Topic: How Far Ahead Are Y'all Planning In Terms of Gaming?

I wanted a dedicated thread to talk about this, since there have been fragments of very similar discussions in other threads.

The gist is, I like planning ahead in terms of the games I'm looking forward to playing and the shows I'm looking forward to watching. I realize that this is not how some people have fun, but to me, I actually find it very fun. So I'm kind of curious is anyone else here is like that.

Basically, I just want to know how far ahead everyone has been planning in terms of what they're going to do in regards to future purchases like game consoles (if y'all are purchasing any). Feel free to talk about your concerns involving the modern gaming industry and your potential reaction to them.

I'll start, but it'll take a while for me to finish, so y'all can start before me if you want 😅.

My plan is to get EVERY game I like for every system that has it physically. Currently I have a nice moderate healthy collection that I plan to grow for the future.

Modern gaming is becoming more hollow by the day and there are very few bastions left for gamers like me. However retro is the name of the game for me!

I have a tendency to try to plan what I play ahead a lot of the time, but then when the time comes I just play whatever based on vibes. Right now I'm sort of debating whether to buy Tears of the Kingdom to play after I've finished Deltarune Chapter 5 and Celeste's Farewell since it's $20 off right now and I'm in the mood for a 3D adventure (I'm just not sure if I'll be able to finish before Splatoon Raiders releases, and I do have some smaller backlog games I need to play).

I plan probably the majority of games I play ahead of time by a good while, especially since I rarely rely on brand new games, but occasionally something will happen that will cause me to switch plans. I've known since the initial Switch 2 Direct when I was gonna get a Switch 2 (or at least I knew it would've been the 2nd half of this year) and the games I was going to get for it, and thus also what games I would prioritize to play on Switch 1 in the meanwhile (mostly games that I'd actively prefer to play on tv, often because they're some of the more impressive games on the system). By coincidence, Nintendo has just enough games coming out this year for me to know what games I'll get after the ones I'll get with the system and likely just in time for the holidays. (the one good thing to come from Pokopia's GKC release is that it made it easier for me to ignore it for the foreseeable future, otherwise I would likely have to make a real choice :V)

Tbh, I think the last time a game came out of nowhere to become a new game to prioritize over anything I was planning is Rayman 2 being added to NSO, because I've mostly used NSO for N64 games thus far and Rayman 2 is high on my list of games I've always wanted to beat, having only rented it as a kid (when my N64 wouldn't save it), and then having the bad DS version and it now being the only mainline Rayman I've never beaten in any form.

By contrast I was supposed to get around to Deltarune chapters 3 and 4 when they came out and I still haven't for some reason. I blame 2025, terrible year.

Only other interesting thing of note is I've started to focus more on retail versions of indie games, because I hate buying more SD cards and will avoid it when possible.

Alright, time to begin. This is going to be a wall of text.

I Abso-fricking-lutely love the Switch 2. It's a really marvelous system that is definitely worth the $450 price for it. It has amazing exclusive games like Mario Kart World, as well as some incredible upgrades like Pokémon Legends Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. When I first played that game, I could immediately tell that the 60 fps made the movement smoother compared to the more rough movement of Pokémon Violet. Anyway, I should get back on topic.

Unfortunately, despite the console itself being awesome, some other things surrounding it are not (just a quick heads-up: I am not going to inject another censorship rant into this, just know that I'm still concerned about that issue). One big thing is what I call the Digital on a Physical _TM, or what most refer to as... you guessed it... Game Key Cards. Or mainly just the fact that gaming is becoming increasingly more digital, and Game Key Cards are helping speed that up on the Nintendo front. Yes, I am aware that more and more newer "physical" discs on PS5 and XBOX Series X and S also act as keys as time passes on. I mean seriously, the newest Call of Duty game's single player story mode requires an internet connection. Absolute madness. I'm not saying that they don't have the right to design their game like that. I am a Libertarian after all. But I refuse to touch a game that is designed like that, and would rather play other games with actual offline functionality. Alright, getting back on topic again. One of the things that I really like about console gaming is being able to just... you know... insert a cartridge... and play. Or sometimes... download one single digital file that doesn't take hours to download, and perhaps just one DLC expansion pass (two in the case of Smash Ultimate) if I really like said game... and play. This whole Digital on a Physical madness is mind-bogging. Yeah, I know, shelf advertising at stores and such... but good grief. Thankfully, there are still plenty of lovely physical games available on Switch 1 to choose from when I want something new, as well as PS4 discs and even some Switch 2 carts, that may or may not contain all updates, but do have a completely functioning playable game build that is accessible offline. I am currently in the process of checking out more older physical games from the previous Gen to maybe find physical copies of years down the line. I think that's what most of my gaming future will consist of after the Switch 2 generation: wrapping up my Switch 1, Switch 2, and PS4 physical collections and diving further into PC gaming. Yeah, I know that PC is entirely digital at this point. That can't be helped. But at least I'll have more freedom for modding and such with digital PC games than digital console games, and I keep constantly hearing about Steam's "amazing sales" all the time. I think that in a few years' time, I will be able to afford a decent gaming PC. And if I do end up getting a gaming PC... hear me out... the Switch 2 will be my final new Nintendo console (unless my Switch 1 or 2 breaks down because of old age and I want to get a replacement so I can keep playing my physicals). I'll always love some of Nintendo's franchises though, that will never change. Also, I am considering, at least a decade down the line if not further, buying a good used PS5 for about $300 or so, so I can turn my PS4 into a completely offline console just like my Switch 1, and maybe look into some PS5 exclusive games like Neptunia ReVerse. Again, it's only a small consideration that I may just end up bailing on tbh. Then again, at this time last year, I did not expect to have a used PS4 in my console collection (that idea was a more sudden decision of mine), so... 😅

So yeah... collecting older physicals (I'm more younger than a lot of y'all, so I've got a lot to catch up on), and investing in a gaming PC. Those are my plans for after (and also somewhat during) the Switch 2 generation. Anyone else want to share?

In terms of planning ahead ...

• In 2020 when Final Fantasy 7 Remake came out, I decided to play it when it came out on Switch 2.
• For a lot of games, I wait until they hit a specific price (e.g. 75% off) and then get them.
• I plan to pre-order Super Mario Maker 3 when it is available.
• Usually after Nintendo Directs there are a couple games I plan to buy on the release date.

So ... that's sort of planning? Though when I'm actually playing games I mostly play whatever I'm in the mood for. I also sometimes spin a wheel and choose a random game to replay which is the opposite of planning ahead.

For hardware, I started saving up and setting aside money for Switch 2 in early 2024.