User:DeadPixel/sandbox/Getting a console at launch

As technology evolves, there always comes a time where console developers need to design a console that's more advanced than it's predecessor. Oftentimes, the release of a new console generates hype among gamers and some will be desperate to buy the console on the day it launches. However, there are some good reasons to wait.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) A brand new console is often very expensive on the day it launches. They often get price cuts within only the first year of release.
 * 2) Earlier models of consoles are more prone to hardware failures. The Xbox 360 is a good example as many of the earlier models were prone to a number of hardware issues, such as the infamous red ring of death.
 * 3) Earlier models of some consoles tend to be bulkier. For example, some people found the original Xbox One difficult to fit in their cabinets. The Xbox One S, which released 3 years after the original model, is 40% smaller.
 * 4) A console will be a scarce product when it first launches. Nowadays, new consoles have been a target for scalpers who buy large quantities of the console and sell it for way more than what it's actually worth. This has especially been a problem with the 9th gen consoles due to in-store sales being low since these consoles launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 * 5) The console won't have that many games released for it at the very beginning of it's life cycle. This is especially a con if the console doesn't feature backwards compatability, as this means you won't have that much games to play on the console. The Nintendo 64 is a good example, as it only launched with 2 games in the United States, 3 in Japan, and 4 in Europe. Add the fact that the system did not feature backwards compatibility.
 * 6) Even if it still has some games right at launch, many of those games will also be released on the console's predecessor. Some games released after the console might not even be on that console, but still the predecessor of that console.
 * 7) Take South Park: The Stick of Truth for example. It came out 3 months after the PS4 and Xbox One, but the only consoles it released on were the PS3 and Xbox 360 (probably because it ended up coming out a whole year after it was originally supposed to). Keep in mind that the PS4 lacks backwards compatability and this was when the Xbox One lacked it as well. It was eventually released on the eighth gen consoles in 2016, but only as a pre-order bonus for The Fractured But Whole. It wasn't available as a standalone purchase until 2018.
 * 8) Getting the most out of a new console requires a really good display.

Good Qualities

 * 1) The new console will still launch with some games that aren't on previous gen systems.
 * 2) It can ensure that you don't miss out on the new technology in the future.
 * 3) If you didn't own the console's predecessor and it features backwards compatability, then it would make more sense to buy the new console.

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