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Are early console adopters being screwed over?


cartman

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8 minutes ago, Kguillemette said:

 

The game's amazing. Being able to talk about it with my peers as I was playing it made it all the better. Talking about the secrets that we uncovered and comparing notes brought my back to my childhood when I used to do the same thing with the first Legend of Zelda when I was in first grade. 

 

But if saving a few bucks was somebody's goal, that's cool too. I typically do that with new systems. I waited until I could buy a ps3 for $50 before I finally got one. I made an exception for when a game came out I truly needed to play asap.

Yeah i guess there will be less ppl to engage with as the game gets a little older. Me i don't really know anyone who bought it so it has been a lonesome journey but i haven't minded. It probably matters the most when a game is multiplayer online.

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14 hours ago, Kguillemette said:

I was pretty happy playing botw relatively close to launch. In my opinion, everyone who chose to wait in hopes of saving a couple bucks was really missing out.

I agree with this statement 100%.

Funny thing is that for me, buying the game at launch (Wii U version) I was able to save a decent amount of money compared to people who bought it a year later.  When BOTW launched, Amazon Prime was still doing 20% off pre-orders which I was able to get.  12 months later, BOTW was still selling for $60 (as most first party Nintendo titles do), but anyone getting into the game at that time wasn't experiencing the game in the same way as the rest of us at launch time.  

BOTW was one of the best games I've played in the past 10 years, and getting to discus it at the same time as everyone else when it was new was a great experience that would be difficult to replicate today.  

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19 minutes ago, TDIRunner said:

I agree with this statement 100%.

Funny thing is that for me, buying the game at launch (Wii U version) I was able to save a decent amount of money compared to people who bought it a year later.  When BOTW launched, Amazon Prime was still doing 20% off pre-orders which I was able to get.  12 months later, BOTW was still selling for $60 (as most first party Nintendo titles do), but anyone getting into the game at that time wasn't experiencing the game in the same way as the rest of us at launch time.  

BOTW was one of the best games I've played in the past 10 years, and getting to discus it at the same time as everyone else when it was new was a great experience that would be difficult to replicate today.  

My oldest daughter and I are currently playing though BOTW, bought it after we finished Skyward Sword (I promised her I'd get the "new" Zelda game after we finished it), and man BOTW is pretty amazing, I don't regret getting it late, I'm just glad we're playing it at all and only because my daughter got really hooked into Zelda, now it's been more than 20 years since I last purchased any modern video game at retail and most certainly BOTW 2 will be the exception.

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34 minutes ago, Abelardo said:

My oldest daughter and I are currently playing though BOTW, bought it after we finished Skyward Sword (I promised her I'd get the "new" Zelda game after we finished it), and man BOTW is pretty amazing, I don't regret getting it late, I'm just glad we're playing it at all and only because my daughter got really hooked into Zelda, now it's been more than 20 years since I last purchased any modern video game at retail and most certainly BOTW 2 will be the exception.

By all means, anyone who didn't play BOTW at launch should still try to play and enjoy the game today.  Hopefully my comment didn't sound like I was saying it wasn't worth trying anymore.  I was just saying that playing it for the first time, but not having anyone to talk to could be disappointing.  Luckily since you are enjoying it for the first time with your daughter, you DO have someone to discuss it with which will hopefully make the experience even better.  Better late than never.

 

I'll toss in one more example.  I will also say that the Bioshock series of games also fall into the category of best games I've played in the past 10 years.  However, I didn't play any of those games until many years after the third game came out.  When I played them for the first time, I was truly amazing at how immersive the world was and how interesting the story and lore was.  Unfortunately, I had no one to discuss the game with because hardly anyone else was actively playing the game at the same time as me.  I still loved the games, but I can tell that I missed out on something great when the games were new.  

Edited by TDIRunner
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19 hours ago, cartman said:

Yeah i guess there will be less ppl to engage with as the game gets a little older. Me i don't really know anyone who bought it so it has been a lonesome journey but i haven't minded. It probably matters the most when a game is multiplayer online.

In that case, you probably are better off waiting for a lower price/better technology.

 

On the other hand you can take advantage of being part of a community of like minded people such as this one and chat it up about that big new release. Personally, I think it is worth a try for you!

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On 1/24/2020 at 10:05 AM, fox said:

I got boned by Nintendo

Picked up the 3ds and a bunch of mediocre titles at launch, only for them to cut the price by like 1/3 in less than 6 months.  That was some bull$hit!

Yes, but we got the ambassador program with 20 free games, some of which never went to the eshop. That effort made me forget about the price drop. Plus Pilotwings was the shit. 

Edited by Silent Hill
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17 minutes ago, Silent Hill said:

Yes, but we got the ambassador program with 20 free games, some of which never went to the eshop. That effort made me forget about the price drop. Plus Pilotwings was this shit. 

Speaking of, I bought a 3DS just to get in on the Ambassador program.  I asked a while ago if I sold my 3DS with those games, what would it be worth, if not more than a typical 3DS.  I never got a price.  Still curious, although I'm not sure I want to get rid of it.  It contains my personal, first-played copy of Metroid Fusion, which I felt was a dang good Metroid.

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Editorials Team · Posted
3 hours ago, Silent Hill said:

Yes, but we got the ambassador program with 20 free games, some of which never went to the eshop. That effort made me forget about the price drop. Plus Pilotwings was the shit. 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F312952074881

Small sample size of course

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I mostly disagree with the OP, but in some cases yea, sure, the early adopter gets screwed;

If a console fails out of the gate essentially like Virtual Boy or Dreamcast then yea, the consumer kinda got proverbially kicked in the balls, but thems the breaks as well unfortunately.

As @fox kinda established early 3DS adopters also got kinda ballsed, but at the same time (as also has been said) they also got some reimbursement as well in the form of exclusive/limited release games, but that's also an outlying case.

In an ideal world we would get (back) to the point where a Console is more like a PC and is upgradeable/replaceable on a part by part basis; that way I wouldn't need to worry about updates to tech in the future and the playing field for early and late adopters would be evened out a bit more.

Edited by SpoonMan Abrams X
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15 hours ago, RH said:

Speaking of, I bought a 3DS just to get in on the Ambassador program.  I asked a while ago if I sold my 3DS with those games, what would it be worth, if not more than a typical 3DS.  I never got a price.  Still curious, although I'm not sure I want to get rid of it.  It contains my personal, first-played copy of Metroid Fusion, which I felt was a dang good Metroid.

The issue with ambassador 3ds is that you only get to keep the ambassador games as long as the original Nintendo account is linked to that device. If the buyer wants to buy eshop games on that device then they have to link the device to their own account meaning they have to wipe the data including the ambassador program 

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10 minutes ago, phart010 said:

The issue with ambassador 3ds is that you only get to keep the ambassador games as long as the original Nintendo account is linked to that device. If the buyer wants to buy eshop games on that device then they have to link the device to their own account meaning they have to wipe the data including the ambassador program 

Ah, I see.  So, you'd literally want to buy the system just for the embedded game, which is a bit risky considering none of this hardware lasts forever.

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Another main thing that frustrated me was when I finally got around to joining the 7th gen (PS3) and 7 1/2 gen (WiiU) back around...2016-17 or so(?) that up until then I was in fact waiting patiently for the expected console price drops as had always happened in previous gens (within a couple years or so maybe?).  Well, the PS3 super slim (I believe the last model number made) set me back $220 and the Wii U set me back $250 (plus I got $20 in Ebay bucks from the purchase from a special promo)...and I don't think they ever did get any lower.

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17 minutes ago, Estil said:

Another main thing that frustrated me was when I finally got around to joining the 7th gen (PS3) and 7 1/2 gen (WiiU) back around...2016-17 or so(?) that up until then I was in fact waiting patiently for the expected console price drops as had always happened in previous gens (within a couple years or so maybe?).  Well, the PS3 super slim (I believe the last model number made) set me back $220 and the Wii U set me back $250 (plus I got $20 in Ebay bucks from the purchase from a special promo)...and I don't think they ever did get any lower.

I remember at the end of that generation the Wii U was the most expensive console on the market.  The PS3 and 360 had both taken price drops, but the Wii U never dropped.  I remember thinking how crazy it was, but Nintendo knew they weren't making many more and what little stock was left would eventually sell. 

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10 hours ago, Estil said:

Yeah all the more reason I didn't understand why they didn't drop to at least $150 or so...I mean if the WiiU did indeed failed to meet expectations.

I'm pretty sure it's because they didn't have to drop the price.  They knew it was a failure, but they knew it early enough to keep production levels down.  Therefore, they knew they could sell what they had produced. To the best of my knowledge, they were able to sell the console without taking a loss.  So they might as well not lower the price.  It was frustrating for those of us who waited, but I still bought one right at the end because I did NOT want to buy a used model.  I was at least able to get mine at a discount due to a special that Target was offering at the time.  I would say about 4 weeks after purchasing mine, it got to the point where I never saw them in stores again.  

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Yeah, the Wii U was going to sell at $250 no matter what, given the smaller quantities (compared to the Wii, at least.)

Nintendo knows the market well enough that they don't have to discount their consoles unless they absolutely have to. They have no obligation to blow them out just because.

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Are theatergoers being screwed over? 

I think it's unfair when you buy a movie ticket and then 1-2 years later they release the exact same film on streaming and disc platforms where you can watch in the comfort of your home, and pause or rewatch whenever you want. Without the early buyers there'd be no fucking movie to speak of because nobody is buying anything and yet those people get the shortest stick. Not only did they make the movie float in the box office but also paid the most for getting it so only. It's not even that an improvement happens organically but the companies have actively put in practise pulling this shit over and over again.

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2 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

I'm pretty sure it's because they didn't have to drop the price.  They knew it was a failure, but they knew it early enough to keep production levels down.  Therefore, they knew they could sell what they had produced. To the best of my knowledge, they were able to sell the console without taking a loss.  So they might as well not lower the price.  It was frustrating for those of us who waited, but I still bought one right at the end because I did NOT want to buy a used model.  I was at least able to get mine at a discount due to a special that Target was offering at the time.  I would say about 4 weeks after purchasing mine, it got to the point where I never saw them in stores again.  

Soooo the WiiU was allegedly a "failure" (I think that's pushing it though...it certainly failed to meet expectations but it was nowhere near a real bomb like Virtual Boy or 32X...remember how they came down to $20 near the end??) yet Nintendo had no problem selling out their remaining WiiU's even without discounting the console...and the software too (I don't recall any WiiU games getting anything like a $20 yellow "Player's Choice" sort of deal like GC games did)?

That just isn't adding up.

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5 minutes ago, Link said:

Are theatergoers being screwed over? 

I haven't been to a theater in years (maybe even never in this century)...now when I was a kid (80s/90s) going to the theater and getting that awesome movie theater popcorn (that you couldn't get anywhere else) and seeing the movie on that giant screen in surround(?) sound (ditto) was a truly awesome, amazing experience (first TMNT movie and Independence Day immediately come to mind).  Shoot even today (believe it or not) we have a drive-in theater just a county away (yes there are still a few around!)! 

But nowadays, movies come out on DVD/Blu-Ray in just a few months and now that I find that half the time the movie theater popcorn is pre-bagged and not truly freshly popped and especially with huge flat screens (I'm typing this up on a computer hooked up to a 42", which even it's at least five years old and the screen is by today's standards maybe average?)...there just doesn't seem to be any point in going to the theater anymore 😞 

Edited by Estil
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10 minutes ago, Estil said:

Soooo the WiiU was allegedly a "failure" (I think that's pushing it though...it certainly failed to meet expectations but it was nowhere near a real bomb like Virtual Boy or 32X...remember how they came down to $20 near the end??) yet Nintendo had no problem selling out their remaining WiiU's even without discounting the console...and the software too (I don't recall any WiiU games getting anything like a $20 yellow "Player's Choice" sort of deal like GC games did)?

That just isn't adding up.

Interestingly, the Wii U sold more than the Saturn or Dreamcast did. Not that either of those were huge successes, but I would have guessed that at least the DC sold more than Wii U. And as you mentioned, Wii U didn't get a big price drop. And yeah, 13M units sold is a far cry for the 700,000 or so VB's.

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10 minutes ago, Estil said:

Soooo the WiiU was allegedly a "failure" (I think that's pushing it though...it certainly failed to meet expectations but it was nowhere near a real bomb like Virtual Boy or 32X...remember how they came down to $20 near the end??) yet Nintendo had no problem selling out their remaining WiiU's even without discounting the console...and the software too (I don't recall any WiiU games getting anything like a $20 yellow "Player's Choice" sort of deal like GC games did)?

That just isn't adding up.

Are you kidding?  Nintendo couldn't kill the Wii U quicker if they tried.  Nintendo had no problem selling the remaining Wii Us because there weren't very many to sell.  Nintendo knew from pretty early on that things weren't working and their production at the time appears to be in line with that knowledge.  Most of their decisions at the end were clearly based on the fact that they wanted to move onto the next thing as quickly as possible.  Why do you think Breath of the Wild was held back for as long as it was?  Keep in mind, I love the Wii U.  I'm not saying any of this out of hatred for the console.  

Nintendo's decisions were frustrating for anyone who enjoyed the Wii U.  But from a business decision, they made the right move.  They recognized the Wii U was not their future and cut their losses to focus on the next thing which turned out to be the Switch.  Fortunately, that decision has worked out for them.  

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5 minutes ago, noiseredux said:

Interestingly, the Wii U sold more than the Saturn or Dreamcast did. Not that either of those were huge successes, but I would have guessed that at least the DC sold more than Wii U. And as you mentioned, Wii U didn't get a big price drop. And yeah, 13M units sold is a far cry for the 700,000 or so VB's.

And while I'm aware that the Wii U outsold every Sega console not called Genesis, that doesn't change the fact that it was a failure as a Nintendo console. 

 

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35 minutes ago, Estil said:

Soooo the WiiU was allegedly a "failure" (I think that's pushing it though...it certainly failed to meet expectations but it was nowhere near a real bomb like Virtual Boy or 32X...remember how they came down to $20 near the end??) yet Nintendo had no problem selling out their remaining WiiU's even without discounting the console...and the software too (I don't recall any WiiU games getting anything like a $20 yellow "Player's Choice" sort of deal like GC games did)?

That just isn't adding up.

Sure it is. They figured out exactly how many buyers would buy it at full price and made that many.

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