Playstation 3, Xbox360, Wii: Surviving the Next-Gen Revolution

A new day is dawning on gamers around the world. Three companies with very different visions have introduced new gamming systems with the goal of leading the industry. So how do you choose which one is best for you? Most of us cannot simply go to our local store and pick 3 systems at once. Usually most people will do a bit of research and pick a system that suits their lifestyle and will give them the most bang for their buck.

In my opinion however, the harsh reality is that most people cannot afford to drop $450-$700 on a new gamming system. That's not mentioning adding another $600-$1000 dollars on a HD television to obtain the visual quality the 360 and PS3 promise. Even the highly sought after 14 to 35 year-old consumer market has to struggle to make this sort of investment. Personally, between rent, utility, cable, car payments, girlfriend and Friday nights I don't have much cash left to justify making that sort of purchase.

So what do you do? How do you keep a cool head and wait out the marketing and store displays telling you to "Buy Now". Well I would never like to see the gamming market crash like it did in the 70's or 80's but I think that a smart gamer can make good fiscal decision that will keep him entertained while strengthening the gamming market. Below I will list some ways that I have used to keep my cool and my credit card in my pocket while dealing with this potentially challenging period.

Look For Deals

Remember sitting at your grandmother's house and clipping coupons? Yeah, I have also tried to block out those painful thoughts from my subconscious. But guess what? She was right! Now in theory, coupons don't actually save you money. Not buying the product is what saves you money. However, Here in the real world we all like to shop so clipping coupons and looking for deals in not a bad way to knock off a few bucks on that Next -Gen system.