Pre-ordering: To Wait Or Not To Wait?

[PrideKidd]

Hello Gamers, question time. Do you preorder your new and upcoming consoles or do you wait for a bundle package? Personally I like to wait so all the bugs are worked out before I buy one. Waiting to buy also has its' perks as well. You get more for the money.

I just bought an Xbox One and it came with the Halo Series which I thought was kind of cool. I like video games as much as the next person but I also love DEALS! so where do you lie on this topic? Are you a Go Getter and obtain the game console on day one or do you wait?

 

[Shimus]

I wait. One to two years after launch. That way bugs are ironed out, they have plenty of time to release some games and get a market behind them, and they're tried and tested to be fun.

I can't stand falling on "Hype Trains" and will generally wait to see reviews and how well games perform before having to be the guy that has "the new top of the line" equipment. Of course, if I had lots of money to blow this probably wouldn't be the case and I'd buy them day one. But as money is hard to come by, it's better to use the "watch and see" method.

 

[Days_of_NES]

Never, ever preorder. Patience is the mode of the smart man.

Hell, I stay generations 'behind' - we are still a PS2/GC/DS family! (Now that the PS3s have come down to a suitable price and they are giving away Wiis, however, its nearly time to cash-in! )

Hmmmm, lets approach this from a common sense financial standpoint: System A retails for $200 on Christmas. System A then (very typically) drops to $99 several months to a year later....seems like a no brainer, unless you are the brash/impulsive child-type, eh?
Or better yet, do what I have always done - wait TWO years and get that same system from a pawn shop or yard sale for $20-$50!

 

[Shimus]

But if you had the money to blow and spend (if we were rich, theoretically - maybe you are? hah) would you buy them? I think, just to fill those urges for gaming, I would. This is if money is not a factor and you just wanted entertainment.

I know a friend who has to have them no matter what (cost, bugs, whatever) and I heard him whining for months for people to fix things that should have been already good-to-go on launch. This is the major reason I wait, I'd rather not spend eighty hours trying to finish a 20-40 hour game because a glitch makes it impossible to progress. Or that something glitches that shouldn't like PVP multiplayer matches ( which is HUGE draw for me to certain consoles).

That's a very valid point though. Waiting by quarter sales and even years ahead does indeed make them more easier to afford - and most people don't get that. It also means you can acquire a bunch of games, a controller set(four or less) and the console itself for the price of a current gen console which also makes me think "hmmmmm....."

 

[Days_of_NES]

That's a very valid point though. Waiting by quarter sales and even years ahead does indeed make them more easier to afford - and most people don't get that. It also means you can acquire a bunch of games, a controller set(four or less) and the console itself for the price of a current gen console which also makes me think "hmmmmm....."

^ What progressive thinking, and not even 30 yet....such a bright lad!

This thinking has allowed me to raid endless yard sales, buy and sell massive collections, and get my hands on many things I could have only dreamed of as a boy.

As for me being 'rich', certainly not, though I could certainly grab any and all new systems/games, should I choose to do so. You have to remember: I have been here since the dawn of video games, and have seen the same cycles repeat many times over. If you don't know the one about the two bulls, Google it and you'll understand my philosophy on the video game market.
Also, THIS was ingrained in my young mind: My dad bought my two (older) twin sisters an Atari 2600 when they graduated from 8th grade into high school, a huge gift at the time. The price on the box, I'll never forget this, was $379.99. Not even 6 months later, we were seeing them as low as $159.99 - lesson learned for life.

 

[Christina]

You could also be a smart buyer and just wait for certain sales on consoles....

Anyway I only have preordered two systems, PS4 and New 3DS. I mainly preordered them cause I knew I wanted them and I started saving for PS4 in June of the year it was sold in November and 3DS I got some extra money at the time from some backpay at work so use some to purchase.

I always say never preorder unless you really really want the system. Most consoles on release won't have great games out for some time, and if you want a large library to choose from best to just wait. PS4 and Xbox really are starting to hit their strides this year on big games and really now would be the best time if you wanted to buy them.

 

[JoanMcWench]

I think it would be pretty difficult to stay rich if you were placing all these pre-orders.

I rarely get anything when it comes out or before it comes out. Have I before? Sure. You live & learn from that when a half year later you see the dramatic price difference & want to kick yourself in the face & are sad that your body doesn't bend that way.

 

[pandabear1991]

I refuse to pre-order or buy the day it comes out (game or console). My hubby hates that I am this way, but in the end he understands why. We do not have a lot of money and I will not pretend that we do. However, I like to see reviews and possibly test the games/consoles before buying. Its about like buying a car, why pay all of that money for something you don't truly want/can't appreciate? Gotta test it first and wait for it to depreciate--or find a good deal on it at a yard sale or something.

 

[danielle davidson]

If it's a game that I really want then I don't wait for it. I mean for the most part I have never played a game that I bought when it came out with a lot of bugs. If there is a game that I kind of want, but could wait, then I'll wait. I mean it's basically just depending on the game that it is. There are a lot of games that I just wait for though. I don't buy it ahead of time.

 

[Damien Lee]

Always wait, pre-ordering is for suckers.

There's really no point in pre-ordering games in this day and age. I've never had a problem of picking up hotly anticipated games within a day or two of their official release dates. But because most games don't even live up to the hype, I simply wait two or three months and pick them up when they're discounted.

 

[joshposh]

Oh I always wait for the bugs to be worked on and patches to be made before buying any new console. That goes with anything I buy now a days. There is no telling what problems will arise with new technology. Look at Windows Vista. But yes, it's best to just wait, and see what the reviews are and stay informed of latest patches and fixes. Eventually over time they will work things out and the second generation of games are usually better after game makers have time to tinker and familiarize themselves with the hardware.

 

[Shimus]

Depends. Do I really like the game? Then Pre-Ordering isn't far out of the question.

Do I just want to play it, and can wait? Then waiting it out. Not only will bugs be ironed out by the time I want to play it (I give any major title a MONTH) and then jump into it.

Pre-Order has the nice bonus of special in-game items or boosters, whereas waiting you might fall a bit behind others who paid to get into pre-order beta or release events before the rest of normal purchasers too.