Same. I'm usually lttp on consoles, but I had to get one the first Christmas it was out. Didn't regret it.
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What console launch do you have the fondest memories of?
- Thread starter Deleted member 10629
- Start date
My fondest memory is getting a Nintendo 64, because we had an NES and an SNES prior to that and that moment was such a shock to my system. However, I still feel compelled to vote Sony because when the PS2 dropped, it felt like gaming was beginning to turn the corner and begin its journey towards what we're seeing today, performance-wise.
I had a weird console upbringing. I skipped Playstation and begged my parents for a 32X and Sega Saturn. I dabbled in N64 but it was all about Sega and getting hyped by those UK console magazines in the 90s. Dreamcast was just a perfect storm of hype for me at that age. I was super into Sonic in a totally un-ironic way (it was 1999) and those skybox and topiage textures in SA1 genuinely looked like real life to me.
I love new hardware cycles and am pumped for the new tech we will see in the next gen platforms but I don't think i will ever be as feverishly fucking hyped for a console as I was for the Dreamcast
I know it's recent but the Switch/BOTW combo was awesome. It made me feel like I was back on the Xmas morning when I got the N64. No other console made me feel that.
OP
OP
SA1 might not hold up very well today but I do was mindblown when I played it back then
Dreamcast. Somehow convinced my parents to let me go with my older cousins to the launch event they were having near Times Square at midnight. Stayed up all night with said cousins getting my mind absolutely melted by Sonic Adventure and Soul Calibur.
One particular memory I have from the night was waiting on line outside of the store, which had a huge display of about 20-ish TV's all showing the same DC footage and people going "Holy shit!" every time that whale chase from Sonic Adventure popped up.
One particular memory I have from the night was waiting on line outside of the store, which had a huge display of about 20-ish TV's all showing the same DC footage and people going "Holy shit!" every time that whale chase from Sonic Adventure popped up.
PS4 for me, it was my first console launch. Never really bothered in the past, a new console came out and i usually picked it up a few months later if i fancied it. But for some reason, i fancied getting a PS4 launch day. Had it pre-ordered the day after 2013's E3 presentation, so was guaranteed one for launch.
Joined the queue, waited about 20 minutes and collected my order (already had 2 PS4 games at home, NBA 2K14 and Assassin's Creed Black Flag) so all i had to collect was the console and PS+. Did also get Killzone with it, the store manager insisted all orders had a game included. Had to wait until late to play as i was needed in work, so was a long day staring at the PS4 whilst taking calls from angry people. Did also pick up Super Mario 3D World on WiiU.
Was a decent experience, few angry people who couldn't get a launch day PS4.
Joined the queue, waited about 20 minutes and collected my order (already had 2 PS4 games at home, NBA 2K14 and Assassin's Creed Black Flag) so all i had to collect was the console and PS+. Did also get Killzone with it, the store manager insisted all orders had a game included. Had to wait until late to play as i was needed in work, so was a long day staring at the PS4 whilst taking calls from angry people. Did also pick up Super Mario 3D World on WiiU.
Was a decent experience, few angry people who couldn't get a launch day PS4.
First console I got at launch was N64. The excitement was unlike anything else, especially considering the industry shaking game that launched with it.
Playstation 1. it just blew our minds to experience all those 3D games, i remember playing Tohshinden and Cyber Sled for 15 hours straight with a friend.
Nintendo with the Wii, NDS ended up being my favorite of the two, but Wii was fun to look forward to every announcement :D
Weird list of brands instead of consoles.
My most memorable launch is PS2, I think. The selection of games was pretty lousy but it was one of the first console launches I was really excited about. Unfortunately, though, I had cold water thrown on it because despite having a PS2 reserved since like APril or May of that year, I didn't get "mine" until after Christmas from what I remember, I think January or February. But I was really excited for the PS2, obsessed with the games that were launching even though the list was really bad. I remember being really amped for The Bouncer too, what a disappointment.
The Dreamcast 9/9/99 launch was cool, but I didn't have a Dreamcast nd never owned one.
Realizing in this thread, I've never bought a console "At launch." I think the Xbox Series X will probably be the first new gen console I've ever purchased at launch. My family got an NES years after release, I got a Genesis a couple years after launch, got a PSX a couple years later (97 I think?), I pre-ordered the PS2 but mine wasn't available for months after launch. I didn't want an Xbox 360 or PS3 at launch, waited about 6months for both. I didn't want an Xbox One at launch, waited about 6months for that, got a PS4 with the Pro.
My most memorable launch is PS2, I think. The selection of games was pretty lousy but it was one of the first console launches I was really excited about. Unfortunately, though, I had cold water thrown on it because despite having a PS2 reserved since like APril or May of that year, I didn't get "mine" until after Christmas from what I remember, I think January or February. But I was really excited for the PS2, obsessed with the games that were launching even though the list was really bad. I remember being really amped for The Bouncer too, what a disappointment.
The Dreamcast 9/9/99 launch was cool, but I didn't have a Dreamcast nd never owned one.
Realizing in this thread, I've never bought a console "At launch." I think the Xbox Series X will probably be the first new gen console I've ever purchased at launch. My family got an NES years after release, I got a Genesis a couple years after launch, got a PSX a couple years later (97 I think?), I pre-ordered the PS2 but mine wasn't available for months after launch. I didn't want an Xbox 360 or PS3 at launch, waited about 6months for both. I didn't want an Xbox One at launch, waited about 6months for that, got a PS4 with the Pro.
I still remember how obsessed I was over the gamecube launch. Rogue Leader was so far beyond anything that I had seen at the time, and Waverace Blue Storms water physics were incredible to see. That was probably the most memorable to me since I was looking at every single preview video available at the time and I was a hugeeee Star Wars fan and couldnt wait for rogue leader.
Dreamcast near launch (Christmas of 99) was fucking magical. That console was so far ahead of it's time. Coming from the PS1 it felt pretty insane.
It was the only console I ever had at launch as a kid because it was way more affordable from the start at $199.
For me it was the original Xbox. Not because I remember it more fondly or value that system above others, as I got the GameCube a week later, but because that was the first system I ever got right at launch and was also the first system that I bought with my own money. I was 19, just started college, and it was just a fun time playing Halo MP with my friends.
Xbox 360 in 2006 was the first console I ever bought with my own money as a working adult and it definitely was a pretty special experience.
Xbox 1 in Europe was the best, Halo, PGR, DoA3, JSRF, Rallisport, not to mention the console felt so much more powerful than PS2
I guess honestly only the Genesis. Mainly because it was such a giant leap over the NES, and Altered Beast was regularly being featured in gaming magazines. It's a game that I had been playing a lot of too in the arcades at the time. I thought it was amazing how much closer to the arcade game it looked compared to NES ports. Other than that, most launches have been pretty muted for me. I grabbed an SNES at launch, but had not seen too much about it prior aside from SMW pictures, and then grabbed a Saturn a few weeks after the US launch, Playstation at launch, with little fanfare and not much to play until a few months later. Also grabbed the Dreamcast that had a stealth launch.
The console I have the least fondest memories of though would be the Wii U. Purchased that day one, played the crap out of ZombiU and then Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate, and then the console essentially collected dust after that.
Was it? I only knew about the Dreamcast being launched that way, although when I did get my Saturn, it had been out for a few weeks and I didn't even know it was released until a week after it launched.
The console I have the least fondest memories of though would be the Wii U. Purchased that day one, played the crap out of ZombiU and then Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate, and then the console essentially collected dust after that.
Was it? I only knew about the Dreamcast being launched that way, although when I did get my Saturn, it had been out for a few weeks and I didn't even know it was released until a week after it launched.
I remember getting that VHS-tape they gave out before the launch of the N64:
I watched it way too much and was hyped as hell. I remember saving money for the N64 and picking it up in store with my father. We drove past some friends on the way back home, I showed them the box and we drove straight home to start the N64 with Mario 64.
One of my greatest memories.
PS2 with the demo-disc might be a close second.
I watched it way too much and was hyped as hell. I remember saving money for the N64 and picking it up in store with my father. We drove past some friends on the way back home, I showed them the box and we drove straight home to start the N64 with Mario 64.
One of my greatest memories.
PS2 with the demo-disc might be a close second.
US Dreamcast launch was the only one I experienced that actually felt like it delivered multiple must-own titles right out of the gate, and that was due to them delaying the US launch for several months.
N64 would be second just because of how much of a game-changer Mario 64 was.
Most console launches are unremarkable, and I rarely feel compelled to buy a system during its first year.
N64 would be second just because of how much of a game-changer Mario 64 was.
Most console launches are unremarkable, and I rarely feel compelled to buy a system during its first year.
I was hyped as hell leading up to the n64. I played the demo kiosks, read anything i could in the gaming mags and so on. I got it for christmas i was basically that n64 kid but maybe a bit older. I dont think ive ever been as crazy about another console since.
I've been playing games since the Commodore 64 days, but the first launch I really remember the lead up to was the Dreamcast debut in Japan. I wasn't able to afford to import, only being 14 at the time, but I do have very fond memories of poring over every detail in the gaming magazines of the day.
I'd say the launch I have the fondest memories of would be the PS3 and Wii. I'm in Europe and had a Japanese PS3 preorder with Lik Sang (RIP) but as we all know, Sony shut them down not long before release day. I had accepted I wouldn't be getting one and would be best off just waiting on the UK launch, but curiosity took me to eBay on launch day afternoon and I paid way over the odds to some guy in France to get a Japanese system with Ridge Racer 7. I was just grateful it actually arrived in all honesty.
The Wii was eventful too - I went with a Japanese and a US system as I was (still am) big into importing and unfortunately they weren't region free. Japanese one was fairly straightforward but the US one was a bit more complicated with the importer mucking about a bit and I had to exchange loads of emails to make sure it was shipped on time etc.
I think they both stand out more than the likes of the PS2 launch because life was a whole lot simpler back then and I had the disposable income to order three import consoles and games. The UK PS2 launch was a bit weird too with very few available and I didn't get my hands on one until the Christmas of 2001.
Other fond launch memories are getting the US PSP for my 21st and being blown away by Ridge Racer, Darkstalkers, Lumines and Wipeout, importing a US DS for Christmas 2004, and finally getting my launch Japanese Vita after a whole saga of it being returned to sender in Japan because of the non-shipment of lithium batteries thing.
They're not quite the same these days, but console launches are hard to beat and I'm always there on day one.
I'd say the launch I have the fondest memories of would be the PS3 and Wii. I'm in Europe and had a Japanese PS3 preorder with Lik Sang (RIP) but as we all know, Sony shut them down not long before release day. I had accepted I wouldn't be getting one and would be best off just waiting on the UK launch, but curiosity took me to eBay on launch day afternoon and I paid way over the odds to some guy in France to get a Japanese system with Ridge Racer 7. I was just grateful it actually arrived in all honesty.
The Wii was eventful too - I went with a Japanese and a US system as I was (still am) big into importing and unfortunately they weren't region free. Japanese one was fairly straightforward but the US one was a bit more complicated with the importer mucking about a bit and I had to exchange loads of emails to make sure it was shipped on time etc.
I think they both stand out more than the likes of the PS2 launch because life was a whole lot simpler back then and I had the disposable income to order three import consoles and games. The UK PS2 launch was a bit weird too with very few available and I didn't get my hands on one until the Christmas of 2001.
Other fond launch memories are getting the US PSP for my 21st and being blown away by Ridge Racer, Darkstalkers, Lumines and Wipeout, importing a US DS for Christmas 2004, and finally getting my launch Japanese Vita after a whole saga of it being returned to sender in Japan because of the non-shipment of lithium batteries thing.
They're not quite the same these days, but console launches are hard to beat and I'm always there on day one.
I wasn't at the launch but the Playstation 2. I would sit and admire the blue box behind a glass door at Meijer while my dad shopped, good times.
The only consoles I've gotten at or around launch were the Gamecube, the Wii, and the Switch. The first two I got as birthday presents as a kid/teenager (my birthday tends to be around the time that major consoles launch), so I have fonder memories with those, with the Wii being the highlight of the two. Having a console that launched with a big Zelda game was huge for me at the time, especially with the art style that Twilight Princess had. I had a blast playing that and Excite Truck at launch.
PS4 was mine. I had so much money. I bought the console, an extra controller and like 7 games in one go. Went to a midnight launch. People were quite envious at how much I bought. Came home, did an unboxing video and set it up. Was just really simple but nice. I'll be doing something similar with 5 but plan to maybe go to the movies with friends before or have dinner, get high etc etc. Nice to make an evening out of it.
Even though I've primarily played the Playstation consoles, the only ones I've ever had at release are from Nintendo: the Wii and the Switch. For the former, I remember being excited to play Wii Sports and the Rabbids game. My family got into it very quickly, and it became a living room console rather than being in my room. I also remember my cousin got one on release day, and managed to launch the Wii remote through her TV within weeks because the strap wasn't tight enough.
For the Switch, I'd been paying attention but it wasn't until BotW got such glowing reviews that I really considered it. On launch day, I'd just come out of seeing Logan at the cinema, was in the city centre and decided at that point to buy the Switch. I then had to go to uni with the console rather than head straight home to play it.
For the Switch, I'd been paying attention but it wasn't until BotW got such glowing reviews that I really considered it. On launch day, I'd just come out of seeing Logan at the cinema, was in the city centre and decided at that point to buy the Switch. I then had to go to uni with the console rather than head straight home to play it.
I feel like it was shown at an E3 and during its reveal it was announced it was available right now. $400? I'm old and my memory may not be accurate.
I looked it up after posting, and it shows that it was released four months earlier than initially scheduled. Around E3 sounds about right.
The Wii will always be special to me because it was the first console I bought at launch with my own money (I was in high school and had a part time job), and I camped at a Wal-Mart all day to get it. I arrived at like 7:30 am and was second in line. We had a pretty good time, and kind of created our own mini society in the garden center area Wal-Mart had us wait in. We created a list that had everyone's name and place in line, and did roll call every hour to make sure no one left, but otherwise, we all were free to do whatever. Some people bought and played Monopoly, or ran out to get fastfood. Family even came by midday to see how I was doing. Getting the Wii at midnight felt really rewarding when I finally got my hands on it.
N64 was fun, that was the first system I bought with my own money.
PS2, I remember I had no intention of buying the system. In fact, I didn't buy it right at launch but I was in my smalltown Walmart a week or two after it came out and saw it sitting on the shelf. This was back when you couldn't find them anywhere. I didn't have enough money on me, but I grabbed it and put it on layaway. I came back the next day and picked it up. I remember the guy who got it from the back for me knew exactly what it was (and in fact, I had feared that someone would see it and take it for themselves). He gave it to me double-bagged and advised me to walk straight out of the store and not stop. I really debated keeping to for myself vs. flipping it on eBay for double or triple what I paid (not uncommon right at launch).
Favorite launch, though was Dreamcast. That thing was just from the future. Man, what a time to be alive. I remember walking into Babbage's to pick up my pre-order. I was cleaning out my closet a while back and found the box, pretty sure I still had the original receipt for it. I need to look for that.
PS2, I remember I had no intention of buying the system. In fact, I didn't buy it right at launch but I was in my smalltown Walmart a week or two after it came out and saw it sitting on the shelf. This was back when you couldn't find them anywhere. I didn't have enough money on me, but I grabbed it and put it on layaway. I came back the next day and picked it up. I remember the guy who got it from the back for me knew exactly what it was (and in fact, I had feared that someone would see it and take it for themselves). He gave it to me double-bagged and advised me to walk straight out of the store and not stop. I really debated keeping to for myself vs. flipping it on eBay for double or triple what I paid (not uncommon right at launch).
Favorite launch, though was Dreamcast. That thing was just from the future. Man, what a time to be alive. I remember walking into Babbage's to pick up my pre-order. I was cleaning out my closet a while back and found the box, pretty sure I still had the original receipt for it. I need to look for that.