Next-gen consoles: should you buy on day one or play the waiting game?

The PS4 will launch this Friday, November 15 in the US, Tuesday, December 17 for Hong Kong and we’ll receive the rest of its Asian release dates soon; the Xbox One comes out next week, on Friday, November 22 in the US and late 2014 here in Asia. It is the dawn of a new generation as we get nearer to the next-gen consoles’ launches, but there is one issue that needs discussion: should you embrace either of those shiny new consoles immediately, or wait it out? It really depends on your preference. Having personally experienced buying multiple consoles on their launch days, I’ve weighed out the pros and cons:

Early adopters

Pros

• Getting a special offer from supporting local retailers or even a special edition of the console like Xbox One’s Day One Edition
• Playing the latest games in a tried and true game series (Killzone: Shadow Fall for PS4, Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5 for Xbox One), especially if you’re a fan of said series.
• Playing some of the previous generation’s game with (slightly) better graphics (Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, etc). It’s not uncommon move to skip the previous generation’s version of the game, so you can play it on your new console.
• If you haven’t bought any consoles from the previous generations, been on a video gaming hiatus or just start getting into the hobby, it would be the most logical choice to do it with the latest generation of consoles.
• You can be part of the first next generation console gamers. Some people find that personally satisfying.

Cons

• The prices can be a lot more expensive than the consoles’ manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) in Asia, especially if you import them. This is especially true with the US version of both PS4 and Xbox One. Add in the scarcity, hype factor and the holiday season, you can end up paying a lot more money than you’re meant to.
• There aren’t too many blockbuster games for a early adopters. Looking back at the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360’s launch games, you will find very few games to be excited about.
• If your country isn’t listed (yet), you won’t be able to make any online purchases; that will be the case with the Xbox One. There’s no solid information about the PS4 yet, but the PSN on PS3 doesn’t allow it either; we either have to use a credit card issued from the listed countries or use a PSN Card. This is quite a bummer for those who are used to buying games digitally.
• You can never tell if there will be any faults in the hardware, like the Xbox 360’s red ring of death or PS3’s yellow light of death.
• The online functions, such as matchmaking, server stability and bandwidth may not be ready for stable multiplayer games.

Wait it out for about 6 to 18 months

Pros

• There will be more (great) games available
• You can save by not buying day one launch games or launch window games (those that are released 1-3 months after the console launch). Which are usually not the system seller we all been waiting for.
• The console price should be on par with the MSRP, or maybe even lower if there’s a discount or an official price cut (if you want to wait that long).
• If there are bugs or faults in both software and hardware, there should already be a patch out. Firmware updates that eliminate bugs and stabilize the system should be available too. Some might even already have them pre-installed, so you can jump straight into the games. Note that both the PS4 and Xbox One will have day one updates right out of the box.
• Having your country and currency officially listed, that way you can play multiplayer games with people in your region and you can use your personal credit card to make online purchases.
• If you haven’t played any of the latest and greatest games the PS3 or Xbox 360 has to offer, this is the time to start, while waiting for the PS4 or Xbox One’s price to drop. With new consoles out, their predecessors will have major price cuts, because retailers will want to empty out their remaining stock. As for the games, they will have best-of and game of the year bundles that offer a lot more value for your money.
• At the end of their lifespans, the PS3 and Xbox 360 still have great games being released for them (Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Gran Turismo 6_, etc.). You can play them and get the trophies or achievements while waiting to get the next-gen consoles.

Cons

• Missing out on the action and the latest progress of your favorite game series can be quite a bummer.
• The game industry moves fast and the spotlight will always be on the latest generation of consoles. There will be less support and coverage of the previous generation consoles and games.
• The current generation of consoles have been around for 8 years, one of the longest timespans for a single generation. For video game enthusiasts (aren’t we all?) waiting too long to play the next generation consoles, while being teased by constant news about them is hard.