Advice post by
Sarah Chaney
You’ve probably heard about the new generation of consoles leading our way. You may be asking yourself “should I buy a PS5 or Xbox Series X?” Whether you’re up for the PS5 or the Xbox Series X, you might want to temper that excitement a bit.
If gaming history has taught us anything, it’s this: buying a console at launch is almost always a terrible idea. That is not to say that you will regret starting a console or that you will not have to spend your cash on a wonderful new gaming machine. In fact, I definitely get a PS5 at launch, because I’m impatient, but also just really excited to play games of the next gen.
Unfortunately, however, console launches are usually bad for a few different reasons.
Also read: Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X: What we know about each other, and how they compare
Lame launches games
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launch games are almost guaranteed for to look amazing thanks to the latest hardware with thriving edge, but historic launch games do not hold back. With the exception of rarities – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch and the original Halo for Xbox which are two notable examples – games just aren’t that great.
If you look back at the PS4 launch line, you will see some underwhelming exclusives like Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack, as well as a bundle of under-optimized cross-gen ports.
It’s the same story with the Xbox One launch line. There were some pretty decent signers, like Forza Motorsport 5 and the forgettable but technically manageable Rice: Son of Rome. Are these the games where the console will be remembered? Now. Most of the best Xbox One games came later, and the same goes for 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, chances are you will not buy it for a specific launch game. You probably just can not wait to try the latest console (like me), or you are excited for all the games to come in the future. If your reasoning is the last, why not just wait until that game comes out and the next-gen console potentially drops in price?
Plus, it never fails to have release dates extended and we are stuck with no new games to play a few months after the first console launch. Remember that Watch Dogs and Driveclub were delayed before the launch of the PS4? Or how about below for Xbox One that was announced in 2013, that was delayed, and then finally delayed in 2016, before finally being released in 2018?
With rare exceptions, startup games usually do not stand the test of time.
So far, the Xbox Series X and PS5 startup lineups have not been all that inspiring. Epic Games’ mega-hit Fortnite has been confirmed for both PS5 and Xbox Series X, but almost everything is in the air. Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Astro’s Playroom are expected to launch titles for the PS5, but Microsoft’s biggest hitter – Halo Infinite – has now been postponed until 2021.
If there are not many next-gen games at the launch that scratch your name, why not just wait until the price drops and the hardware improves via an updated model? Speaking of …
The first hardware iteration usually has problems
Sony and Microsoft have made major upgrades to the internal hardware of their consoles for the following gen systems. However, while testing these hardware behind closed doors, it is much different when consumers get their hands on them.
When you buy a console at launch, you are essentially getting the console in its beta phase. There are definitely some issues. If we look at consoles, the Xbox 360 had the Red Ring of Death, the PS3 had the Yellow Light of Death, and the Switch had – and still has trouble – with Joy-Con drift. Of course, you can not be sure what problems will appear until the console is out. However, the chances are high that something will be customized in small console versions to add small improvements or fix hardware issues.
Related: The best PS4 deals and bundles to get
Rest assured, if it’s still under warranty, Sony and Microsoft are both likely to fix any issues that arise. However, if something happens to your brand new console outside of the warranty period, you may not have much luck repairing the problem. At least not without spending some extra money.
If you want to avoid all of this, you may want to wait a few years until the kinks are worked out through small console versions. Plus, if you wait, you might be able to get a brand new console model with upgraded hardware for a better price.
For example, if you waited three years for the first PS4 release, you could buy the PS4 Pro for the same amount. This means you should get away with hardware that enables 4K rendering, namely an improved GPU with 4.2 teraflops of processing power. It was a similar situation between Xbox One and the Xbox One X as well. For the same price, you could have an upgraded CPU and GPU that enabled 4K rendering and had a 4K Blu-ray player.
Of course, if you decide to buy a new console at launch, you can probably trade it as a better model relentlessly released, but you will still lose money.
The early adoption tax
If you buy a new console one day, you will pay more for it. Unfortunately, that’s exactly how it is with most new tech products. You will always pay more for something when it is brand new. If you wait a year or two, the price will probably drop.
As an extreme example of the price difference between a console at launch and after launch, let’s look at the PS3. The 20GB PS3 model launched at $ 499.99 and the 60GB model at a whopping $ 599.99. Then just a year later you could buy a 40GB model for only $ 399.99. Another year later, you could buy an 80GB model for $ 399.99.
Although we do not yet know the price of the PS5 or Xbox Series X, if you are willing to wait, you will probably get a better deal further down the road.
Related: The best Xbox deals available right now
The Positives of Buying a Console at Launch
While there may be more negatives than positives, there are still a few good things about buying a console at launch.
First of all, if you are one of the first people to buy a new console, you will also be one of the first people you can pass on about your new console. Post anywhere on social media, make your friends and family lose. You get the image. It’s not every year that a new console arrives, so having your hands full from the start is a great feeling.
Not to mention, there’s a global pandemic going on right now. Who does not need a little bit of retail therapy or great new games to distract themselves?
It’s been seven long years since the PS4 and Xbox One first launched. It can be difficult to resist the urge to upgrade.
The other main attraction is that you can experience new games over brand new, upgraded hardware. Most of the time there is a gap of five years between console releases. It’s been seven years since the PS4 and Xbox One were originally released and they’re really starting to show their age, especially if you have the original models.
With the PS5 and Xbox Series X you will see advancements like ray tracing, minimal to no loading screen times, controllers with fancy new tech, and much more. You will also experience many of these hardware enhancements with previously released games thanks to backward compatibility. Sony has guaranteed that the majority of PS4 games will be playable on the PS5 with some improvements, while Xbox players will get games from every generation of Xbox hardware.
Microsoft’s console takes things a step further with Smart Delivery, ensuring you can play the most up-to-date, best-possible version of a game you’ve had across generations of consoles. Plus Xbox also has Game Pass, so you can have tons of games available to play at launch starting at just $ 9.99 per month.
With all the improvements that both Sony and Microsoft are offering to players who already have their previous gen games, it honestly may not even matter how many new games are released at launch. There will already be a ton of fantastic games to be completely lost with improved visuals, faster loading times and higher resolutions.
The negatives could potentially win over the positives. At the end of the day, it really just depends on the wishes and needs of each individual. Do you have to buy or do you have to wait? It’s entirely up to you.
If you’re like me, and you just can not wait to get your hands on a new console, there’s nothing wrong with ordering one in advance once it’s available. Or if you want to save some money and the hassle of being a guinea pig for Sony and Microsoft, there is nothing wrong with waiting a year or so.
Will you be buying a PS5 or Xbox Series X at launch? Let us know in the survey below.
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