With each week it's getting harder for me to keep any excitement for either the #PS5 or #XboxSeriesX with no launch date or price. Especially when I have a Xbox One X & PS4 Pro that delivers amazing games, and will continue to do so into the Fall. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, Watch Dogs: Legion, NBA 2K21, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Marvel’s Avengers (jury is still out on that one, but more than not I’ll get it), and I’m sure I’m missing a few others. All games that are releasing this Fall and will entertain & amaze me without the need of a new console.
Much of the delay of news and information has been the COVID Pandemic we are in. These are extremely uncertain and troubling times. There is no way I can you can talk about this with mentioning that COVID-19 has impacted our lives in ways we never imagined. In my eyes, just being able to have this conversation is a testament to the ladies and gentlemen who are working hard to craft these games & behind the scenes of these systems. I want to salute them and say this is no means a criticism of them.
The positive for buying those titles is getting the current generation version will (for the majority of them) grant you the next generation version for free. On the current system you bought them for... That means you aren’t going to buy Cyberpunk 2077 on the Xbox One X and then have it (for free) on the Playstation 5. By now I would have had several games pre-ordered or at the least knowing what games I want to buy Day One. Right now I have nothing pre-ordered and I can't even do that at this time because it’s still up in the air what next generation system I’m getting. IF I’m getting one at all this year.
My default machine is the Xbox. I have long subscribed that “The Console Wars” ended with the Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo era. Now it’s just a matter of that company has what you are looking for, for me the games matter a lot more than the name of any company or any “cool factor.” The Xbox is my default when buying the majority of my games. NBA 2K is one of them. I've played 2K on the Xbox since the Sega Dreamcast ceased. There is no way I'm spending $60-$100 on a game, THEN doing it on another system. Nope.
I’m not sure if the current global climate is a reason why a launch date & pricing for either the Playstation 5 or Xbox Series X has been announced. At the 2013 E3 in June, both Microsoft and Sony announced the dates and prices for their systems. If memory serves me right, the next day my son and I went to Gamestop to reserve and pay for my Xbox One (a flip of a coin, I gambled my entertainment on a coin flip… The things fathers do to entertain…). Five months later, gamers had the systems in their living rooms. It’s August of 2020 and we are no closer to knowing when the systems will be on store shelves, when we can reserve one (I WILL NOT engage in the foolishness that buying consoles have become), and the price.
I have enough saved right now for one system. I believe. I guess... Because no one knows how much the systems are, one could say $400 MIGHT be enough. Or you may need $500. I read an article that stated $600 could be the price point for the Xbox Series X. And the Xbox Series S (not announced, but rumored to be a really real thing) COULD be $400. As far as the Playstation 5, who knows. This isn’t the way I as a consumer wants to go into a shopping experience. Again, there could be any number of reasons for this. I would rather know and be prepared versus waiting everyday or wondering when the next press release/video will drop.
I want ALL systems to do well. That means ALL gamers are doing well & having fun. It's minor gripe to have right now being honest. I'm good with what I have and the money saved isn't going anywhere. It’s looking like this might be the first year ever I’m not getting a system at launch. Given what is releasing in the Fall, I can definitely live with that.