Anthony1
07-01-2003, 01:24 PM
Ah, there is nothing like a good launch day. Remember the totally sleepless nights before, and then when the day finally arrives, and you head to the mall serveral hours before the store even opens. You wallet is stuffed with crisp 20 dollar bills, and all you can think about is when you will first hit that power button and see what this new system can do.
Of course, nowadays lauch days are a little bit different. Ever since the Nintendo 64 lauch fiasco, when the systems got as hot and hard to get as cabbage patch kids, people now put their deposits down, months and months in advance. So lauch days are a little different now. But anyways, back to the topic.
What systems did you buy on their first day of availability?
Also, please describe what that particular launch day was like for you.
Super Nintendo - This was the first system that I got on launch day. I had both a TurboGrafx and a Genesis at the time, but I had bought those systems several months after they were available. This was the first system that I had actually been marking days of the calender in anticipation. At the time, I had just started college and was very broke. So to even afford the Super Nintendo, I had to sacrifice my complete collection of TurboGrafx stuff. The Turbo was a dead system in the U.S. at that time, and I didn't know any better. The good news was that the Turbo sacrifce gave me enough money to get the system, an extra controller and 4 games! I went to a Good Guys! store, which is a Best Buy type stereo store on the West Coast. I had put 10 dollars down on the system several weeks before to ensure that I would get one. There weren't any big lines or anything, although there were other people there picking up their Super Nintendo's too. As soon as I got mine, I rushed home and got right into Super Mario World. God, what a glorious day! To me, the SNES seemed like such a huge technological advancement. It was taking gaming to the next level.
Sega CD - The arrival of the Sega CD, was another big deal for me. I remember going to Software ETC and seeing the empty box for the Sega CD, before it was going to come out. On the back of the box it had all kinds of pictures of different Sega CD games. One of those pictures was a Joe Montana Sega CD football game. That screenshot looked so incredible to me at the time! The game turned out to be a total dud, but at the time, that screenshot looked amazing! Boy, the Sega CD was an expensive piece of equipment. I had to save up some serious cash to get it. I think it was $299.99 for that machine? I remember handing over a whole lot of 20 dollar bills to the guy at Software ETC. When I got home, I remember playing the Sherlock Holmes game. It seemed amazing to see actual TV video in a video game. Oh by the way, on the day the Sega CD came out, there were a number of people in the Software ETC buying them, but it wasn't a huge line. I think that the price of the system had alot to do with that.
Atari Jaguar - I have to be honest and say that I didn't buy the Atari Jaguar on the first day it came out. I would have, had I known that it was going to come out as early as it did where I lived. But at the time it was only supposed to come to the really large cities that early. So I just happened to be in a Toys R Us, where I lived, and they had the Jaguar! I was totally amazed to see it. I snapped it up right away, and went home and played Cybermorph all day long. There weren't any lines at all, because I don't think anybody knew that it was going to come to our city that early.
Sega Saturn - This is another system that had a suprise launch. It came out of nowhere. I actually did get this system on the first day, but it was more by accident than anything. Everybody was expecting it to come out in September, like most new systems. But Sega decided to jump the gun and they released a couple months early. I happened to be in the mall, at a Electronics Boutique, and they were putting out all kinds of boxes and displays of Saturn stuff. I went to the employee and said, "Hey, isn't it a little early to be putting out the point of sale stuff? He said, " Not really, cause we just got our Saturns and we are going to start selling them tommorow!" I was totally amazed. I couldn't believe that it was already coming out. So the next day, I went there right when they opened and I got my Saturn and Clockwork Knight. Because of the suprise launch, there really weren't any lines, and the Saturn was pretty damn expensive when it first came out.
Sony Playstation - This is the first system that I decided to make sure I had one reserved ahead of time. I did put 10 bucks down on the Super Nintendo before it came out, but that was more out of convience, rather than necessity. But there was a lot of hype for the Playstation's release. Even though it was $299.99, which was a lot of dough for people to kick out, everybody seemed to be ready to get a new system. So I actually had put like $200 down on the system, to ensure that I would be guaranteed one. The day of the launch, when I got to Software ETC, there was already 20 people in line waiting for the store to open. So I got in the back of the line, and I was a little bit worried. Even thought I had put 200 bucks down, I was thinking that they better not sell my system to somebody just walking up off the street. But it was fine, they had pleny of systems for everybody. I'm not too sure what the first couple of games were that I got with the system. I think I got Battle Arena Toshinden on launch day, but I'm not sure.
Nintendo 64 - This was the first time that I had been involved in a launch that was super crazy! Luckily, I had pre-ordered the system way in advance. I had already payed for the entire system and Super Mario 64 in full, even before the machine was released. So on the day that it came out, I went in and picked mine up, while everybody else was scrambling all over town trying to find one. There actually weren't any lines at the Electronics Boutique that I went to, but that was only because every single N64 they were going to get, were already spoken for. So there wasn't any reason for people to stay there and form a line. I had heard that at Toys R Us and Sears and places like that, that it was a total madhouse though. All I knew is that I couldn't wait to take Mario and WaveRace back home. Man my first couple of months with Mario were so, so special. This was the second time in a row that a Mario launch game had me in a trance for several months.
Sega Dreamcast - Before the Dreamcast came out, I wasn't really into console games. I had made the switch to PC games for awhile, during the whole 3DFX period of time. But I happened to go to the e3 show, the year the Dreamcast would be introduced, and I was blown away by it at e3. So I was there on launch day, with money in hand. The demand for the Dreamcast wasn't that great, where I lived. I was able to walk in and get one, without a pre-order or anything. All I know is that I went straight home and played the heck out of NFL2K!
Playstation 2 - Ok, this was one of the most memorable launches that I've ever been involved in. Like an idiot, I didn't pre-order the system. I thought that it would be easy to walk into a store and get one the first day, no problem. But as the launch drew near, it got obvious that there was going to be a huge shortage. So I thought that I would just go to Target at like 5 in the morning and get in line. It wouldn't be that hard. Think again. I went to Target at 11:30PM the night before, just to see if anybody was standing in line. There were already 14 people standing in line! I couldn't believe it. I saw a good friend of mine standing in the line, so I talked to him. He told me that this Target was only going to get 30 systems and that he was going to spend the night. I told him that originally, I was going to wake up at 5 in the morning and drive over to get one. Of course I realized that if I absolutely wanted to insure myself of having one, I was going to have to change my plans. So I decided, what the F, I'm going to spend the night at Target. I went back home and got some different clothes, and thus began the longest night in my life. Man, it was miserable. It started raining. The way the wind was blowing and the way the rain was coming down, there was no real way to get the proper shelter. So we practically caught pnemonia out there that night. Then the next morning, we saw the Target employees start to show up for work. They looked at us in the line, like we were crazy. Then about an hour before the store opened, a lady came out, and handed everybody in line a ticket. Then I got my system and Madden 2001 and SSX, and I headed home. I went straight to plug it in to the Tv, and to check out the games. I played for a couple of hours and then fell asleep.
XBOX - I had learned my lesson from the whole PS2 fiasco, so I had preordered an XBOX well in advance. Actually, I had preorder 2! Not only that, but I also went to Target and Best Buy very early in the morning and got in long lines, to buy 2 more. Why? Well, I thought that I might be able to sell some in the classifieds for big bucks like people did with the PS2. But it turned out that people were much more patient in waiting for the XBOX. So I ended up returning 3 of the 4, just to get my money back. As far as playing the system goes, it was all Halo, all the time.
GameCube - I didn't preorder the Cube, cause at the time, I wasn't sure if I would have enough money for it. So I woke up at 6 in the morning and headed for Target. There was already a line of about 30 people. So I hopped in the back of the line, and got lucky, cause they only ended up getting 36 systems! I took home Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Leader.
Of course, nowadays lauch days are a little bit different. Ever since the Nintendo 64 lauch fiasco, when the systems got as hot and hard to get as cabbage patch kids, people now put their deposits down, months and months in advance. So lauch days are a little different now. But anyways, back to the topic.
What systems did you buy on their first day of availability?
Also, please describe what that particular launch day was like for you.
Super Nintendo - This was the first system that I got on launch day. I had both a TurboGrafx and a Genesis at the time, but I had bought those systems several months after they were available. This was the first system that I had actually been marking days of the calender in anticipation. At the time, I had just started college and was very broke. So to even afford the Super Nintendo, I had to sacrifice my complete collection of TurboGrafx stuff. The Turbo was a dead system in the U.S. at that time, and I didn't know any better. The good news was that the Turbo sacrifce gave me enough money to get the system, an extra controller and 4 games! I went to a Good Guys! store, which is a Best Buy type stereo store on the West Coast. I had put 10 dollars down on the system several weeks before to ensure that I would get one. There weren't any big lines or anything, although there were other people there picking up their Super Nintendo's too. As soon as I got mine, I rushed home and got right into Super Mario World. God, what a glorious day! To me, the SNES seemed like such a huge technological advancement. It was taking gaming to the next level.
Sega CD - The arrival of the Sega CD, was another big deal for me. I remember going to Software ETC and seeing the empty box for the Sega CD, before it was going to come out. On the back of the box it had all kinds of pictures of different Sega CD games. One of those pictures was a Joe Montana Sega CD football game. That screenshot looked so incredible to me at the time! The game turned out to be a total dud, but at the time, that screenshot looked amazing! Boy, the Sega CD was an expensive piece of equipment. I had to save up some serious cash to get it. I think it was $299.99 for that machine? I remember handing over a whole lot of 20 dollar bills to the guy at Software ETC. When I got home, I remember playing the Sherlock Holmes game. It seemed amazing to see actual TV video in a video game. Oh by the way, on the day the Sega CD came out, there were a number of people in the Software ETC buying them, but it wasn't a huge line. I think that the price of the system had alot to do with that.
Atari Jaguar - I have to be honest and say that I didn't buy the Atari Jaguar on the first day it came out. I would have, had I known that it was going to come out as early as it did where I lived. But at the time it was only supposed to come to the really large cities that early. So I just happened to be in a Toys R Us, where I lived, and they had the Jaguar! I was totally amazed to see it. I snapped it up right away, and went home and played Cybermorph all day long. There weren't any lines at all, because I don't think anybody knew that it was going to come to our city that early.
Sega Saturn - This is another system that had a suprise launch. It came out of nowhere. I actually did get this system on the first day, but it was more by accident than anything. Everybody was expecting it to come out in September, like most new systems. But Sega decided to jump the gun and they released a couple months early. I happened to be in the mall, at a Electronics Boutique, and they were putting out all kinds of boxes and displays of Saturn stuff. I went to the employee and said, "Hey, isn't it a little early to be putting out the point of sale stuff? He said, " Not really, cause we just got our Saturns and we are going to start selling them tommorow!" I was totally amazed. I couldn't believe that it was already coming out. So the next day, I went there right when they opened and I got my Saturn and Clockwork Knight. Because of the suprise launch, there really weren't any lines, and the Saturn was pretty damn expensive when it first came out.
Sony Playstation - This is the first system that I decided to make sure I had one reserved ahead of time. I did put 10 bucks down on the Super Nintendo before it came out, but that was more out of convience, rather than necessity. But there was a lot of hype for the Playstation's release. Even though it was $299.99, which was a lot of dough for people to kick out, everybody seemed to be ready to get a new system. So I actually had put like $200 down on the system, to ensure that I would be guaranteed one. The day of the launch, when I got to Software ETC, there was already 20 people in line waiting for the store to open. So I got in the back of the line, and I was a little bit worried. Even thought I had put 200 bucks down, I was thinking that they better not sell my system to somebody just walking up off the street. But it was fine, they had pleny of systems for everybody. I'm not too sure what the first couple of games were that I got with the system. I think I got Battle Arena Toshinden on launch day, but I'm not sure.
Nintendo 64 - This was the first time that I had been involved in a launch that was super crazy! Luckily, I had pre-ordered the system way in advance. I had already payed for the entire system and Super Mario 64 in full, even before the machine was released. So on the day that it came out, I went in and picked mine up, while everybody else was scrambling all over town trying to find one. There actually weren't any lines at the Electronics Boutique that I went to, but that was only because every single N64 they were going to get, were already spoken for. So there wasn't any reason for people to stay there and form a line. I had heard that at Toys R Us and Sears and places like that, that it was a total madhouse though. All I knew is that I couldn't wait to take Mario and WaveRace back home. Man my first couple of months with Mario were so, so special. This was the second time in a row that a Mario launch game had me in a trance for several months.
Sega Dreamcast - Before the Dreamcast came out, I wasn't really into console games. I had made the switch to PC games for awhile, during the whole 3DFX period of time. But I happened to go to the e3 show, the year the Dreamcast would be introduced, and I was blown away by it at e3. So I was there on launch day, with money in hand. The demand for the Dreamcast wasn't that great, where I lived. I was able to walk in and get one, without a pre-order or anything. All I know is that I went straight home and played the heck out of NFL2K!
Playstation 2 - Ok, this was one of the most memorable launches that I've ever been involved in. Like an idiot, I didn't pre-order the system. I thought that it would be easy to walk into a store and get one the first day, no problem. But as the launch drew near, it got obvious that there was going to be a huge shortage. So I thought that I would just go to Target at like 5 in the morning and get in line. It wouldn't be that hard. Think again. I went to Target at 11:30PM the night before, just to see if anybody was standing in line. There were already 14 people standing in line! I couldn't believe it. I saw a good friend of mine standing in the line, so I talked to him. He told me that this Target was only going to get 30 systems and that he was going to spend the night. I told him that originally, I was going to wake up at 5 in the morning and drive over to get one. Of course I realized that if I absolutely wanted to insure myself of having one, I was going to have to change my plans. So I decided, what the F, I'm going to spend the night at Target. I went back home and got some different clothes, and thus began the longest night in my life. Man, it was miserable. It started raining. The way the wind was blowing and the way the rain was coming down, there was no real way to get the proper shelter. So we practically caught pnemonia out there that night. Then the next morning, we saw the Target employees start to show up for work. They looked at us in the line, like we were crazy. Then about an hour before the store opened, a lady came out, and handed everybody in line a ticket. Then I got my system and Madden 2001 and SSX, and I headed home. I went straight to plug it in to the Tv, and to check out the games. I played for a couple of hours and then fell asleep.
XBOX - I had learned my lesson from the whole PS2 fiasco, so I had preordered an XBOX well in advance. Actually, I had preorder 2! Not only that, but I also went to Target and Best Buy very early in the morning and got in long lines, to buy 2 more. Why? Well, I thought that I might be able to sell some in the classifieds for big bucks like people did with the PS2. But it turned out that people were much more patient in waiting for the XBOX. So I ended up returning 3 of the 4, just to get my money back. As far as playing the system goes, it was all Halo, all the time.
GameCube - I didn't preorder the Cube, cause at the time, I wasn't sure if I would have enough money for it. So I woke up at 6 in the morning and headed for Target. There was already a line of about 30 people. So I hopped in the back of the line, and got lucky, cause they only ended up getting 36 systems! I took home Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Leader.