Five good reasons not to rush to a console when it launches

5 reasons why it is better to avoid buying your console at launch -

Not easy to resist when a new generation of consoles arrives.

And yet, there are at least five good reasons to wait a bit before emptying your bank account.

1. Early editions often have manufacturing defects

5 reasons why it is better to avoid buying your console at launch - geeko

The "red ring of death" would have cost Microsoft more than a billion dollars.

During its life, a game console is entitled to several redesigns.

They are sometimes noticeable, as with Sony's Slim models, or Microsoft's "S" models.

But sometimes not at all.

In this case, we speak more of “series”: the first consoles marketed were often the subject of manufacturing defects which are then corrected, mainly based on consumer feedback.

Thus, Xbox 360 had suffered greatly from RROD - the famous "red ring of death", a fatal error which forced a referral to the after-sales service.

The RROD was caused by the machine overheating.

Overwhelmed by referrals to after-sales service, Microsoft quickly set up a task force to review the design of its machine, with a positive effect on its after-sales service statistics a few months later.

But the Xbox 360 is far from being a special case.

Just look at the Switch and its defective controllers to be convinced.

Most of the time, these young flaws are corrected over time.

Buying your console, at a high price, at the time of launch, is to take part in a giant beta-test.

And that, many forget.

2. Most games do not yet exploit the potential of machines

5 reasons why it is better to avoid buying your console at launch - geeko

on PS5 will certainly look like

on PS4.

Another important point: the virtual absence of exclusives at launch.

For each generation, it's the same old story.

The game line-up that accompanies the launch of a machine is essentially made up of lazy ports of titles already released on the older generation of consoles.

Buying the console in day-1 is therefore paying a lot of money to play old-gen games, with some slight graphics upgrades.

Don't expect to be amazed with the next-gen versions of Cyberpunk or

, if the next-gen versions add a bit of ray-tracing it will already be great.

The reduced number of consoles pushes publishers to remain very lax with their work on next-gen.

We also do not avoid the “bottlenecks” of the beginning of the generation.

Understand by this that the games are developed to run on the older generation above all, and that slight upgrades are applied on the next-gen.

To have titles that really exploit the potential of the next-gen, the base of consoles installed must be large enough.

Something that won't happen for a year or two.

Buyers are therefore doomed to a race to the bottom until critical mass allows the publisher to refrain from releasing the game on the older generation of consoles.

3. Exclusives delivered in small quantities

5 reasons why it is better to avoid buying your console at launch - geeko

Don't wait for the next

before the end of 2021, at the earliest.

With the exception of the very first Xbox, which had a crazy line-up, most consoles didn't get big exclusives at launch.

Titles developed for the launch of a console are often developed on PC or old-gen, before being ported, simply because the developers do not yet have the development kits.

The first next-gen games therefore look like old-gen games.

And most often, console manufacturers do not commit colossal means in these developments.

Just take a look at the respective line-ups of the Xbox and the PlayStation to be convinced.

The sequel to Spiderman stands out a bit, but the title could very clearly have run on a PS4 if it had its ray-tracing removed.

The reality is that we will have to wait a good year before finally seeing games that deserve the detour: 

,

on PS5,

,

or

on Xbox Series.

No need to rush so if it's to play titles that you could play anyway on your current console!

4. The price will inevitably drop quickly

5 reasons why it is better to avoid buying your console at launch - geeko

The prices of consoles generally drop within the first two years of release.

With the exception of the Switch, which was a resounding success upon its release, and for which demand has never dried up, virtually all consoles have seen their prices drop significantly over the first two years of development. their exploitation.

The less they sell at launch, the more the prices are likely to fall, it is an implacable logic.

Microsoft had lowered the price of its first Xbox by more than 100 euros in the first year of its release.

Most of the time, a price drop occurs in the first two years.

The consumer therefore has every interest in waiting.

The most interesting offers come after a year

5 reasons why it is better to avoid buying your console at launch - geeko

If there is no price drop in the first year, manufacturers will at least end up offering bundles.

The console is then delivered with one or more bonus games.

The objective is clear: to attract a greater number of consumers to sell the higher stocks of consoles.

After a year on the market, manufacturers have reached a higher rate of production, stocks are full and they are ready to launch some nice promotions to increase their sales.

You pay the same price, but you are entitled to one or two additional games.

Most often, bestsellers.

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