There are few moments more exciting than a console launch, especially for a whole new generation. Objectively speaking it's not the best time for a system - the pricing of everything is at its peak, there won't be many games, and early titles may also struggle to fully show off the technology. Yet the buzz is captivating, and nabbing a launch date console, handheld or Switch-like hybrid on launch day is a special time for plenty of us passionate gamers.
All of the excitement can impair judgement, though, or sometimes the hype falls flat once you've settled down to actually play games. You might spend hundreds of pounds / dollars / euros / whatever and think "oh no, I've made a mistake".
It's happened to a lot of us, so below a few of our team share those launch day regrets, times when early buzz gave way to disappointment.
Tom Whitehead, deputy editor
Back in the distant past when the Switch was being pitched to the public, I was fortunate enough to go to a slightly peculiar press event in London. It meant getting up pre-dawn for a flight and wondering if I'd lost my sanity when I saw they'd put a boxing ring in the space (to promote ARMS, of course), but it was all very exciting. Then I played a bit of 1-2-Switch, ignored the bizarre video segments and the fact they set up actual milking stools for that minigame, and had my mind blown. I'm admittedly a sucker for 'clever' technology, still to this day talking up the 3D effect on the 3DS, and I was wowed by HD Rumble.
It's relatively rarely used, sadly, or is so subtle at times that it can be missed (I love the subtle rumble when you grab a coin in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for example), but 1-2-Switch was the showcase for Joy-Cons, thought there was no minigame to highlight wonky analogue sticks. Some games showcased the very solid motion tracking, but it was those with rumble that I particularly enjoyed; when a controller convinces you there are a few individual objects moving around inside its casing, that's smart technology at its best.
When the Switch arrived we somehow managed to have three members of the family that had all secured a day one unit. We all had copies of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, of course, but that game didn't showcase the controllers enough. I was already resistant to the pricing of 1-2-Switch (it was full retail price) but I ignored my better instincts and had a copy ready for launch day.
We played it as a family for an hour, maybe, all went "ooooh" at a few of the good minigames, and that was it. Game over, and unlike Wii Sports it lacked the magic to get us back. Some of the minigames weren't good enough, it lacked a 'hook', and the video segments were a bit embarrassing, to be perfectly honest. It was not a good retail video game. It should have been a scaled back free pre-install designed to show off the controllers.
Its fall from grace in my home is best summarised by where it's stored. All of my Switch games (and those for other systems I have plugged in) are easily accessible in various draws or shelves. I have a cupboard out of the way that's full of my older games, packed with DS, Wii, 3DS and Wii U games in particular. Only one Switch game somehow found its way into that 'last-gen' out of the way storage. You get one guess on which one it is.
Ollie Reynolds, staff writer
So my biggest launch regret would simply be purchasing the Nintendo 3DS on day one. Holy moly, what a rough start that was! Of course, as many of you know, early adopters to the 3DS were given a whole bunch of GBA titles as part of the Ambassador Program, but I simply couldn’t have known that at the time. All I had was a handheld that attracted a whole load of fingerprints and next to no games to go with it.
With only Pilotwings Resort (look, I ain’t interested in Nintendogs, I’m sorry) and Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition at my disposal, I quickly zipped through those titles and wound up just playing Face Raiders during my free time. I’d show it to my family, friends, and colleagues and exclaim that this is “the future of video games”, all the while doubting my own bold statement in the back of my mind.
So yes, while I certainly regretted buying the 3DS on day one at the time, I no longer resent my decision. The Ambassador Program did more than enough to set things right, and the 3DS went on to be one of the best handheld consoles of all time, full of richly diverse game experiences that I’ll never forget.
Those first few weeks and months, though? Yikes.
Gavin Lane, editor
Perhaps it was just my cautious nature as a child — or that my low disposable income back in the day meant missing launch days and waiting for Christmas or my birthday to arrive — but I don't really have any launch day 'horror stories'. While I was still a 3DS 'Ambassador', I picked up my 3DS a few months after launch with Ocarina of Time 3D, which was an absolute winner. I was lucky enough to get a Wii more-or-less at launch in time for Xmas '06, and a very good time was had by all that year. And when I walked out of my local department store on Switch launch day with a shiny new console, I had only Breath of the Wild in the bag with it. I spent the entire month of March 2017 taking blissful 8-hour return coach trips every weekend, too. Regrets? Not a one!
I do remember one significant mistake, though it's not the fault of an underwhelming launch-day line up. I waited a full year before I jumped on the GameCube train, and that day I took home the console, Rogue Squadron II and The Wind Waker — a pretty sweet set, you'll agree. Unfortunately I'd maxed out my budget on that little lot (honestly, I'd overstretched myself) and simply could not justify adding a memory card too.
I forget how long it was before I supplemented my set-up with some blocks to save my progress, but those opening weeks I saw a lot of Rogue Squadron's opening missions. A lot. It's to the game's credit that repetition didn't sour me on the experience.
So yeah, in the scheme of Big Life RegretsTM, not picking up a memory card with your disc-based console isn't too bad. Ask me about games I've sold for some ungodly reason, though, and I've got more than a few.
Alana Hagues, staff writer
I've only really got one big launch regret, but it's a pretty big one for me because it totally changed the way I bought and pre-ordered video games and consoles. And, I'm sorry, it's the Wii U.
I pre-ordered the Wii U because one of my most-anticipated games was going to release within the console's launch window, and it was going to be an exclusive — Rayman Legends. Then, about a month before the Wii U hit shelves, Ubisoft delayed the game. I was happy to wait a few more months, but we know that wait turned into an almost year-long delay and the end of the exclusivity deal.
Still, I kept my pre-order, opened it up on launch day, and... well, I struggled. Epic Mickey 2 didn't have the charm of the first game for me. Nintendo Land didn't hold my or my friends' attention for more than about 15-minutes a pop. ZombiU was okay and pretty terrifying, but my brother soon co-opted that. And New Super Mario Bros. U was just more of the same and lacked the Mario magic. It was pretty deflating, and after about a month, I didn't pick it up again, except to play Wii and Virtual Console games. My biggest mistake is that I didn't pick up Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed until much later. That game has a Skies of Arcadia stage, for goodness sake — why would I deprive myself of that?
In retrospect, I like the Wii U just enough, and it brought us Xenoblade Chronicles X, Pikmin 3, and Super Mario 3D World, but I think I would've liked it a lot more had I picked it up a year or two later. Maybe I was expecting too much? As a result, I'm much more selective about pre-orders. I almost didn't get a Switch because I was so disappointed with the Wii U. But that launch day hype got me, and, well, the rest is history.
Those are some of our Nintendo launch regrets, be sure to share yours in the comments!
Comments (141)
My biggest regret was The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.
I thought i bought the game on a whim then I realized the game was not clicked on me after several minutes playing.
I sold the game in October 2021 after I neglected the game for more than 4 years.
A lot of peoples said BOTW was a GOTY game but it was not for me.
Not buying GCN day one. But in my defense, I didn't have money of my own, at the time.
Star Fox Zero. I lied to myself that it wasn't as bad as everyone said it was. Played the introduction that taught the player on how to use the controls and lied to myself that it is fun and unique. Played the first minutes of the game and lied to myself that it's interesting and playable. Finished the end of the first level and lies to myself that it was pretty enjoyable, but I never ever returned to the game ever again.
Played plenty of Star Fox Guard though.
@Anti-Matter I can respect that. I had the same with Xenoblade Chronicles DE. Don't understand the hype of that game at all. To each their own.
Yea getting the 3ds at launch wasn't incredible. I got Street Fighter 4 and Ghost Recon Shadow Wars. The first of which was fun but not my thing, the second I thought was underrated until halfway in when it just got boring. Not to mention that first 3ds model was average and mine was especially squeaky. When the price reduction was announced, it felt pretty rough, but being able to play Metroid Fusion earlier this year legitimately and portably almost made it worth it. And all said, the 3ds ended up with such a brilliant library, a slow start didn't leave me with many regrets.
I had a ton of problems with my Switch at launch: A broken cartridge reader, faulty Joy-Cons, and a messed up account. Nintendo actually offered me a free game as a sort of apology for the issues I had been facing, and they listed off the options. Now, this was at the time when I wasn't really following Nintendo and I wasn't quite aware of all the games on the system. But I heard the likes of ARMS, BOTW, Xenoblade, and Mario Kart.
Sadly, I chose 1 2 Switch as that was the only game I recognized from the list at the time, and I had Mario Kart 8 on my Wii U already. That one still hurts; I look at my lousy playtime of 1 2 Switch at only a few hours and I think about the $60 I could have saved on a different game.
Buying a DSi. My DS broke so my parents bought a DSi as a replacement. Problem was it couldn't play GBA games.
Console-wise, definitely the 3DS. It was just a fancy system for me to play all my DS games on for way too long, but it’s thankfully one of my favorite consoles of all time now.
Game-wise, Mario 3D All Stars is the first to come to mind. All the news about it being a limited release made me think I had to preorder it or miss out due to scalpers and such. And I’m STILL seeing it on store shelves to this day.
Funny how some launch games aren’t super well received, but later are better appreciated — like the original Luigi’s Mansion.
My launch day regret was buying a wiiu. That says enough.
I had the same thing Ollie had with the GBA (The only console i ever bought day 1), the first few months are always rough, sparse lineup (Which inevitably has a few games that, while not bad per se, aren't your thing)
But when the launch months were over (Good thing i love "Super Mario advance") and the releases started picking up pace, the GBA proved one of my favourite consoles.
I spent a year saving up for a Nintendo 64 when I was 11-12, and then when I finally had enough money... I realized I couldn't afford a game. Whoops. Thankfully my parents stepped in and recognized my hard work and picked up Super Mario 64.
The Switch was my first day one console, and I have no regrets there.
Not buying a gba player at launch or the nintendo branded composite cables. No regrets on any Nintendo system I have bought or been given though. Had a blast with all of them.
I don't think I've ever gotten a console at launch. I usually wait for more games to come out before purchasing.
I don't really pick anything up at launch besides Pokemon games so I've never really had a bad experience like that. Also, reading Tom's section, I'm very glad I waited to get an 3DS once the XL came out, that thing lasted me for years.
I’ve never done a Nintendo launch. The only launch I did was the Japanese Dreamcast, walked away very happy as I loved Virtua Fighter 3 back then…
Not Ninty, but I got Pen Pen Tri-icelon with my Dreamcast. Good grief, that was a regret..
I don't think I have any issues with my Nintendo systems. Well, except maybe the Wii U, but that wasn't an immediate disappointment, more of a gradual one.
I got caught in the hype and bought a PS5 at launch. I guess its nice to have, but i’m not playing that many games to justify the purchase. Astro’s Playroom was cool, Deathloop was a big reason why I wanted it and that was about a 7.5/10 for me. Right now I’m in the middle of Ghostwire: Tokyo and that has been really fun. But for something that’s been there for a year and half, that tower is taking up more space on my setup that anything else.
As for Nintendo launch days, I bought a Wii U at launch that, while i don’t regret purchasing, I really didn’t have to wait 4 hours in the cold to get. They were in good stock a week or two later. Scribblenauts Unlimited on Wii U would probably be my only regret game-wise. The open-world aspect just seemed like an attempt to innovate, when the new format didn’t really offer much more. The missions itself felt less creative
@Anti-Matter I can really understand that. I do like Breath of the Wild - in fact I think it's a great game, but it's not necessarily a "great Zelda game," and I have a real love/hate relationship with it. The hours I sunk into it should be telling that I did enjoy it, but at the same time I have a better time with the more traditional Zelda games.
I've never really had a launch-day regret. I've alwyas enjoyed them! I did have an issue when I got my Switch, and couldn't figure out why it looked so weird on my TV, only to discover that the Switch didn't support 1080i, and my old HD CRT only did 480p or 1080i. I fortunately had a computer moitor I could use in the meantime, but it did spur me to finally replace the TV.
Super Mario Advance was a little underwhelming.
My launch day regret is nothing. I've never been able to get a Nintendo console at launch so it's never been a problem for me lol
Almost all of my launch purchases have been sure-fire hits, so the only one that went kind of sour for me was Star Fox Zero. Not that it was a bad game, and I did play through it and Guard several times before I moved on to something else, but I didn't end up liking it as much as I thought it would. The controls and two-screen setup never really clicked for me, and I felt like I was fighting the system more than the game most of the time. The reviews and popular opinion tried to warn me, but it was the Wii U. We were hurting for new, potentially thrilling software. Oh well, lesson learned.
@Jayenkai I picked Pen Pen up too…my friends found it hilarious going through the haunted section because of the moans and music, but then we were slightly impaired in a plant based way… 😏
but then again,
too few to mention.
My biggest regret was buying Rayman 3D when the 3DS launched. I already played Rayman 2 to death on Dreamcast but there wasn't really anything else available for the system at the time so I went with that.
for me it was getting a 3ds at launch. didn't have any new games I cared about until 3d land
I guess probably the GameCube. Regret is relative of course, it was hardly a bad machine but on launch day Luigi's Mansion was no match for Mario 64 and Wave Race Blue Storm wasn't as good as Wave Race 64 so it did feel a bit of a let down compared to the splash the N64 made.
A close second is the Wii U. I had a lot of fun with Arkham City and New Super Mario Bros U was decent but it was a pretty dull launch with no real standouts. The novelty of being able to switch to playing on the controller when the family wanted to watch TV is probably the only thing putting it ahead of the GameCube launch.
My biggest regret, buying into the hype of the Wii U. I really thought Nintendo was bringing in the 3rd party games / support but it only took half a year to notice the 3rd party companies quickly abandoned ship on the Wii U.
This is why I didn't buy a Switch until 4 years after launch cause the Wii U hurt me.
@Axecon happened to me with the DSi XL. I got it and a couple months later Nintendo announced the 3DS! 🙃
Removed - off-topic
I really don't buy much at launch but i found the Pokemon Let's Go games not too great. The Pokemon Go catching mechanics were fun, but otherwise not great games. Also the Wii U was great imo.
@AndyC_MK111 nes had Mario, snes had Mario world, 64 had Mario 64, gamecube had Luigis mansion, wii had twilight princess, etc...
@AndyC_MK111 I gotta say I loved Armoured Edition, I played that so much, especially as it had great off-screen support and gyro aiming. It's definitely the definitive version of Arkham City for me.
I also love Super Luigi U, I think it's massively underrated, but sadly that doesn't count as a launch title! 😅
I never got Nintendo Land as I assumed it would be a few throwaway mini-games, but I've only ever heard great things about it from people who have played it.
Not surprising, the Wii U launch for me where I got the Zombie U pack along with NSMBU. Honestly, I could have waited another year and probably saved a bit and had better games right form the start. Still love the console though despite its flaws.
Whilst tempted to say the 3DS too, the Ambassador Programme honestly made it worthwhile for me.
As for Nintendo games, I suppose Splatoon (although was cheap). Effectively cemented to me that you had to be a fan of multiplayer to get the most out of it and I wasn’t one. Still have my copy though as its got barely any resale value.
Like Gavin though I got my fair share of stories of trading and selling games in the past. My biggest gripe is trading in my entire Pokemon game collection. Got me like £150 in credit at an indie retro store, but sure I could have gotten like close to £500 today…
@Jayenkai I never heard of Pen Pen and had to look it up…kinda reminds me of Snowboard Kids except very very slow lol
Biggest launch regret was not only preordering Super Bomberman R but also playing it before I played the other games I got on launch (BOTW and Shovel Knight).
Wii Music
Whatever I thought it was going to be like turned out to be nothing that interesting to me.
I've only ever got a console on launch day once, and that was the 3DS. The sheer novelty of the thing kept it interesting until Zelda OoT 3D arrived, but yeah, there wasn't a lot at launch.
I got the Wii U for Christmas, a month after it launched. Played a steady stream of Sonic Racing, Batman, ZombiU, Assassin's Creed 3, and Darksiders 2. Magical time.
@AndyC_MK111 I mean, I didn't own a PS3 or Xbox 360 at the time. 3rd party ports were mostly what I played for a while on the Wii U. If you already owned those games though, or wanted better offerings from Nintendo, I do totally understand why you'd feel there was little to play. For me, it was fantastic though.
I only got one console on launch day, or better, launch window, and that was the Switch,with BotW, and that was awesome! The biggest problem that one might have with a launch day console is if it ruins itself.
I wouldn't say regret, but I was a little disappointed with the 3DS launch with only Rayman, Street Fighter & the AR cards to amuse me for some time. In the long run though, it was worth it as the Ambassador program gifted us some nice free games & I got my hands on one of those nice 3DS with the Ambassador face plate.
I actually got a wii u at launch. I remember being disappointed at New Super Mario Bros. U (probably my least favourite game of the series), but I loved Nintendo Land. Possibly one of the greatest party games I've had. People certainly seemed to have more fun with it than Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
My biggest disappointment however had to be buying digital games during the launch window of the Wii U. Trine 2 and Chasing Aurora were games that looked interesting, but really felt like filler until the good games released. My experience with those was why I refused to buy into the hype with launch games like Snipperclips, games that would likely be regarded a lot less highly had people had something else to play other than Zelda.
It wasn't really launch day. But back then, when when my parents bought me the Super Nintendo, I had to buy one game. I had the choice between Super Soccer, Super Tennis and F-Zero. I didn't knew what a F-ZERD was, and it looks like I was more into Tennis than Soccer. But I sure didn't enjoy Super Tennis that much. Hopefully my older brother did, he played it quite a lot so it was not all lost.
I played Super Soccer later, and while it wasn't anything to write home about, I had a blast with it, it's one of the few Soccer game I ever enjoyed playing. I've never been into sport Game.
F-Zero is one of my favorite SNES game and I regret not buying it. But how could I know back then I didn't even realized it was a racing game and could not read the title properly. I was hyper for Super Mario World and Zelda ALTTP, but I everything else was uncharted territory for the 9 year old Agent069.
I didn't have much trouble after that, because I become quite a Nintendo nerd since then.
3ds on launch day before the price drop? No, it gave me the awesome 'ambassador' games on the system I played the most.
Wii U? DEFINITELY not. Zombi U is still fondly remembered. It IS however the saddest console to return to, Miiverse and the plaza being dead and all...
Not being born in a richer family when the n64 took Mario and Zelda in the third dimension? I was platforming and adventuring in the real world. Without eating weird mushrooms, but I did sometimes get money for cutting the grass in my grandmother's garden.
Actually, I have no regerts when it comes to Nintendo launches. If I did, mistakes are good lessons as well. Although I bought a Vita after the PSP. I bought a PS4 that only serves to play movies on occasion, after having done the same with the 3 and 2. I did play some great games on all of them as well though, so again, I don't think I regret something really. But that's Sony, and never even remotely within launch window.
@AndyC_MK111 Yeah I love Super Luigi U, I actually just finished replaying it last night! 😅
The Wii U version is better IMHO as it would tell you when you managed a Super Play, for some reason when they took the MiiVerse stuff out of the Switch port they removed that too.
Probably 1-2 Switch. Apart from that I have got every console on launch since the cube from Nintendo and have never been disappointed. I couldn't even be disappointed with the slow start to 3DS as I won one.
You can't beat the anticipation of new Nintendo hardware.
Not buying monster hunter stories 3DS amiibo
I have fond memories of queuing up day one for a Gamecube and SuperMonkeyBall, Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race in Akihabara. (The exchange rate at the time was amazing!) It was like queuing to see Star Wars at the cinema. But my biggest regret was buying a third party controller when it released in the UK. I feel like I should apologise to all my player 2s. (But I won't You lost fair and square.)
Oh god, where to start.
Getting a GBA, DS and 3DS at launch. For some reason I never learnt not to get a handheld at launch. The Vita also left me with a feeling of buyer's remorse. The 3DS was the only one I hung onto, but it gathered dust until Ocarina.
Getting Zombie U as one of my Wii U launch games, I've still never played it to this today. Getting Bomberman R on the Switch at launch. Not getting Twilight Princess with my Wii
@Erigen Not sure Star Fox Zero was a "launch day" regret. But I agree, I picked that game up as well and the controls are not intuitive at all. The fact that you have to control and play the game from the screen in your hands while the TV is displaying the game you want to see and play. It's just complex for complexity's sake and not fun to play like the original. Had they just patched the game to allow traditional controls it would have been a million times better.
One of the developers is even petitioning Nintendo now to port it to the Switch for Star Fox's anniversary. Which if they could do so with a traditional control scheme would be a much better way to enjoy the game.
Funny enough, I recall an interview with Miyamoto around the game's launch when he was asked by Youtuber "The Completionist" about the games delay and Miyamoto's quote "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever." Miyamoto's translated reply was "I said that?" https://youtu.be/Nqpr3uK5rcY?t=700
I don't think I've been an early adopter ever aside from Gamecube and Wii, and I have nothing to lament from those systems.
If I had gotten my Switch at launch, I'd probably feel buyer's remorse as soon as I had gotten back home.
As someone who's not very interested in Zelda and probably wouldn't have bought Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on launch day, I feel the Switch launch is probably one of the weakest launches I would have experienced.
Mine of course has to be the Switch launch. While I couldn’t possibly miss the launch of a new Nintendo console, the only game I got with it on launch day was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which proved to be one of the biggest disappointments in gaming for me. I assumed it would be another 3D Zelda game like Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, but it’s almost as if they only put “Zelda” in the title so it would sell more copies.
In the end I’m glad I got the Switch because it has some of my favorite games ever on it now, but I really had nothing to play in the beginning.
Probably the N64. I did enjoy it, and there were some amazing games, but the wait between games was painful. Friends who loved the SNES had next to no interest in the N64 and jumped ship to the PlayStation instead. I lost interest in gaming for quite a few years due to the drought of available titles.
Not buying a Switch at launch!
I would honestly say the 3ds. As much as I like some of the bigger games, I just remember feeling so underwhelmed with the gimmick and Mario 3d land. Then most of the catalog ended up being remakes/ports etc. Was worth it for kid Icarus and animal crossing, but beyond that I just wasn't crazy about it.
For software, would have to go with 1-2 switch and red steel.
I've never bought any Nintendo hardware at launch (I don't even think I've bought ANY gaming hardware at launch at all).
My first Nintendo hardware was a Nintendo 64, I bought as an impulse buy around 2001 in my local "Walmart/Tesco" shop for around 65 euro. I remember buying Quake (1 or 2? - I don't remember which) for 13-14 euro and Perfect Dark for full price with it.
My next, from new, (I bought an extra used N64 - because I'd given the first away - a used Gamecube and a NES clone in the meantime) Nintendo hardware purchase was an original black 3DS that I bought on the day Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D released (30th of june 2011).
It wasn't even because I was extremely interested in Mercs 3D, it was more that I had gotten into handheld gaming a half a year earlier via the purchase of a Sony PSP, plus I thought the 3DS was a really cool device (at least on paper) with it's 3D capabilities, step counter etc.
I must admit though that it wasn't before I bought an XL in february 2013, I really started enjoy to my time on the platform. The original just had such a tiny screen that it really hurt my eyes (and that was even without using the 3D effect).
Later again I bought a Wii U from new in 2013 and a New Nintendo 3DS XL in 2016 and then a Switch Lite in march 2020. The only purchase I regretted was the Wii U (but I bought it quite cheaply half a year after its release and sold it again a year later without too much loss, so it wasn't too bad).
All in all I've been pretty satisfied with my Nintendo hardware purchases.
I don't think I've ever bought a game or console on launch day. I'm regret-adverse. I like to wait and see.
I don't have any launch day regrets.
Thinking back I have few launch day regrets. Obviously, with any new console there will be small libraries with games that are questionably priced. For Switch that was Bomberman R, 1,2,Switch, and even Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers. I don't regret getting these games as until recently I had Best Buy's Gamer's Club Unlocked so I was getting any game at 20% off. But that said it was these games were obviously priced higher than they should have been.
The 3DS, and it getting a price cut. But that was made up with the Ambassador Program that was a nice way to get several games only available through that program.
The Wii U was pretty hyped up and NintendoLand was a little disappointing but still a decent game. We went through the whole generation of the Wii U with promises of a new Zelda game only to have Breath of the Wild be a Switch launch day release. Link is literally holding a Wii U GamePad for puzzles, maps, inventory, etc. Yet the game we got (while great) doesn't utilize so much the GamePad promised to offer the game even on Wii U.
So again no major regrets, just a few disappointments, and what could have been dreams.
@Purgatorium You could potentially regret not getting it! While I don't actually regret it, I know a lot of people regret not buying the 3DS sooner so as to get in on the ambassador program.
My biggest regret is going all in on both the 3DS and Wii U launches. For the 3DS I went to Toys R Us for the launch because that had a buy 1 get 1 free deal for the launch games so I got Street Fighter IV, Ghost Recon ( there was not good games So I spent a long time trying to pick the least worst games). I did not play either of those games for more then a 1 hour or two. I did show them off and talked up the system to everyone I could. I was desperately trying to justify the system to myself you see. It took a long time to get some really interesting games and by that time they brought the cost of the system down and all the early adaptors felt burned. The Ambassador program was fine but I don't make a habit of replaying old games so it didn't do a whole lot for me.
Obviously not learning my lesson I went all in for the Wii U, getting the deluxe with Zombie U, Nintendo Land and New Mario U. The most I have spent on a launch bundle. I was excited to use all the tablet for all these unique ways like controlling your TV and cable channels. When I got it and played Zombie U I almost believed too. Then we got nothing and I ended up using it primarily to watch Netflix and Wii games.
I spent a long time debating if I should get the Switch considering everything. I actually only reordered the Breath of the Wild collectors edition to have the extras and sell the game if the system flopped.
I of course had a change of heart and went down to the local store on launch day and somehow managed to get a system. Work loved that lol. I proceeded to play Breath of the wild for the next 8 months exclusively. Granted I just had kids and could only play 15 minutes here and there.
@Lyricana True, do we expect Nintendo to ever do that again?
I'm not rly sure if this counts as a launch day regret (and certainly not myself) but my brother regrets buying the Gameboy Micro. this was at a time when the DS was in it's infacy. Since I could play my GBA on my DS Phat, or OG DS, I saw no reason to get one.
My brother regretted that decision. To me, the Gameboy Micro was nothing more than a collectible trinket. surprised nobody mentions the Gameboy Micro.
Fun article, thank you.
Mine would have to be the buying of Rouge Squadron 2 for the Gamecube. I bought it on day one with the gamecube, hated it and returned it to the shop the next day. And I must agree with a few commenters on the release of the 3ds as the initial line up was pretty poor.
@Kyloctopus
Have you played Returnal?
That one game makes the PS5 worth the price of entry.
Honestly, as much as I loved it, the Dreamcast was my biggest launch day mistake. Invested the money, played a decent number of games that I loved, then it was deader than a door knob.
Still a great console, but the experience was tainted by its sudden demise. It deserved so much more.
From a software standpoint, Battlefield 2042 on PS5. That game is an unmitigated disaster. I played it over the launch weekend and despised it. Returned it that Monday and thankfully got a full refund.
I waited on Wii U for the Wind Waker HD bundle, but would have been very happy with Nintendo Land.
I stood in line for 15 hours for the midnight launch of the Wii. It was my first time (and only time) doing such a thing. In the morning rush I forgot to grab my DS. When I got to the store there were already about 12 people in line and many had their DS with them. They spent the day doing MARIO KART tournaments. Being able to take part with them would have made the day an epic celebration of Nintendo.
Biggest Nintendo regret? Buying a GameCube before I bought a PS2.
Would have saved me from the droughts of exclusives.
Jedi Outcast 2, I played Multiplayer loads when it first came out on PC.
So got it launch day on eshop, soon realised MP on Switch I was at a massive disadvantage. Haven't played since...
And I regret not buying the Majora's Mask limited edition 3DS, I wanted it, I held out now it's over priced.
It wasn't day one but I did buy a Sega Game Gear fairly early after it's release. It wasn't until the gameboy color released that I finally got a gameboy. I regret not getting the gameboy instead of the game gear. The game gear drained batteries so fast that you basically needed to buy the AC adapter unless your parents owned a battery manufacture. The game library was super weak. The Turbo Express would have been a better purchase too.
Hmmm that middle picture could see some use as a meme...
I've never bought a console at launch, unless it had something really amazing I couldn't play anywhere else which is usually very unlikely nowadays for a console launch. Normally I wait around a year to pick a console up and I find that's a good time. I bought my Switch and PS5 just after a year of release and both consoles had enough releases to satisfy me. Had I got them on day one I definitely would have had different opinions (outside of Astro's Playroom still being one of the biggest joys for me in gaming). I did get the Switch OLED day 1 but well that's a upgraded model of an existing console so that doesn't count.
The Wii U was absolutely too fun at launch for it to be regratable. The amount of fun I had with NintendoLand, ZombiiU, & the Split Screen Call of Duty & Rayman Legends is not comparable. The only thing I regret was it not taking off.
My non nintendo biggest regret was trading in my Wii U (which was badly malfunctioning anyway) for a launch PS4. That was beyond boring ngl. I bought one game, beat it and traded both in for another Wii U 🙃
I still regret buying a PAL GameCube on UK launch day (from Woolworths bundled with Rogue Leader and Luigi’s Mansion). Should’ve bought an NTSC GameCube, cheaper and available months before.
The only console I got on launch day was the Switch. I saw so much potential in the thing from the day the annoucement video came out in late 2016. Funny enough my only regret is minor, buying a physical copy of BOTW when I was going to go full digital anyways shortly after. It lives in the cartridge slot. Beat the game in 170 hours yet never finished the expansion but maybe will one day.
The Original PSP and Metal Gear Acid
I watched Spider-Man 2 UMD instead of delving deeper.
Lumines the next day 👍
I didn’t read the directions here obviously.
Having read them now “Nintendo launch”…..
🤷♂️
Ridge racer…?
Like the rest of you still going through John withdrawal…
Never bought a system on launch day.
Launch day console purchases are for the birds. Outside of the Dreamcast, the launch library is always lacking, you pay a premium for the experience in both time and money, and you gamble that the system will get the games you want. But I also grew up poor and all my childhood consoles were a obtained a full generation behind so I probably have more fear of missing out resistance than many.
I have had, SNES, GB, GBA, GBA SP, Micro, GameCube, Wii, DS, 3DS,Wii U and Switch. Only ones kind of regret is Switch, it hasn't had the same magic the other systems.Maybe it has a longer time to shine though.
Only console I bought at launch was the Wii U, and I had a lot of fun with New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land at launch.
Biggest regret was buying the 3ds. I liked it but after about an hour I ended up switching the 3d off and leaving it off. 3d was a novelty just like 3d tvs. Most memorable was my parents getting me the platinum GameCube Double Dash bundle for Christmas. It was my first console (not including PC) that I didn't have to share with my brother.
Animal Crossing New Horizons
I knew it was not for me, but with the lockdowns starting at that time, no other big releases and everyone hyping about it... I just fell in the trap. I understand why everyone else loves it, but it just isn't my cup of tea. Luckily a few weeks later I discovered Hollow Knight and that was something else
@FargusPelagius WOWW, regretting Switch but not Wii U while having both? I Respect it, but still surprised
None reallyyyyyyyyyyy
Buying the N3DSXL when I really should have gotten the N3DS Animal Crossing bundle. I wasn't all that into AC (heresy, I know) and I thought a bigger screen would naturally be better.
(Narrator: it wasn't).
I hated the big screen. It made everything look fifty times worse. And I don't know if I got a bad unit or if they were all like this, but I had a really floppy hinge on mine. I didn't hate the thing, I was just disappointed by it. Compared to my beautiful and well-loved aqua 3DS, it just didn't feel like the same Nintendo experience. It was great to be able to play a full-featured game like Xenoblade Chronicles on a handheld, but I wasn't sold on it at all. And I still would rather play games on my 3DS than the N3DSXL.
I think this experience is probably part of the reason I've completely abandoned my whole DS/3DS/N3DS collection in favor of the Switch.
Final Fantasy XIII. I've never participated in pre-ordering or launch events since. It just had bad acting, hardly any worthwhile side quests and the one big one has most of it locked behind beating the game once, and then the linearity. Holy *****. All FF games are linear, but you usually don't notice it or see it as bad bc you're invested in the story and journey. Without that investment (bad writing plus a story that just....felt phoned in entirely), FFXIII came off feeling like a slow walk down a long hallway with co-workers: just enough familiarity to toss some words around, not enough to stay interested past that. XIII-2 was AMAZING, but then Lightning had to return for 3 and ruin it all over again. Idk why she's found any post game popularity....Lightning ruined XIII and XIII-3, in my eyes. Fang was much more interesting, at the very minimum. (And she didn't end up shilling Prada bags like Lightning did 🙄)
The worst was getting a launch 3DS. The 3D was a nice feature and I loved Ridge Racer. But ultimately, it was overpriced and the 3DS XL was much better.
❓️I don't understand people who buy Consoles on day one.
As the article mentions, there's usually nothing really good to play.
My Rule before I buy a new Console is to only buy one if there are at least FIVE (exclusive) Games I'll want to play.
I came up with this after getting a 🍇GameBoy Color back in June 2001 and looking on what was to play and not being impressed.
Not getting that 3ds a few months earlier. The ambassador games were amazing, can't believe I missed those!
(I learned with the Wiiu and nabbed a free copy of Pikmin 3 with another great game... I think it's either Nintendoland, or new super Mario U... Yes I still think that is the best one and the closest we'll ever get to a Mario world/Yoshi 1 sequel!, ❤️)
not getting a wii u at launch. it’s now my favorite console but i didnt get one until like 2015
3DS because the price dropped soon after.
I waited before getting a wii u and 3ds… so no regrets there. Waiting overnight for the wii launch playing DS games with my buddies was a blast…. No real launch day regrets. I mean I’m still annoyed my buddies never got into triforce heroes or splatoon with me… or splatoon 2. But they say they’re up for splatoon 3, I just feel like charlie brown kicking a football.
I never buy hardware at launch. I've owned every piece of Nintendo hardware since SNES however, and regret none. Not really a regret buying it, but the Vita was disappointing. The system has some games, but man, Sony's mishandling really threw a wrench into what could've been SO much more. The overpriced memory cards put me off buying any digital games, outside of a select few.
As for software, I bought Star Fox Zero day 1 and the game is okay, maybe not worth getting day 1, but Star Fox Guard was a nice surprise.
My biggest launch day regret was not smiling hard enough when playing the games
Animal Crossing
2 things i regret because of hindsight (im sure you could say this about any retro collectible game but I wish I had picked up a copy of Twilight Princess for the Gamecube. I just grabbed the Wii version on same day during wii launch. Also a few years agoni wish i had picked up a few more of those $99 dollar white or black mario New 3DS units that came out on Black Friday a few years ago. Those suckers bring in a few hundred now....
I've only taken part in three Nintendo launches. I pre-ordered a Wii and a copy of Twilight Princess and, years later, a Switch with Breath of the Wild. I also pre-ordered a Wii U but, days before launch, decided I didn't have the cash to go through with it and sold my reservation to a friend. So, no launch regrets for me.
@Anti-Matter Same, it's not a bad game, and can be fun...but compared to other Zelda games...it's not even close to #1 for me. I'm still unsure about the sequel...bring back traditional dungeons and bosses and we'll see.
I bought a 3DS within a week of its release. At the time, I didn't really follow the gaming press, so it was news to me when I later found out that it had "a bad launch line up." I was really happy with the games I got early on (except that dinosaur fighting game).
Biggest launch regret? The original 3DS, as in the hardware itself. It was chunky (not aesthetically pleasing to look at AND felt ridged to hold when playing games; Kid Icarus Uprising was a nightmare with that thing) and had horrible battery life to the point where I invested in a 3rd party battery which made it even chunkier. Plus the way the touch screen jutted out ended up scratching up my top screen from carrying it in my pocket too much, basically messing up the 3D effect.
Main net positives I got for jumping the gun on my 3DS hype were getting those GBA games and getting to experience Fire Emblem Awakening right when it launched.
Waited over night in front of my GameStop for a Wii. Got home, turned it on and the realized the CD reader wouldn’t read discs…
I was so excited though… I went on the Wii Shop Channel and spent 10 bucks on Mario 64. (No clue why) …never got that money back…
The next day I had to bring it back to the store and wait for a replacement that would arrive two weeks later in the next shipment (it was a hot item back in 2006)
I BOUGHT VIRTUAL BOY AT LAUNCH

Burying myself in snow 3 weeks before the Wii and asking my friend to come and get me on launch day and thaw me out so the wait would seem instantaneous to me.
My biggest regret was buying a black GameCube with Luigi’s Mansion and Rogue Squadron 2 (was that a launch title?), playing it for about a week then selling it on eBay for cost price. It was 3 years later after launch that I re bought a GC and realised what I’d missed…
Not punching the fool in HMV that was trying to stop me exchanging my DS because of dead pixels that amounted to less than 5 percent of the screen. The manager sorted it out, after I started to cause a scene.
Buying the original GBA. No backlight screen, and the only games I had were Mario 2 (which I had played to death), F-Zero (new but hardly original) and Kuru Kuru Kururin (surprisingly fun but shallow). It took a while for anything to be really worth the purchase. The GBA SP was a much better design too. Made the same mistake with the DS. The redesign was so much better.
just like the 1st writer stated with 1, 2, Switch, I was wowed and jumped on it IMMEDIATELY (I'm a suckered for gimmicks, I admit).... and people were always impressed when I showcased the game to them (I was an early adopter for Wii), but that magic died FAST... in about an hour like the writer also said. Nothing about the game feels like a full-fledged $60 price tag... I'd even have a hard time justifying $30 for it.. maybe $20, but it really should have just been a pack-in tech demo...
For a long time, I regretted not getting a 3DS at launch - I waited for the price drop and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D before I bought one. When I saw the GBA games offered to "Ambassadors," I was a bit disappointed that I had not been among them. I now have all those GBA games on my Wii U, so it ended up being a wash.
Tasting a switch cartridge. It is truly an awful experience.
I bought both the 3DS and Wii U day one, even having a pre-order of the latter because I was young and naive and was afraid it would sold out! What a foolish 23 year old I was... Had I have known better, I'd have waited a good year or so. My 3DS was just a glorified Pokémon machine, with Black and White having come out close to its release, until Ocarina of Time 3D came out, but I don't regret getting it at launch. Getting those GBA games was awesome, even if I couldn't have known they were coming at the time.
Buying Switch on release.
My launch day console had multiple cracks in the shell, severe Joy-con drift and a faulty SD card reader that didn't work.
This was a brand new console with multiple faults straight out of the box
I called Nintendo and they told me to send it in to them and not take it back to the shop as it had so many faults that they accused me of dropping it and wanted to check the console for themselves.
I'm a collector, I look after all my consoles.
I have all Nintendo home consoles all in mint condition so to be accused of dropping a brand new console that I had hardly used was a real insult.
It took them 3 weeks to fix it and send it back.
Unfortunately when they sent it back they had replaced the shell and repaired the drift but missed fixing the SD card reader as it still didn't work.
So I had to send it back to them for a second time and be without it for another 3 weeks.
This was a brand new console that I had for a total of 2 weeks and then never got to play it at launch for another 6.
I have bought every Nintendo console at launch but sadly after this generation I won't be anymore.
@Axecon ooh I forgot about the DSi I was about to say it was the Wii U but you reminded me how annoyed I was at the DSi.
Only getting SMO, Mario Maker 2, and Super Mario Party.
It was only during late 2020 my eyes were opened to the wonders of Zelda: BOTW and Smash Bros
No regrets for any of the games or consoles I’ve bought on launch or in a first few weeks. I wish I bought a Wii U at launch. One day I hadn’t played my Wii for like 6 months. I had kicked my dark souls for obsession on my ps3. So I traded my ps3 for a Wii U and zombiu and a bunch of others. Great system that was used daily for years. Still hooked up next to our switch and Xbox 1 and gets more use then our Xbox to this day.
I don’t really have anything. Usually I put some research into anything I buy to avoid this scenario.
I was never an early game adopter. For years after the Xbox 360 I just stuck to my PC. But a year or two after the switch came out a friend picked one up and I saw what all they hype was about and finally got one. First console purchase in years. So I guess kind of the reverse. I regret NOT getting a Switch on day one.
@Anti-Matter for me personally my first playthrough of the game, I thought it was pretty mid but after I gave it a second chance and I’m glad I did cuz it was amazing
Only one I’ve gotten a launch with my own money was Wii, with Zelda TP, Rayman Rabbids & Wii Sports of course, which was a hit in the dorm, squeezing 4 people in for doubles tennis 😂👍🏻 No regrets!
I honestly don't really have a launch day regret. About the only regrets I have regarding video games are not playing, much less beating, a good chunk of my growing backlog.
That, and regretting not unplugging our original model Wii from it's wall socket on the night of August 4th, 2016, when a lightning bolt from a severe thunderstorm struck our house and fried several electronics, including the Wii. And all the save data was lost, because I never backed it up to an SD card.
While I had a Wii U, we never got the original Wii replaced, and by the time we did, Nintendo had already shut down the Wii Shop Channel, meaning we could no longer download the Virtual Console games we had on the old one.
Glad someone mentioned the Wii U. As someone who loved the Wii + DS era, the Wii U hype was real. Analysts were predicting the console would be sold out for months and difficult to grab for a long time just like the original Wii. And the deluxe model was in even higher demand.
Turns out the console is cheap crap, Nintendo dropped the ball hard on development delaying important games, and the main selling point quickly became irrelevant and underutilized. Some good games, but a lot of wasted potential and resources.
The 3DS, but only because I knew in time we'd have an XL variant + lite version + raincoat
My biggest regret was not buying an official gamecube memory card, as the one i have tends to get corrupted often when i try to play Melee. I lost so many times my progress on many games, that i wished i did bought one with the console
I have fond memories of all of Nintendo's console launches. I only started buying them on the actual launch day with the GameCube and Gameboy Advance. Earlier systems were usually birthday or Christmas presents, though I was lucky enough to get them during the launch year.
My biggest regret was selling and trading in older games in my childhood through early adulthood. Most of those are back in my collection now, but I spent more than I gained in the long run.
If you think you'll ever want to replay a Nintendo game, it's best to hold on to it.
I would say that the biggest launch day disappointment for me was New Pokémon Snap. I thought the game looked kinda cool, but I definitely only bought it because I just kind of felt like buying a new game and that’s it. I only played like 3 levels and knew the game just wasn’t for me.
I’m currently really on the fence about Nintendo Switch Sports because I don’t want something like that to happen again.
For me, easily Pokemon Sword and Shield.
I regret getting Super Bomberman R at launch. It wasn't a terrible game (although online quality was terrible before they patched it, and at that point the lobbies were a ghost town), but it just didn't do it for me. I'm a big fan of Bomberman 64, and I really wish they'd reimagine that gameplay style for the current consoles.
Also, the Nickelodeon All-Stars fighting game and Nick Kart Racers 2. I knew what I was getting into with both games, but I still held out some hope (as a big 90s/early 00s Nick fan) that I'd enjoy the games regardless of the lack of voice acting, etc. Boy was I wrong lol.
Pokémon Legends Arceus. I went into this game wanting a fresh take on the Pokémon formula, but it turned out to be disappointing on various levels where I just stopped playing the game. Did I mention that the final nail in the coffin was the Scarlett/Violet reveal, because now Legends Arceus doesn't feel as relevant anymore?
I only got two systems near launch date, and I do not regret any of these: The N64 and the Wii.
Ok, the N64 had cost 400 DM back then and dropped to 300 DM a month later. That sucked. But then the N64 had an awesome launch lineup with Mario 64 and Pilotwings, shortly followed by Wave Race. The last two of them I still play today.
And my Dad worked at the same store, where we bought the system. As a compensation I later got International Superstar Soccer 64 for half the price. I never would have been able to pay full price for this game. That one was more expensive than PS5 games nowadays
I was disappointed by the XBox One S. I only had Rare Replay for it, because both the XBox and the game together were cheaper than Conker for the N64. But that the system had no other exclusive titles, I really wanted to play.
@Controller-Drift I really enjoyed the Wii U, got 17 games at launch and looked forward to most major games releasing. It didn't help Switch's best game, I was already playing on Wii U (midnight download while my 2 Switch's were on the way).
Don't get me wrong I enjoy the Switch, but as far as "biggest" regrets, that would be the weakest launch I have ever had. Remember the Wii U already had 1000s of games at launch, I spent the second day of Wii U transferring my Wii (with that great Pikmin transfer screen), it was a joy. Meanwhile Switch day 2 I was clawing for more to do apart from Zelda (which I had started but was further on the Wii U already). Then since it has only had a few games that I got into. I also had an Xbox one, so that didn't help.
I anticipated switch as a virtual console powerhouse, I anticipated playing everything the Wii offered but portably. Nintendo let me down. Switch will be a good console for retro content next gen, when it's hacked to access it's capabilities. They can shove NSO+Expansion pass up their proverbial.
My regret was wanting a red 3DS but it didn't release until after the price drop where everyone who already had one got free gba games. So I photoshopped my receipt to look like it was bought before the price drop and sent it to Nintendo NL and they gave me the ambassador status. Best of both worlds
Buying a Wii U.
Damn thing was mostly collecting dust for the first year, by which point i sold it and got a PS4.
Second biggest regret was that stupid PS1 Mini which was an obvious cash grab by Sony.
3rd is the PS Vita, as good as it was, it had no games worth paying that much for the hardware to play them on, you can emulate all those games the PS vita has on a PC or even better, SteamDeck.
Going out of my way to drive to a store and buy a Wii U on launch.
For a Kirby follower I was expecting too much for Switch's first Kirby game, I really regret buying Kirby Star Allies on launch. That made me realize how Nintendo use to scam its costumers, since then I stoped buying games on launch, at least for the Switch, and turned into a second hand market costumer.
1 2 switch..... ugh
😖😖😖
@Freek i think I remembered you posting something abot it back then and panicked, it was you or am i mistaken you with some other post?
@EriXz
Yeah it was me.
Sorry to panic you.
Worth checking everything these days though.
I still love my Switch, just wish I had a better launch day memory than that one.
I'd be lying to say that if Nintendo released a Switch 2 with Metroid Prime 4 that I wouldn't be there on launch, I would be there in a heartbeat 😁
Some things you just can't say no to.
@Freek agreed 🤝🏻
Oof, Ollie’s remarks regarding the 3DS just pulled up my own memories about the 3DS that I guess I must have buried. At this point I LOVE my 3DS and it’s been a great system with a great line up but that launch was rough. I had Pilotwings and Shadow Wars and both were fun enough but neither particularly “wow”d me. A little after I remember loving getting to have OOT on the go and it looked GORGEOUS but at the end of the day it was still a game I had already played dozens of times before. I don’t remember honestly being super impressed with anything until Mario 3D Land and Kid Icarus launched (I’m forgetting which came first) but both were MONTHS after release.
I buy all Nintendo systems at launch. N64 was my first day one console, and the only exceptions were the GBA and the 3DS because I knew I would regret those (since they had no interesting launch titles). I got them later though, but unlike all other Nintendo consoles never played much on them. Can't skip the home consoles, but a handheld console is a hard sell for me.
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