8 Ways The Video Game Industry Punishes Its Most Loyal Consumers

8. Any Launch Day Version Of A Console Is Always The Worst One

One that's very much plain to see, simply down to the sheer amount of firmware patches that get released every few months, there's no way that the version of a system you purchase on day one - which is also happens to cost the most - gives the best value for money.

A notably egregious and recent example is of course, the Xbox One; a system that's had multiple complete dashboard reworks, with another planned in the near future. Its bundle deals have been upended to remove the Kinect - which was then gutted from the system's core functionality - and in terms of how the various menus and transition animations, they're far smoother now than back in 2013.

And that's just the firmware.

As console manufacturers spend more time with shippable hardware, we see things like re-released, smaller and better optimised versions of key systems - the PS3 had the Slim and Super Slim, with the Xbox 360 getting its own Elite edition. Nintendo are notorious for this in the handheld market, though Microsoft and Sony's newest efforts (the Xbox One S and PS4 Pro) have stood out as being 'half-step' systems, providing the necessary processing power we should've had back at launch.

Then there are genuine faults like the 360's 'red ring of death' or the Switch's busted left Joy-Con. Both were fixed in time, though everyone who coughed up the cash and bought through sheer faith remains worse off.