Sony and Microsoft’s new hardware are right around the corner. Thought it may feel like November is still pretty far off, it will be on top of us before we know it. If you haven’t pre-ordered a new console yet, there is little chance of getting your hands on one at launch, and with that chance diminishing slightly more the closer we get to launch time.
If you’ve missed the boat, then there is no reason to get all worked up about it. Maybe you can’t afford the new hardware just yet, and that’s understandable too. It’s not like everyone’s sitting on an extra 500 bucks all the time. Plenty of games are also being released across multiple generations that will be releasing with or soon after the new hardware as well. There are more than just a few reasons why you don’t need to rush into the future of gaming.
Price:
The new consoles aren’t cheap. While the PS4 is being released at a lower price than Sony’s previous console it’s might not be exactly cheap for everyone. The same thing goes for Microsoft’s Xbox One, which is even more expensive than their competition’s by an extra hundred bucks.
If you’re living on a budget or have other priorities there’s no reason to go out and get the latest and greatest, especially if you’ve already got one or more of the current generation consoles. Don’t forget that after about a year after the console’s release there is good chance of a price drop too, so why not wait and save yourself some cash? You could at least put it towards another game or a controller.
Availability:
As it stands, Amazon and Gamestop are no longer taking launch pre-orders. Sure, you can go into a retail store and try and pre-order but all the big distributors are sold out until sometime in early 2014. At least those are the rumors around the internet. If you haven’t pre-ordered by now there is a very real possibility that you’re not going to get it until the new year.
So just relax, play a few other games and wait for a fresh batch to come around. You may want to take your chances with places like Wal-Mart or Target, since there is a chance you could pick up a new console there. That may work, but if you haven’t pre-ordered already then play it cool. You’ll get your new console soon enough. Do you really feel like fighting the hordes of gamers?
Multi-Generation Titles:
While the games may look a little better we’re still going to be constrained by the previous generation’s hardware to some degree. Games like Watch_Dogs are hitting both generations of consoles so if you’ve already got a current gen system, why rush? Some of these “end of life” titles for the current and aging hardware are going to be the cream of the crop, successfully showcasing what the old hardware can do as developers squeeze the last bit of power out of them.
This weird split means that we’re going to see new titles somewhat “dumbed” down to work on older hardware. If the tech isn’t dialed back to work on previous generation hardware, it is going to take some time for developers to unlock the potential in the PS4 and Xbox One.
