This Wednesday, the Switch 2 will be showcased on the Nintendo website, and everyone is buzzing with excitement. New games like Mario Kart World, Kirby Air Rides, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment have been announced. However, the cost of the system is $450 by itself, or $500 bundled with Mario Kart World. So the big question is: should you buy it on launch day or wait?
The good news about preordering a console is that you don’t have to worry about it selling out—at least, not right away. But there are several downsides to getting a console at launch:
- It’s expensive
- There are limited titles available
- Hardware issues are common
By buying the system immediately, you’ll not only spend a lot of money on the console itself, but you’ll also be limited to a small launch library. For example, the first year of most consoles typically features fewer than four major titles. If you’re hoping for a robust game selection, you may need to wait over a year for more releases.
It’s also important to keep in mind that launch-day systems often come with bugs and performance issues that won’t be fixed until patches are released. When the PlayStation 4 launched, for instance, some users experienced crashes and freezing issues that were only resolved after system software updates.
That’s why I highly recommend waiting a year or two after launch before buying a new console. By then, you’ll have access to a larger library of games, fewer bugs, and potentially even a lower price than at launch.