Granted technology is updating at a rate much faster than when the original PlayStation came out. The PS2 had an 11+ year life, so is it too much to expect the same amount of time with the current gen consoles? The PS3 was released in 2006, and Sony predicted a 10 year time of use for the system. This is fast approaching and it makes sense that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are thinking ahead to the next consoles, however I'm just not ready to let my PS3 go just yet.
I got my PS3 for my 30th birthday in 2007, and it cost a TON of money (a bundle with 2 controllers, 2 games and some other stuff was almost $800). I have a little boy now so disposable income is a thing of the past. I don't think many gamers who have also been smacked around by the recession in this country are quite ready to start thinking of having to "upgrade" their consoles, especially when it looks like the next gen will forgo backwards compatibility. I've enjoyed the current generation of games and have barely scratched the surface of online gaming, not to mention the many titles I've missed because there are just too many I'm interested in and I don't have the time or money to invest in collecting them all.
I love gaming and I love my original 60 gig PS3 and its backward compatibility (and my Move System). Its because that feature is available that I've been able to go back and play some PS2 titles I didn't catch the first time around on their original format. I know there will be some awesome things to look froward to in the future of gaming, The PS Vita is one awesome machine, and I think it would be nice to have one, however all this new stuff, (not just gaming consoles) requires some considerable disposable income to truly enjoy. $60 is a lot of money for a new game, and I buy games like some women buy shoes. (I thought of asking my husband for an iPad for mother's day this year for reading digital comics, but once I realized how much it would cost to keep up with all the comics I want to read I let the idea slide.) Right now, we just don't have the income to spend on non essentials.
I feel angst when talk of the next console comes out because I feel certain that I'll fall behind and lose touch with one of my favorite hobbies. But is it so bad not to jump on the bandwagon right away? I've never been an early adopter of electronics, sometimes they are buggy and the price always drops with time, and that stands to benefit someone like me who's strapped for cash. The next consoles are coming, however there will still be a ton of titles I will make the time to play, I'll still be a gamer, I just won't be playing the latest and greatest for a while and that suits me just fine.
