i actually think u should wait at least 1 year. then after that 1 year get a bundle.

i think one year is enough time for a descent library and firmware updates so u dont have to put up with the crap.

my friend bought his 60gb when it first came out and he only recently started playing it with the release of call of duty 4. it was a dust collector basically

I would camp outside for 3 weeks if it was anything like the UK PS3 launch at HMV London. Everyone who did got a Sony Bravia free!

Nope, not worth it. You pay extra, get a crappier beta version of the console, and have a console that has few or no good games.

The later you wait to buy, the better your game selection, the better developers will be with new games, the cheaper the console, the better its quality, and the more refined the experience and controls are.


It's absolutely not worth it, ever.



Except that I usually just can't help myself.

In the PS3's case, it's good depending on where you live because you could get full BC in the 60gb and 20gb SKU's. For the 360, it's probably bad because of it's issues. I'm not really sure when it comes to the Wii though... Maybe getting the Opera browser for free?

 Yea I guess the wii can do that.

@ El Duderino

Wii sports mainly has good sales because its bundled. But I do agree that its a good out-of-the-box game for casual gamers and familys. I take my shovelware comment back. 

^ And that's the only legit excuse for buying a console early.

Core gamers just can't keep themselves from getting excited over a new box and the potential gaming experiences that will become available.

So why not wait until those gaming experiences, announced or not become released? There is no reason NOT to wait. Gamers often just can't help themselves. The comedy is when they then complain that because those games aren't available when they buy the console, there AREN'T any games for the console. Well, D'uh.

Essentially, no, it never pays to be an early adopter for any new technology related to entertainment. Now if it was a productivity tool, that's completely different, but these are games we're talking about.

The question is when to buy a console. Like computer upgrades, you can always wait a year longer because prices will be lower and in the future, performance will be faster. So, it really all boils down to what do you want to play right now? What is available for that console that you would play the day you took it home?

I used to have a rule of thumb for consoles that dictated there would be no less than 3 games I absolutely wanted to play the day I bought the system. Every time I break that rule, I usually end up with a console that doesn't see as much use as another from the same generation.

Wait too long and you'll find yourself in the position of owning a console that has a successor released a year or so after you buy it. Not a big deal, barring the few examples where support for the console simply stopped abruptly (Dreamcast, Xbox). But as long as support continues, the only thing you lose is the "prestige" of playing the latest and greatest, which most people will attest rarely ever happens in the first year of a console's lifespan anyway.

If you want a new console now, but you just can't bring yourself to pay the initial entry fee, be patient and wait for a good sale or bundle that provides a better deal. Case in point: all those who were holding off on the purchase of a PS3 for MGS4, now have ideal option of buying the MGS4 bundle, game included (take a bow Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox) with DualShock3 controller. That's the kind of deal the smart gamer waits for while the platform is just getting hot.

(Said as a buyer of the PS3 60GB after release at $600. Obviously it would have been better to buy one six months later when the price dropped to $500, even without a bundle. Then there was the 5 BR-D offer which was nice, particularly when paired with the $400 40GB model released that fall. Value FTW.)

Oh, and I actually BOUGHT the first Wii I saw on a retail shelf explicitly for the purpose of trying out Wii Sports. And yes, I had fun, but once the novelty wore off in a month, it was just nice to have the option of playing future motion control based games (yet to be released), assuming motion controls would be refined and better implemented in the future.

I am still waiting for that future to be realized.

But as far as pack ins go, Wii Sports is probably the best pack in since the NES with Super Mario Bros.

I bought a Wii on day one and (above and beyond all else) it made for a good excuse to get together with people for many months due to the system shortage ... As far as an enjoyable gaming experience it is (typically) best to wait 12 to 18 months for the good games to really start being released before buying into a system; the only (real) reason to buy it before that is bragging rights.

Well if you think about it, you can pay $600 (Not 700) and get the console and enjoy it for a year, the games, and the movies (Like I did/have, although I got mine a week or two after launch). Or you can wait a year for a price drop and have some great games pass you by because they are no longer in the top spot on games list and somewhat forgotten.

Simply put that extra $100, or $200 is worth it because you get to have the console so much longer as price drops usually dont come too fast.

So I say fuck you to you for dissing on early adopters when apparently you are not old enough to understand the value of anything.

It doesn't matter if you wait; it's not like those early games go out of print, or even if they did, that they wouldn't be available on Ebay or even at retail as a reduced price "Platinum Hit."

This does bring up the issue of early adopters initially buying games of highly questionable quality, just so they can use their new system. I know I've been guilty of doing this for every system I've ever bought with the exception of the 360 because I waited almost two years to buy one (with the first year typical lack of games and then the deluge of RROD reports, why wouldn't I?).

I spent many hours playing Resistance and MotorStorm, partly because they were a big leap up from the PS2, but also because there just weren't any other quality PS3 games until about Fall 2007. Would I buy either of those games today if I had just bought a PS3? Probably not. I'd wait for MotorStorm 2 and Resistance 2. If I liked both of them, I'd probably go back and buy the originals when they were priced as "Platinum Hits" for $30 each.

I've still bought the occasional GC and Xbox game even though I never bought either console. There are still games on both platforms I'd still buy today if I found them cheap, even if I had no intention of playing them all the way through.

Again, smart money says it pays to wait.

While that in no way shape or form lessens the entertainment value I received from buying early, there would have been more "value" in buying later for less money with a stronger catalog of games. Fall 2007 was a pretty good time to buy a PS3 given all the games that came out for the holidays, particularly with the $400 model.