Adam Buchen Editorial Intern

Now Playing: Armed and Dangerous (PC), Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Xbox), Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PC)

Early Adopting

If you're like me, you won't hesitate to take off from work or school or whatever to wait 12 hours in the blistering cold autumn night for the release of a new console. The pneumonia only lasts a week or two, but that'll just give you more of an excuse to play that shiny new system of yours! Well, OK, I exaggerate. Even though it doesn't get quite that cold in California, it's still a pain to get that new system, with respect to both time and money. I do this because I am on the frontier--the cutting edge. I am, my friends, an early adopter. I'm sure most of you out there are in the same boat as I, and it often sucks. You see, there are just lots of potential disadvantages that come with being the first in line.

Perhaps the biggest drawback of being an early adopter is the steep cost you'll incur as you so eagerly buy the newest gaming system. Not only will you be paying top dollar for your hardware, but at the beginning of various consoles' life cycles, the accessories are also at top dollar. Let's not forget that you won't have any "Greatest Hits" value titles, so you'll also be paying top dollar for the first generation of games, which is often sparse and mediocre. Let's set the clock back to 2000 and imagine that we are among the dozen or so who are able to get a PS2 at our local retail outlet. Between the PS2 ($299), memory card ($35), second controller ($35), and tax, you're probably at about $400 by now, and that doesn't even include any games! Throw in SSX and Tekken Tag Tournament to appease your competitive nature, and you've surpassed the $500 barrier.

I still don't regret standing in line on 9/9/99 for this.

Contrast that with the present... Today, a PS2 costs $179, the accessories are less, and the selection of games is huge, with an incredible lineup of Greatest Hits games for under $20. This includes, say, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, which is easily a better fighting game than Tekken Tag. Realistically, you could have a complete package with PS2, accessories, and three Greatest Hits games for under $300. The case is indeed similar with the GameCube and the Xbox, both of which have seen dramatic price reductions. This doesn't even take into account some of the cool bonuses you can get if you buy a console, with Nintendo's classic Zelda compilation coming to mind immediately. Clearly, from a purely economic standpoint, it makes more sense to hold off before taking the plunge.

If money doesn't matter, there are still further headaches that can be created by adopting early. Consoles in first-production runs have historically been less than reliable. Furthermore, hardware is often coupled with weak 90-day warranties and sparse technical support, thus leading to situations that are less than ideal for the consumer.

Well, this wasn't quite as wise of an investment.

Consider also that better technology is always on the horizon. I don't mean a new console per se, but, perhaps, a new and improved accessory that might leave one of your investments obsolete. I had a nice setup with my GameCube, complete with four controllers for friends. Then came the WaveBird. This controller was so great that I had to buy four new ones to replace the corded controllers I had already bought once before. And perhaps more egregious than the WaveBird is another Nintendo example: the Game Boy Advance SP. This was the wonderful handheld that had everything the first GBA was missing (except a headphone jack, but don't get me started on that).

Last, the console could just flop. If a system had a poor release--say, 5,000 units sold in the first week--publishers could quickly drop it like it was hot, and the system would end up with a library that is unable to justify your initial investment. You'll end up with a paperweight, and your friends will tease you relentlessly for months. They might point out how much your gaming device looks like a taco, or they might make any number of other cruel observations.

It is, indeed, risky to be an early adopter, and many people wouldn't take the risk in diving in headfirst when so much can be accomplished by waiting just a little while. You'll save money, the hardware might be a little more refined, and there will be a bigger selection of games. I know all this, but I just lack the discipline to hold out.

Yeah, OK, this was utter crap. I can't believe I actually paid for it.

Sure, I'll hold off on buying consoles that look like they have no chance to survive, but with the rest of them, you can count on seeing me waiting diligently in line for my chance to get my hands on that new system the day it comes out. I'm sure many of you reading this probably feel the same way. There's just something about being one of the first to have a new console, and it's always a wonderfully geeky pleasure to be able to show it off to friends. And most importantly, let's not forget that you'll be able to play games from the first day they're released. You'll be able to fit in hundreds or thousands of more hours of gaming than the average person who decides to wait a little for that first price cut.

Nowadays, I constantly hear people complaining about everything they missed out by being the first in line to buy their hardware. No two free games, no lit screen, no Zelda bonus disc, no hundred dollar price cut, nothing. If you people are seriously angry, I have some advice: next generation, don't be an early adopter. It doesn't ever make good business sense for console manufacturers to give people any breaks or any bonuses to those who are going to buy their hardware anyway. And when it comes to cases of particularly risky consoles, try waiting a week or two, as the manufacturer might be forced to make an early price reduction, and perhaps they'll throw in three free games to boot.

Either way, my point is simple. If you believe that having that great new system is cool enough to be worth it, then buy it. But if you're going to cry foul at the first hint of a special offer or price drop, then perhaps the months you could be playing brand-new games aren't worth it to you--and that's fine. You'd be more comfy sleeping in than I would be while I was waiting in line and getting a mild case of frostbite, at any rate.