Xbox 360: wait for now
The mad dash for the Xbox 360
Take it from an avid gamer, unless you are an early adopter (and you know if you are) then there is absolutely no reason to purchase an Xbox 360 right now. I admit it is difficult not to be caught up in the craze created by the media and marketing bonanza Microsoft has unleashed on the world. However, if rationalization takes root you can see there are few good reasons to be one of the first 3 million people to own one of these machines.
Most people don’t understand business let alone the gaming business. It’s hard to understand how a powerful machine like the 360 is released without there being great games for it. While Microsoft has done a superior job in the number of titles available at release this is only in comparison to the original Xbox. In the end, it won’t mean as much to average consumers, only the early adopters that I mentioned earlier. The reason, quite simple the average gamer doesn’t like every single genre of game in the marketplace. For the 360 this means the typical casual gamer won’t find more than one maybe two games for their new machine to play. With the high cost of the machine and all of its necessary peripherals it doesn’t make any sense to buy a $400 machine to play maybe two games. Aside from the visual power of the 360 games coming out for the original Xbox will be far superior to anything coming out on the Xbox 360.
I can hear moans and complaints even now from the peanut gallery at this one. But come on folks really look at the situation and you will see for the vast majority of people out there I’m right. Especially all those soccer moms I saw standing in lines on release day to get an Xbox 360 for their kids. If they knew anything about games, they’d be better off teaching their kids something about the virtue of waiting and then buy them a great game for their Xbox. At the end of the day, they will get a lot more bang for their buck.
Of course, the points I make are only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many issues when adopting a new technology that the casual buyer can’t possibly be prepared to accept. So unless you have money to burn or base your coolness factor on owning the newest things on the market, take a deep breath and wait for the Xbox 360 to mature a bit before rushing to the stores. In six months, the 360 will be a far more interesting machine and a lot more fun to own. Trust me, and all the other folks still loving their original Xbox machines.
In the end those too excited to contain themselves will invariably already purchased their Xbox 360 fix. If you’re still waiting to get your hands on one, think hard and long about this purchase. You’ll find yourself sorely disappointed if you buy one today. Wait. Wait until there are enough great games to warrant spending so much money.
