in price between a console at launch and the PS3 after launch, let's look at it. The 20GB PS3 model is $ 499.99 and the 60GB model is a whopping $ 599.99. Then, just a year later, you could buy a 40GB model for just $ 399.99. Another year later, you could buy an 80GB model for $ 399.99.
While we don't know the price of the PS5 or Xbox Series X just yet, you will likely get a better deal later when you are willing to wait.
Connected: The best Xbox deals right now
The benefits of buying a console at startup
While there may be more negatives than positives, there are still some good things about buying a console at startup.
If you're one of the first to buy a new console, you'll be one of the first to show off your new console. Post on all social media, make your friends and family drool. You get the picture. It's not every year that a new console hits the market. So it's a great feeling to have one in hand right from the start.
Not to mention that a global pandemic is happening right now. Who doesn't need a little retail therapy or great new games to keep themselves distracted?
It's been seven long years since the PS4 and Xbox One first released. Countering the urge to upgrade can be difficult.
The other main attraction is to experience new games on brand new, updated hardware. Mostly there is a five year gap between console versions. It's been seven years since the PS4 and Xbox One were originally released and they're really starting to show their age, especially when you have the original models.
With the PS5 and Xbox X Series, you'll see advances like ray tracing, minimal to no loading screen times, controllers with fancy new technology, and more. Thanks to backward compatibility, you can also experience many of these hardware improvements in previously released games. Sony has guaranteed that most PS4 games will be playable on the PS5 with some improvements, while Xbox players will be able to play games from all generations of Xbox hardware.
Microsoft's console goes one step further with Smart Delivery. This allows you to play the latest and greatest possible version of a game you've owned across generations of consoles. Xbox also has a Game Pass, so you'll have tons of games to play with from just $ 9.99 a month.
With all of the improvements that both Sony and Microsoft are offering to gamers who already own their previous generation games, it may not matter how many new games are released at launch. There will already be a ton of fantastic games to get lost in with improved graphics, faster load times, and higher resolutions.
The negatives could potentially prevail over the positives. Ultimately, it really only depends on the wishes and needs of each individual consumer. Should you buy or should you wait? It's entirely up to you.
If you're like me and can't wait to get your hands on a new console, there's nothing wrong with pre-ordering one when it becomes available. Or, if you want to save some money and the hassle of being a guinea pig for Sony and Microsoft, there's nothing wrong with waiting around a year for it.
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