Topic: What's the Point of Pre-Orders?

Pre-ordering weeks or months ahead of release is stupid (except for very very niche games or limited editions I guess). I buy my games a week before they come out, but only so that I know they arrive on the day of release (or a few days before).

I pre-order games as there is only two shops on my island that sells computer games and thye hve such a small amount of switch games it's stupid. I don't like digital, so therefore only really buy physical. And so I only really have Amazon to order them. I also like games to have a manual, therefore limited edition games are a must and you can only pre-order them.

I always saw pre-orders as a way to ensure you could get a copy of game at launch even if it meant paying more. That is literally the only reason why I've ever pre-ordered anything. But now that digital shops are a thing I don't see the reason for it unless the pre-order is the better deal. I remember after the Wii launched hunting for a copy of Twilight Princess. If that was today I would've just downloaded it.

@Lloiddd
You keep bringing up Mass Effect like that makes some kind of point. Listen to me and listen well since this doesn't seem to be penetrating your thick skull- if once every two years you get duped because you didn't do your homework properly or see the signs, then return the mother friction game! And learn from your mistake.

You didn't come here for discussion or to hear the other point of view from people. You came here to reaffirm your own views and argue with anybody who doesn't agree with them. Multiple people here are telling you the same thing and you're not listening to any of it.

Don't tell me about "supposition" when that's literally what you're doing- your little study has absolutely nothing to do with video games. Taking some arbitrary study for all of online shopping en masse and acting like that applies to the demographic of younger people who buy video games... So lame. That study is not for just video games. It's for everything including three dollar packs of gum. That right there invalidates every number and every percentage you're throwing out. Just do a quick poll in this thread. Practically everyone here says they shop online except for one or two people. Open your eyes man.

It's this simple. Every game I preorder I know is going to be good, and if you can't do that, then I'm sorry your ability to make proper judgment calls is impaired. I can't tell you which games will perform successfully like Ms Cleo, but I can most certainly tell you which games I know I'm going to buy, and which games I know are going to be good for various reasons. And very, very rarely do I buy a game that I end up regretting (because, ya know, it takes 2 seconds to cancel before it ships). And even if I did, I keep telling you, ya just return the package! 2 min print a label and done. Not sure how you fail to comprehend.

Sorry you're incapable of making those kinds of judgement calls. If you like, I'd be happy to share a list of games I know will be good. Maybe we'll start a new thread- Jaxon's Golden Pre Orders. Perhaps I can even charge membership fees since apparently it's so difficult for some people to do.

@skywake ''even if it meant paying more''.

That reminds me, pre-orders work differently in different countries. Over here it's actually cheaper to pre-order; €50-54 for a new game instead of €60 (or €70 for some digital games). You pay upfront and there's no extra cost attached to it. It's just like buying a game, except you won't get to play it until release. I've also heard that pre-ordering in some countries is paying a small fee to ensure you can buy a copy when the game comes out...

@Octane
Well technically you don't pay "extra" for pre-orders here but you do have to put down a deposit and you are kinda locked into it. Especially if you're getting it shipped to you. Usually if you don't pre-order you end up being able to get it anyways and are able to get it from the shop with the better price. So technically it doesn't cost you extra to pre-order... but effectively that's what it ends up being.

If I'm that desperate to get a game at launch I'd personally rather download it.

@Octane @skywake With Amazon pre-orders, you lock in the price when you pre-order (so if the price goes up it stays at the price you preorder it, but if it goes down it can change down too)and they don't take the money until they dispatch it

I still preorder games on occasion. Like some of the other posters have said, if it's a game I'm 100% sure I will enjoy I don't mind. God of war, spiderman, spyro, Pokémon (this was more from a hardware standpoint to get the Pokeballs) Mario Odyssey, Smash etc. Been gaming for almost 30 years now, I know what I like and what I don't. So I have no issues pre-ordering something I know I will enjoy and potentially getting something extra for doing so, no matter how small.

To add as some have brought up Mass Effect Andromeda. I'm a huge fan of the series, spent hundreds of hours playing them, but there were so many red flags leading up to release that it was going to be subpar that really shouldn't even be used as an argument imo.

I typically don't pre-order unless it's a bundle, or a smaller publisher. Or if there's a special, like paying $47.99 for Smash instead of $59.99.

@Lloiddd
Reasons to preorder physical:
Many stores get few or no copies beyond preorders and run out. Preordering guarantees they order and hold one for you.This includes Amazon that often runs out at launch pretty quickly of many games except the top blockbusters.

Some stores/games offer promotions/discounts/bonsues.

Depending on country/store there's no real reason not to, you can just cancel the preorder in advance of shipment, and there's no deposit.

Reasons To preorder digital:
If there's a promotion/bonus/discount for doing so.

Not really much else. If it's a store that charges up-front like Nintendo you can use it as a budgeting tool, but most do not and charge on delivery.

Reasons not to pre-order anywhere:
Waiting for sales.
Waiting for feedback on game quality.

There's really not much more to it than that. You can challenge the notion that it matters getting the game on day 1, but the new trend, if you look at Ubi and 2K is selling $100 gold editions that include a season pass and 3-day early access as the big sells....people apparently want to pay for that.

@JaxonH Bro again you have a weird sense of subjective belief in your own talent to predict the future. Calling anyone who had been disappointed with a game series or any game quality 'prediction' or any product for that matter, as "idiots" is just ridiculous. Really what it is, there's no science to it (except probably people like you); even the best predicted outcome sometimes come out terrible, underwhelming or simply fail to general expectations no matter what.

If you had that bulletproof talent you wouldn't be here in NL ranting about your 'powers' you'd be a billionaire because you'd know 100% where to put your investments. Obviously not the case so...

No people do their homework a lot. And today? It's not just one person doing the "homework" it's the whole community, they share it online, in vlogs, in blogs, comments section in all of those platforms and chat rooms etc. So if one person is maybe not too bright about his choices or views as a consumer, usually there are hordes of others (sometimes who do this professionally) who espouse their views online, so it should be rarer that a lone or a bunch of isolated consumers (who have no access to online voices) would be duped. No other time in history of gaming has it this been ridiculously scrutinized (I again work in finance on the side, and average people today make more scrutiny of the games than they do of the economy/their finances lol).

I came here to listen to other people's POV. I don't get it so I'm asking hard questions to challenge those beliefs and then deconstructing them. I maybe wrong and I maybe right but I'm not the one that's pissed. YOU, who seem to be extremely offended by me asking further questions regarding your opinion (from the get go), is the one who is not open minded.

"Has little to do with video games..." True it's not specific to video games, but it's stupid to say it doesn't encompass video games as it is a commodity that is carried by almost all major retailers. This, and surveys like this, is what is making Amazon do pick up centers as well as other retailers do more in store pick up services (Amazon Pick Up Points, Amazon Lockers eg Amazon version of PO boxes; picked up one order like this just to try it out...) in the last 2 years...besides the fact that delivery theft are on the rise + delivery costs. lol

True, it could very well be not the trend for video games (in store pick up) but now I think about it the REAL shift isn't from buying physical copies from stores to buying physical copies on delivery...it's not buying physical copies and going digital altogether is the true industry shift. Not only that but even market trends suggest this generation (later millennial and Gen Y) are shifting towards online multiplayer, most are online/digital downloads.

As internet infrastructure and users are shifting, the less "physical copies" esp. by the rising delivery costs would be the norm. Again even Nintendo is shifting a lot of their copyrighted contents to digital. Surprised? lol

"Everyone here shops online..." Again, I shop online. I don't invalidate that, but it doesn't mean they get it by delivery. In store pick up and digital downloads both are "buying online". I think you assume that "buying online" means = "physical delivery only" lol.

"All the games I preorder will be great..." Good for you broham. ALL the love and support, slow claps but I'm not that confident. Not just on my ability but just statistical facts (again if you were that great, you wouldn't be here in NL---you'd be white-unicorn-better-than-Warren-Buffet good), both from anything in real life that I've experienced related and unrelated to games/gaming industry.

Even then...I could cut statistical errors by simply waiting after release or right before release (since some reviews now come out a week to a few days before) than buying it. Might cost me a couple days but...I guess I'm just not that confident.

"It takes 2 seconds to cancel preorder..." Absolutely true, but since the trend nowdays are reviews coming out close and closer to release date...that's a lot more error and chance of disappointment. But then what's the use of cancelling when 'you know' 100% of the time right? lol

@Lloiddd
You have a hard time discerning between "predicting the future" and "predicting the future based on grounded and historical evidence and probabilities".

If I like pizza, and I like a certain brand, guess what bro, I can predict I'm gonna like pizza from that brand.

This ain't rocket science. Nor is it voodoo magic.

If you need to get schooled on how to make decisions accordingly, I can help teach you any time

And if you're incapable of doing so, well I guess you'll just have to drive your happy ass on down to the store and pay a premium, won't you?

Thank God I'm fully capable of making better decisions than you. I will continue to bat .999 and have my games delivered on a silver platter day one for $45 shipped. How ya like them apples?

Wowzers this thread is getting passive agressively hostile.

I pre-order less than I used to as I'm focused on different things, but for now I do like the convenience of Amazon for many preorders (especially amiibo) as I don't have to worry about fighting with scalpers later. I am trying to take advantage of my GCU before it expires though so I'm doing more brick and mortar purchases right now. Games that aren't limited or for ones that are big hitters that I can go anywhere and buy it I don't bother with preorders. However preordering often helps me keep a smaller title on my radar where it might get overshadowed by more popular titles. I've recently started pre ordering digital games...mainly to play it ASAP more than anything but again it is nice because smaller titles are on lock that way. So I think for me preorders kinda goes in the opposite direction that the companies want as it is easy to just walk into a store and buy a game. I don't have free time like I used to anyway.

I will say the big publishers that lock content behind preorders... not a fan.

@NEStalgia I understand ordering because of discounts (I've done it myself)...but my original posts I said 'outside' of discounts, your geography (ie you live in place where there's very few retailers, potential supply issues etc.), dlc's or schwag ('free stuff)...why do we (who mostly live in places where we can get it day one at stores or digitally) treat Triple A games like rare commodities?

They're not.

The companies sure do want you to do think they are (because they want your $$$). I think if we consumers just become a bit more cautious, it'll not only be good for us as consumers but the gaming industry altogether because they'll have to create better games instead of being financially successful despite lukewarm release titles (partially thanks to pre-orders and consumer hype culture).

PS I don't think stores/retailers of any kind "charge" much or any (except digital preorders) except delivery. I think in store pick up places like GS is only a few bucks to hold...but some people choose to pre purchase or put significant amount of money (I know one guy who pre orders months ahead and puts in ten bucks every paycheck until release, IMHO smart budgeting...except he should probably be putting this habit to his debt payments instead of video games and simple fact that he seems to do good budgeting on games but not on his essential bills and food ie still overdrafts his accounts).

@Lloiddd generally i agree about digital. Most aaa games offer swag or discounts these days though.... So we're talking about largely, a mythical unicorn. Publishers already realized your line of thinking and moved to sweeten the pot(usually, not always)

But i agree where there is no such advantage for digital. Physical..... Aaa there's really no point. Nintendo and Japan releases, yeah, my game stop gets at most 2 copies and a time and big box stores are 45 minutes away work traffic, so an hour and a half both ways so i understand the preorders there for those not getting Amazon discounts.

@JaxonH Broseph, good for you brotha.

You continue believing that, seems to me you're better at it than most gaming industry experts so...lol

But I do support your idea of creating a thread about your "gaming predictions" with at least 1 mon before release + 85% average aggregate score x top three major review sites combined.

You can even make it a game eg you can a point system adding how good your predictions are + additional months you call that shot ie if you locked in prediction 2 mons before release before basic 1 mon before release or less points when you decide to take off your predictions ie if you 'predicted' 3 mos it's a sure buy but a month later bad previews come out and you decide to take it off your list...

That I support. In the meantime I like my apples like I like my stocks sure shot and not predicted with "scientific scrutiny" like all the Joe Schmoe who thinks he can bat that great like I do every day lol.

@Lloiddd
You're dang right I am.

Nobody knows what I know I'll like better than me.

@JaxonH

It has to be somewhat "scientific" ie "grounded evidence" as you say (lol). It has to be cross tested based on some other scoring system for control ie top three to five game rating system like say Metacritic etc. and has to be at least 85% or higher (or equivalent) rating system (ie 85% on 100 rating sytem or 4/5 on 5 scale rating system).

Otherwise it could be -99% score on most rating websites and you could say you love it (just to prove your own prophecy ie "nobody knows better than me").

@Lloiddd
You just dont stop, do you. Like a broken record.

Take a hint guy

What are you talking about? @JaxonH literally just said that you usually know pretty well whether or not you'll like a game before launch. This would be based on previous personal experience and pre-release media. This is pretty much the only point you're discussing here. For example Smash Bros Ultimate. I've played all the previous Smash Bros and I've enjoyed all of them. Additionally all of the trailers and so on I've seen so far look decent. I don't need a review to tell me that it's a game I'll enjoy.

Sure, Metacritic has its place especially when I'm going into a game blind. But 90% of the time I don't even look at it before purchasing a game and I very rarely end up disappointing. Most games are infact pretty good and the ones that aren't you can usually see from a mile away. If you know enough about a game enough to want to pre-order it? You're not going in blind, you should know enough to know whether or not you'll like it.

I know literally everyone here seems to be talking about the US online shopping and not being from the US I'm entirely unqualified to comment. But this certainly isn't the online shopping experience I get. For me online shopping is pretty much exclusively for stuff I know I couldn't get if I went to the shops. And I usually put a few things in the cart to either offset the shipping costs or push it to free shipping.

In any case, I think both of you misread the statistic. It wasn't saying that 57% of purchases were "click and collect" it said that 57% of people who shopped online used it at least once. And of those 73% said they used it to avoid shipping costs. I've never used click and collect because if I can go to the shop to get it I'll just go to the shop in the first place. But if I was to use it it'd be for that reason. None of which is at all relevant to this discussion about pre-orders.....