This article was published on December 22, 2020

Getting a new console is better than Christmas as a kid

BUT THIS TIME YOU CAN'T TELL ME TO STOP PLAYING, MOM


Getting a new console is better than Christmas as a kid

Something hit me like prime Tyson this week: thereā€™s nothing more exhilarating than getting a new console.Ā Nothing

When the Xbox Series X was first announced, I wasnā€™t fussed. Yeah, it looked cool, and I thought Iā€™d pick one up when GTA 6 or Fallout 5 were released, but Iā€™d be just fine without a new console thank you very much, pal.

But I was wrong. Oh lord I was wrong.

As my colleagues got next-gen consoles, the reviews rolledĀ in, and the games came out, my soul began to itch. ā€œI need this,ā€ I told my reflectionĀ inĀ the mirror at 1am, placing a hand on its cold surfaceĀ inĀ order to feel something,Ā anything,Ā ā€œI need thisĀ so bad.ā€

Letā€™s take a moment to acknowledge that emotion. This wasnā€™t a pathetic, childish want ā€” thatā€™s for losers and half-assers ā€” no, this wasĀ a root-deep ache, a bone resonating howl,Ā inĀ other words,Ā an adult emotion.
Ā 
Thankfully, I managed to find a new console to sate my boundless need. And thus began the longest weekĀ inĀ my life.

The Xbox Series X new console
The Xbox Series X, the new console that has not let me be.

I have a theory: the only timeĀ inĀ life you recapture the excitement of a childhood Christmas Day is when a new console is on its way. Itā€™s natural that as you age, the thrill of things diminish. But, for some reason, that hasnā€™t happened with games consoles.

As soon as I had the tracking link, the impending arrival of the Xbox Series X consumed me, the thought of it haunted me to such a degree that I had several dreams about the damn thing. I watched the delivery tracker like a child checking off the days until Christmas and, each time my doorbell rang, my heart twirled. The week was a month long ā€” and it was worth every second.

It was only after the Series X arrived I realized this wasnā€™t the first time Iā€™d had this rush while waiting for a new console; it happened with the Switch, it happened with the Xbox 360, and it happened with the Gamecube.

I think the scientists call this a ā€œpattern.ā€

Getting a new phone or laptop is electrifying, but it doesnā€™t feelĀ quiteĀ like this. The closest I could get to why I experience such an intensity of emotion revolves around potential joy.

A new console is the first stepĀ inĀ a happy gaming relationship set to last many years, and,Ā unlike those other devices, something like an Xbox is used solely for fun, for entertainment, and with that knowledge comes a sense of freedom and charm thatā€™s hard pressed to be matched. Or maybe Iā€™m a dweeb. The juryā€™s out.

So, was the longest wait of my life for the Xbox Series X worth it? Friend, you already know the answer to that question.

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