While this reply is directed to Shingoku\'s point, I would hope it is accepted as advice for anyone that would be bitter for being the 1st to own ANYTHING hot and new on the market...
For the record, I did pre-order my PS2. (I did not wait in lines...but I think those that did typically enjoyed an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives...and that can be priceless in and of itself).
Now my point. I purchased my PS2 because I wanted it and I wanted it as soon as possible. I did not purchase it to be "the 1st on my block" but rather because I have loved playing games and I\'ve always tried to appreciate the latest and greatest advancements as soon as they are available to me. However, whether I wanted a PS2 (or any hot and new product) for noble reasons or simply to be the 1st on my block to own one...the price that a person pays for that "title" is that you pay the supply/demand price that the market dictates. If you don\'t appreciate a sense of "being burned" by paying a higher price than someone that might purchase it months (or a year) down the road, well then, don\'t purchase that product (any hot or new product) when it first comes out. Pretty simple.
On the other hand, when you watch a price drop on something you have owned for months or maybe a year, take a moment (before you feel bitter or cheated about the price drop) to ask yourself if you have enjoyed the experience of owning that particular item for the last few months or year. Would you have traded that experience for having waited months or a year before you could have enjoyed all the fun times with friends, new corners turned in adventures, combos realized, or incredible endings explained only by your hand and effort? Is the thought of having missed out on that worth $50 or so dollars? On the other hand, was the fun that you were allowed to experience by owning that item earlier in the year worth the extra $50 or so dollars?
That is a question only answerable at a personal level. But I hope each of us that DOES like to buy things early, remember to appreciate all the experiences we were able to enjoy...period.
Thanks,
w1ngman