Console Purchase Experience : Is it always better to wait?

[danootz]

There's a deal going on at Best Buy here in New York for the PS3:

399$ will get you a 80gb PS3 + Guitar Hero (choice of Aerosmith or Legends of Rock) + a 50$ gift card.

As most of you already know, there are rumblings (that are getting more frequent) of a price drop for the PS3 (-100$)

I have until Saturday (2/28) to decide if I'm going to bite the bullet or just wait.

Here's the deal with me though; I already have Legends of Rock for my PS2. I was going to just buy the bundle and get Aerosmith since I was fiending for it after getting GH II + III last week. The Best Buy I went to only had GH III left so that was a no go.

I hope to try another BB closer to my home (the last one was around work in the city), if they have Aerosmith I'll get it but not without a little remorse that I should have waited one more week for the price drop.

You see, I might not be sad I missed out on Aerosmith and the 50$ gift card even though they are higher value than the speculated drop.

Here's the real dilemma though, what if the drop doesn't happen until a month from now, or two or not until Christmas time!? We all know how that goes!

I'm not Rockefeller despite saying I just got GH II + III (they were used and I made use of my employee discount) and I'm considering dropping 430$ (tax included) on the PS3. I saved up some money for a trip that didn't pan out and I want to look at the PS3 purchase as a consolation prize.

I've considered settling for the GH III bundle and pawning it to Gamestop (at a loss of course)

Advice?
Anyone heard more about how definite and how soon this drop will be?
Am I not looking at the situation correctly and should jump on this BB sale w/o concern about a speculative drop?

 

[Fersis]

If you can (I couldnt) wait .Wait until E3,if the PS3 is having a price drop its gonna be announced at E3.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Yeah, I'm waiting on rumors of an official price drop panning out. Deal sounds phenomenal though even with my irrational disdain for GH.

 

[thaOwner]

Depends on how bad you want it. Great things comes to people that wait tough and also its rumored to have a price drop.
It might not happen at all and I doubt it will be a hundred dollars if it does happen. Latest we will hear about the price
drop might be in June (supposed there is one at all that is). I doubt it will be any earlier when we all these great games are coming out.

 

[Zombie James]

I've never, ever bought a console at launch and I don't see any point in the future where I will (unless some major title - like a Metal Gear - is released at launch). It all comes down to game quality when I decide to buy a console and launches never seem to do it for me.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Wait until E3

 

[Anerythristic]

I've never, ever bought a console at launch and I don't see any point in the future where I will (unless some major title - like a Metal Gear - is released at launch). It all comes down to game quality when I decide to buy a console and launches never seem to do it for me.

I have bought every single console that mattered at launch (except the PS3) or forced my parents to going back to the Atari 2600 (I've aged myself.) I am absolutley sure this current generation will be my last. I am waiting until the game catalogue start to flourish for now on. Is it hard to wait?

 

[danootz]

Have you heard the talk about an official statement for a drop in the next 2 days? I think it would make more sense for the drop to come around E3 too but yeah... some are saying it'll come in days or in a week.

Isn't there a law that allows customers who purchased and item only to find it had a price reduction a couple days later to come back and demand credit? If that does exist, would it not be applicable to this since it's a bundle kind of deal?

And yes! It sounds like a great deal! I mean I'd be getting Aerosmith, a game I want to play for free and I'd use the 50$ to get Little Big Planet and basically it only costs me 10-15$ for the remaining 9$ cost of the game and tax.

It's frustrating. I really want to play Noby Noby Boy and Flower and all these other PS3 exclusives. I've held out for a long time not buying a PS3 and because of that I lost the opportunity for backwards compatibility completely on a PS3. I wonder if the price drop is the result of them gimping the system some more! (I know the chipsize reduction is supposed to be the reasoning *partially?*)

 

[kodt]

I have bought every single console that mattered at launch (except the PS3) or forced my parents to going back to the Atari 2600 (I've aged myself.) I am absolutley sure this current generation will be my last. I am waiting until the game catalogue start to flourish for now on. Is it hard to wait?

Forced your parents huh? When I was little it was the other way around.

 

[Stumpokapow]

ps3 with bc says it's not always better to wait.

But yes, in your case it's probably better to wait

 

[andycapps]

Don't most of these places have a price drop guarantee where if the price drops in the next 30 days you can take your receipt in and get the difference back?

 

[VictimOfGrief]

Have you heard the talk about an official statement for a drop in the next 2 days? I think it would make more sense for the drop to come around E3 too but yeah... some are saying it'll come in days or in a week.

Isn't there a law that allows customers who purchased and item only to find it had a price reduction a couple days later to come back and demand credit? If that does exist, would it not be applicable to this since it's a bundle kind of deal?

And yes! It sounds like a great deal! I mean I'd be getting Aerosmith, a game I want to play for free and I'd use the 50$ to get Little Big Planet and basically it only costs me 10-15$ for the remaining 9$ cost of the game and tax.

It's frustrating. I really want to play Noby Noby Boy and Flower and all these other PS3 exclusives. I've held out for a long time not buying a PS3 and because of that I lost the opportunity for backwards compatibility completely on a PS3. I wonder if the price drop is the result of them gimping the system some more! (I know the chipsize reduction is supposed to be the reasoning *partially?*)

Honestly--- if you have waited this long--- what is another month or two? Price will drop, prices will go down, you will in the long run be rewarded for your patience.

If you buy now---- Games you could play---- but I would still defer till the price drop.

 

[Kingpen]

I just bit, but I used a bunch of games to trade that I was willing to give up. I ended up paying about 270 bucks out of pocket to get a new 80 gig, Killzone 2, MGS4, Ratchet and Clank and my personal killer app Tekken DR ($20 marketplace points)


I was very hesitant to do it as well because of that report of the price drop... Knowing history though, more often then not Sony will want to wait until the revamped E3 to announce their drop, so it won't happen for a few months.

If they announced it tomorrow, I would be a little miffed, but that would only last a few seconds cause I still will have paid less money out of pocket and feel I got a great package deal.


I'm pretty impressed so far with the PS3, and I have not even tried the Blu-Ray functionality yet.


And I'm probably only going to play the PS3 for exclusives as well since I have a fully stocked 360...

 

[LiK]

launch PS3 60gb > the other PS3s

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Is it hard to wait?

It depends on various factors. Are there games that you want to play right now but can't because you don't own the console? If so, are you just being impatient when there are still plenty of games you already have/could buy, or have you grown bored with what's currently available? What's your gaming budget look like, and what is that budget in proportion to necessary expenditures and responsible savings?

Overall, I'd say that it's not hard to wait. However, if you can afford to pull the trigger and you want to, then there's little reason to wait. If your gaming/entertainment budget is irresponsibly high, then learn some discipline and wait it out. Having said that, waiting for a price drop is sometimes useless, as no matter when you buy it's going to get even cheaper somewhere down the road.

 

[Coin Return]

I've bought every console since SNES on launch date (save for the original XBOX), and that trend will continue. I can't help but get caught up in the hype surrounding a console launch and I cave, even if it means getting less than stellar hardware.

 

[shintoki]

I'd say wait, If you own a PC or 360. Use that money on more games. PS3 will go down in price over time, get more games, older games will become cheaper, and more.

 

[pr0cs]

I bought the 360 at launch and had fun for about a month then I realized there was nothing to play on it. I played some terrible games to keep myself amused (King Kong) but in all I should have waited at least a good 6 months after launch.

I bought the PS3 a year after launch and ran into a similar problem, a few good games and after that it sat idle for a LONG time, finally it looks like the machine is coming into it's own.

At this point there is so much good stuff to play I have to be a lot more picky about what I want to spend time with.

so.. yes, wait as long as you can and when you buy make sure you are getting as good a deal as you can, there are sales to be had for both systems.

 

[danootz]

I have bought every single console that mattered at launch (except the PS3) or forced my parents to going back to the Atari 2600 (I've aged myself.) I am absolutley sure this current generation will be my last. I am waiting until the game catalogue start to flourish for now on. Is it hard to wait?

I've only done a launch purchase myself when the Wii came out (a week in actually) But in the past my father had gotten me the N64 day one. It's fun to be one of the first to tinker with new electronics.

I'm learning that it's better to wait it out on purchases with games though, I'm buying more used games and not allowing myself to get caught up on the hype of new releases (save anything Final Fantasy)

I've waited so long to get a PS3 and I even missed the opportunity to buy my friend's 60gb PS3 for 300$ last month. (He's started using it more now) I've done the whole wait a couple days before buying something big and it's still on my mind. I don't know if that justifies the purchase. I want to think it does. Especially with the added value of the free game and GCard.

430$ just sounds like a lot, even with the game and gcard compared to say 330$ if a drop comes.

I even decided to look over Dell's sale for a PS3 80gb for 319$ free shipping (not including taxes) that ended last Wednesday. Although thinking about it now, the Dell cost would probably be the same as if there was a price drop. So really, maybe I should just get this Best Buy deal??? hurrr...

 

[Son of Godzilla]

Honestly getting another fake plastic guitar sounds more like a tax than a sale.

But it's never better to wait. If you don't get buyer's remorse over a $400 console, you won't get buyer's remorse over losing $100. And if the price drop is that close many places will refund the money.

Of course, by many places the only one I can think of off hand is Circuit City and they...

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Don't most of these places have a price drop guarantee where if the price drops in the next 30 days you can take your receipt in and get the difference back?

Amazon doesn't anymore and that's the best place to buy since there is no sales tax.

 

[levious]

Forced your parents huh? When I was little it was the other way around.

your dad forced you to play the 2600?

 

[Anerythristic]

Forced your parents huh? When I was little it was the other way around.

:lol , It just takes tactics. It would be all that I would ask for for Christmas.

 

[inner-G]

Just do it.

Even if you do lose $50 for not waiting a couple months, is that really that bad?

You'll get to play stuff right now!

 

[GitarooMan]

If you want to play it and you can afford it, buy it now rather than just waiting around.

 

[Redd]

Yeah it is. If you wait you get the console cheaper and have a nice library of games to play while looking forward to new releases.

 

[JudgeN]

PS3 isn't getting a price drop, these rumors are bullshit. Its to late for the PS3 to "recover" in America a price drop isn't going to affect sales. The only thing it would only let Sony bleed itself dry for nothing. Get the PS3 now while they are having a good sale, buy KZ2 and enjoy yourself.

Spoiler

Buy Valkyria Chronicles too please

 

[Mrbob]

Why wait.

Even if its a 100 dollar price drop you still need to buy some games.

Basically can get a free game right now for buying the system. Killzone 2 just came out, mlb 09 next week. You can get both games for 10 dollars with your card.

And you also get GH bundle as well which you could sell.

It is virtually a wash right now to buy the system with the BB deal or wait for a 100 dollar price drop which may or may not happen. If the price only goes down 50 bucks, you would have been better off buying the bundle now.

Strike while the iron is hot. Waiting isn't always the answer as sometimes things come up where inventory needs to be moved. I found a 50" panasonic plasma for my parents last year in september at sears for 799. The sale price for the tv on black friday was 899. I netted them an extra 100 dollar savings by not waiting.

 

[Balb]

There was a time when waiting for price drops and such were always ideal. However, with the SKU arms race that this current gen has become (with Sony taking out BC, USB drives etc) I'm not sure if it's better to wait anymore. I would just get the PS3 right now.

 

[KongRudi]

It's allways smart to buy as quickly as possible.

When I bought, I bought it for 750$, and that included Resistance and Warhawk, and a extra controller + HDMI cable.

If you're gonna buy it now, it will cost you alot more.
Since now you'll need to buy Resistance 1 &2, Ratchet & Clank, Heavenly Sword, Hot Shots Golf 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, GT Prologue, Wipeout, GTA4, LBP, Valkyrie Chronicles, Killzone 2, extra controller, HDMI cable, and a dozen other great games.

So you're spending alot more than me on your initial PS3-investment, even when I bought it at launch, and you don't even have enough time to play all the games.

So rule of thumb, buy it as quickly as possible, that will save time and money.

 

[Mamesj]

You can always wait more. buy it when you want it. This is a good deal, then the msrp price drop will probably be about equal in value. I highly doubt they'll do more than a $100 drop, if that. A $50 gc + GH is about a $100 value, imo.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

If you're gonna buy it now, it will cost you alot more.
Since now you'll need to buy Resistance 1 &2, Ratchet & Clank, Heavenly Sword, Hot Shots Golf 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, GT Prologue, Wipeout, GTA4, LBP, Valkyrie Chronicles, Killzone 2, extra controller, HDMI cable, and a dozen other great games

Or, you could buy those games as you intend to play them, often at a discounted price. Just because you're into the hobby doesn't mean that you're obligated to buy and play every title that had hype surrounding it.

 

[Vinci]

I'm waiting till $250 on the system price, myself. Looking forward to it though: Making a list of the games I'm going to get for the thing once it hits the sweet spot and it's a nice list.

 

[myDingling]

It's allways smart to buy as quickly as possible.

When I bought, I bought it for 750$, and that included Resistance and Warhawk, and a extra controller + HDMI cable.

If you're gonna buy it now, it will cost you alot more.
Since now you'll need to buy Resistance 1 &2, Ratchet & Clank, Heavenly Sword, Hot Shots Golf 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, GT Prologue, Wipeout, GTA4, LBP, Valkyrie Chronicles, Killzone 2, extra controller, HDMI cable, and a dozen other great games.

So you're spending alot more than me on your initial PS3-investment, even when I bought it at launch, and you don't even have enough time to play all the games.

So rule of thumb, buy it as quickly as possible, that will save time and money.

Hahahaha, wonderful fanboy-ish response

Of course he doesn't HAVE to buy all those games. Maybe he just wants the Blu-Ray player and Folding. Waiting is fine, just don't wait too long otherwise you'll have missed some of the high points of the system. 1-3 years into the system's lifespan is ideal.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Wait until the 720 and the PS4 comes out. That way we can get more threads like:

"I played God of War for the first time in 2008!! How come people really don't give a damn about my opinions 3 years later??"

 

[Lateraleye]

Really depends on titles available at the time that makes me pull the trigger. For example, Dreamcast was the best launch EVAR. Only other systems I got immediately or soon after were PS2 (for DVDs), GBA (for Castlevania: CotM), Wii (for Zelda).

 

[arstal]

I do this math equation

Price/ Number of Years of enjoyment I expect. Try to buy when this is maximized.

Generally it's better to buy as soon as you realize the one you want.

 

[jts]

With the Wii, I knew its price wouldn't go anywhere so I bought it right away on day 1.

On the other side, with the PS3, I knew those 600€ had a great margin for price-drops. So I waited. Then Sony fucked up my plans and changed the hardware. So I bought a used 60GB last September.

Very happy with both purchases, economically speaking.

 

[madara]

Console launches seem to get more rushed each gen, so by principle if you can wait you will have more choices at less the cost. There does seem to be a decent chance at some system drops this year.

 

[Dunlop]

It is virtually a wash right now to buy the system with the BB deal or wait for a 100 dollar price drop which may or may not happen.

I agree with this 100% providing your only reason for waiting is a speculative $100 rebate vs the BB deal

 

[speedpop]

I wonder how many people actually read the OP, rather the title itself.

In my eyes you're best off ditching the bundle you're looking at and grabbing an el cheapo PS3, spend a game's worth price on a bigger HDD and installing it yourself. That way you've got things that you stated you wanted to try i.e. Noby Noby Boy and Flower and never have to worry about having to delete and redownload them when you want to.

If you find yourself lucky getting a 40gb bundle with a game then do it that way.

 

[Slavik81]

No, not always. Just snag it when it's a good deal and a price your're willing to pay and don't worry too much about it. If a slightly better deal comes along later, such is life.

Anyways, I love my 60GB PS3. It was like buying a PS1, PS2 and PS3 all in one box, so I was given a chance to try games I hadn't like MGS, and God of War. For me, I couldn't have waited.

"I played God of War for the first time in 2008!! How come people really don't give a damn about my opinions 3 years later??"

Actually, a few people seemed to. They were actually quite helpful in regards to figuring out how to deal with the 2nd stage of the last boss as well...

 

[Mileena]

Don't do it. Just wait.

The Les Paul that comes with GH3 and GH:A for PS3 have lag in the dongle that's unfixable. It's not noticeable unless you play on expert but then you'll be missing notes that you know for a fact you just hit. I wouldn't want one of them for free tbh. Maybe I would though just to smash it. GH:WT guitar is phenomenal though.

 

[danootz]

Thanks for all the advice guys.
I still haven't made a solid decision but I feel like I'm leaning more towards buying it now at least for the next 2 1/2 hours when I get out of work and I have to decide if I'll trek to my neighborhood BB and drop the money.

That's all I'm worried about with these big ticket purchases. Seeing 430$ vanish. I'm just mad that after all this time the PS3 is still more than what I paid for my 360 (I got the 20gb version... I forget the cost but I wasn't that bothered by the cost) and my Wii? I bought that one week after launch and it felt like no dent at all to my wallet. New consoles relatively close to their launches I could buy and not feel like "Here I am spending almost 500$" like I would with a PS3 that's been out for how long now? And it's a system that's been stripped off all the things that made it awesome???

I don't want to hate on it because God knows I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it and I'm going to be super excited carrying it home and unboxing and loving the feel of new electronics as I plug it in. And then booting it up and getting on PSN? It's going to be fucking amazing. And when that subsides a day later those feelings will be replaced by the satisfaction of having the three next gen consoles and knowing that I can enjoy any game I want instead of thinking how I'm missing out on experience games with my friends and others.

The fact I got paid yesterday makes me feel less guilty. I guess I'm convincing myself that my paycheck just got trimmed and not look at it like I pulled 430$ out of the bank to buy it.

My dad always says you need to treat yourself since you worked for the money.
I don't feel like I'm strapped for cash. I'm carrying like no debt, except for one credit card which isn't due. I've been shoveling money into savings. I did my Turbo Tax and I expect a good chunk to come in when I actually send the thing out (I do paper And I'm waiting on ink I ordered for my printer) The only thing I'm concerned about saving for is medical expenses. Mainly dental. Regular check up in May. (I had a bad year with teeth. Root canal... which ended up breaking and I had to get a crown. But I've been so good taking care now. I'm just paranoid if I have to spend 300$ or more on some other unforeseen operation.)

Sorry for all the side story stuff. I guess I'm trying to justify my train of thought and potential purchase. (That and I don't want to seem like I'm one of those ppl deep in debt. But I'm no rich man either. Got entry level salary job.... but I feel okay.)

But yeah. Thanks again for all the feeback so far.

 

[ZealousD]

I'm always of the opinion to wait before buying a console. Console is cheaper, games are cheaper, newer consoles are more likely to be better, etc etc. I'm probably going to wait another couple of years before getting a PS3.

 

[danootz]

I wonder how many people actually read the OP, rather the title itself.

In my eyes you're best off ditching the bundle you're looking at and grabbing an el cheapo PS3, spend a game's worth price on a bigger HDD and installing it yourself. That way you've got things that you stated you wanted to try i.e. Noby Noby Boy and Flower and never have to worry about having to delete and redownload them when you want to.

If you find yourself lucky getting a 40gb bundle with a game then do it that way.

Yeah I took a look at ebgames.com for old systems, they've jacked the prices up more than an current 80gb. I don't think I'm comfortable with a refurbed system unless it's a dreamcast or something I couldn't find new some where anymore.

 

[tekumseh]

You should just go ahead and jump. With the deal they are offering, you're essentially getting the lesser price anyway. You can use the GC towards a new game, KZ2 or something, and you know you'd buy a game or two later when the price drops, so by waiting, you're only denying yourself the extra weeks you could be playing and renting blu-rays.

You should always eat dessert first, if you ask me....

 

[Suburban Cowboy]

WAIT

 

[DrXym]

My opinion would be to wait. If stores are sweetening the deal its because they know something better or cheaper is imminent. Its quite possible that Sony and/or Microsoft will produce a slim model this year so if you see suspicious bargains, consider what it may mean.

 

[duk]

I always wait about a year after launch... but next gen I might wait longer. Cheaper console price and more games FTW.

Also there are too many great games this gen to catch up on.