GameCentral readers share their experience of pre-ordering a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S – or explain why they never bothered.
Now that the pre-orders have started for both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S the question for this week’s Hot Topic was pretty straightforward: have you pre-ordered one and if not why not?
Everyone had their own reasons for choosing to jump in now or wait till later but surprisingly few reported having being prevented from pre-ordering because of a lack of stock or technical problems.
No distractions
I won’t be buying a new console when it launches. The main reason is very personal and specific to me, as I’m extremely busy with studies and don’t need a distraction of that magnitude. With that aside, though, I waited six months to a year to get my PlayStation 4, and by that stage I knew there were no Red Ring of Death type situations (though I can’t see that ever happening again), knew the console was popular and would be well supported software-wise, and had a good library of games to get with it.
My first games on it were Wolfenstein: The New Order and Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, so I feel it was a better experience than a launch line-up. I also got a good deal from GAME, so I think it’s definitely better the longer I can hold out.
I did buy a Switch day one though, as I felt that Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Super Mario Odyssey justified the purchase. So I suppose it varies depending on console. A killer app definitely tempts me into buying day one, but this time I’ll be patient.
ANON
PS: Plus, no pre-order drama. People seem to be having a miserable old time getting what they want, I feel bad for parents…
Catch up time
I pre-ordered an Xbox Series S on Tuesday morning, it was easy and straightforward.
I would class myself as a hardcore gamer, I’ve played and enjoyed games such as Dark Souls , Bloodborne, Cuphead, Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, and many more.
I wasn’t going to pre-order a next gen console due to having very limited gaming time, as I have a child with severe autism and learning disabilities, however the reveal and price of the Xbox Series S was justifiable for me.
Having solely had a Nintendo Switch for the last two years means there’s plenty of games I want to catch up on and the Xbox Series S will be more than capable of playing games such as Resident Evil 2 and 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, NieR:Automata, Forza Horizon, Tekken 7, Red Dead Redemption 2, and many more which will be heavily discounted.
I’ve got a decent 27-inch 1080p monitor with HDR support and am looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077 and Crash Bandicoot 4.
wasimr34
Lessons of history
I haven’t pre-ordered anything and I have no idea why anyone would do so given what we know of how these things work. History teaches us that there will be no decent games at launch (verified by what we know so far), there’ll be serious hardware defects, and everything will be much cheaper probably from the start of the new year.
Not only that but we won’t start to get any proper next gen-only games until two years after launch, which is about the time I would expect to get a new console.
I’m leaning towards the PlayStation 5 although Sony’s recent stream of negative revelations have put me off a bit, which I deem as even more reason to just wait until it’s clear who’s going to be the winner and which console is best.
Maclon3M
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Surprise purchase
I’ve pre-ordered an Xbox Series S (nearly called it a One X there). I wasn’t going to but it was much cheaper and better value than I expected and when I saw there were plenty in stock I thought I might as well. At the very least I can sell it for a profit if I don’t want it but as I only have a HDTV I think I’ll keep it and make use of Game Pass to catch up on Microsoft games I haven’t played this gen.
I know there aren’t many but together with all the other games (including Bethesda now I guess!) it seems like it would be more than enough to keep me busy for a few months.
This means that if I did buy another machine it would be the PlayStation 5, but before I commit to that I want to see if they relent on the unfair game prices and see what they commit to in terms of next gen-only games. I can’t believe Horizon Forbidden West is going to be cross-gen, I would’ve bet that one was being lined up as an exclusive and that kind of put me off a lot to be honest.
Ant
Take your time
I had fully intended to pre-order a PlayStation 5 but those plans were ruined when it turned out they started without any warning and by the time I found out they’d finished hours ago. For me this was the point at which it all started to fall apart for Sony, as that same day we started getting all the fine print about their announcements, with all the cross-gen games and the ridiculous game prices.
I’ve now rethought my position and will, at best, buy a PlayStation 5 in the new year when it’s more clear what it’s capable of, more games have been announced, and we get an insight into how Microsoft will fare.
Microsoft have made their own stupid mistakes, I’m well aware, so it’s not as if I’m about to leap into their arms either. For two giant-sized companies that have been in this business for decades they’ve made a lot of schoolboy errors with this whole generation. Coronavirus or not it seems like everything would’ve gone a lot more smoothly if they’d just waited a year until they were ready.
Corgen
One behind
I can’t see me getting a next gen console for at least two years.
I’ve always been a generation behind and am quite happy to be so!
There’s so many games I still have yet to play on my PlayStation 4 and there’s nothing announced for next gen-only that really grabs me yet, so I’ll wait for a better selection of games down the line, along with a price drop and hopefully a slimmed down console too!
LastYearsModel
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
The usual wait
Yes, I intend to get a next generation console, the PlayStation 5 for example, but definitely not yet. As always, and going from some experiences GC viewers have already had, pre-ordering is a bit hit and miss, and definitely not as easy as pre-ordering a game or something. But mainly it’s the not needing a new console just yet.
It’s the usual story of getting through my back catalogue and waiting for the right moment to get the console. The right moment being when my confidence is certain that what I am getting is a trustworthy machine, which has most or all the bugs of the first year problems ironed out.
I usually get the next console machine model (new model number type), like I did with the PlayStation 4, where some of the inner workings had been rearranged or replaced with parts which are more power source friendly, or maybe the cooling device and overall running of the machine, has been improved.
So for me, the usual wait and evaluating the situation first, before I take the plunge. Then to make the first tender steps into the grand future of gaming, which in all honesty, looks epic in every way.
Alucard
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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
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