Pro-Tip: Be a Late Adopter

…or Why the PS3 is my Favorite Console.

There is a premium in being first. Day one editions, collector’s boxes and even the plain-Jane, standard release costs more than the exact same product 3, 6 or 12 months down the road (or if you are in the “PC Master Race” a week later). The perceived value of the experience diminishes with time, as soon as it can be replaced by something newer-shinier-better on store shelves next to the ‘old’ product. But the fun inside remains the same.

Day 1 cost – over $135. …1 year later, only $60.

Sometimes it can sting a little, as the Destiny community experienced by purchasing day-one versions of the game and all DLC for a grand-total of $135, when they could have waited a year to play the same bundle (and more) for $60. Incentives are the new price-drop. Now, consoles are piling extra content into bundles – multiple games, a year service subscription and more memory than their base model counterparts sold only a year ago. We are three years into this console cycle and already people are expecting a slim model to come out soon.

No one should be upset when these incentives are announced to entice new players who weren’t willing to stand in the cold overnight to receive a day one edition of a product – this is all part of the experience. If you’re reading this, you are most likely the type who picks up the newest version of their favorite franchises (or hardware) as soon as possible, and that’s great. There is an excitement in being part of a new product – because sometimes it becomes an event the community gathers around and discusses for weeks. Half the fun is playing the game; the other half is being the know.

However, I’m advocating for looking across the metaphorical pond to consoles that you don’t pick up immediately. Instead of being on the cusp of the cutting edge, wait for a couple years and then dive into a rich library of games. You’ll be able to focus on the best titles the console has to offer, find games for cheaper and maximize your enjoyment time.

If you don’t wait years between entires, you see every incredible improvement in the series.

The PS3 was released in November 2006, and as much as I loved the PSX and PS2, there was no way I would get a second job and pay $600 for a PS3. I bided my time, ended up picking up an Xbox 360 and didn’t receive a PS3 until December of 2011. By this time the entire Uncharted trilogy was available, inFamous 1 & 2, God of War III, DC Universe Online, Ratchet and Clank and a plethora of other greatest hits.

There was no lull in gaming – by the time I ‘caught up’ with all the best exclusives on the console, The Last of Us, Journey and others were waiting as new releases in my gaming library. I was only playing vetted, great games that would define the generation – which is why I can easily consider the PS3 the best gaming console I have yet experienced.

One of the reasons I was able to jump into multiple games each month was the low cost of entry. Many of these titles could be found for $10 – $20, and if I was feeling really thrifty could be traded in or sold for around the same amount. New releases are $60 (or up to $135 if you buy all the DLC…). It is very rare that any 1 new release is worth the same as 6 slightly older and still great games.

I fully believe I owe my love to the PS3 due to this experience. If the script were reversed (say this PS4/Xbox One generation) I could have gone the other way. The years spent with the first console of a generation have moments of dead time as you wait for the next release to arrive. Buying old consoles means you have a huge backlog of great games to get through.

If you are an Xbot or PS fan boy who hasn’t purchased the last gen hardware, give it a shot. You will be pleasantly surprised to see a large selection of exclusives you never had a chance to play – and you just might find your new favorite console.

Level Up, Friends!