Getting a new console is better than Christmas as a kid

Something hit me like prime Tyson this week: there’s nothing more exhilarating than getting a new console. Nothing

When the Xbox Series X was first announced, I wasn’t fussed. Yeah, it looked cool, and I thought I’d pick one up when GTA 6 or Fallout 5 were released, but I’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 rolled in, and the games came out, my soul began to itch. “I need this,” I told my reflection in the mirror at 1am, placing a hand on its cold surface in order to feel something, anything, “I need this so bad.”

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Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that emotion. This wasn’t a pathetic, childish want — that’s for losers and half-assers — no, this was a root-deep ache, a bone resonating howl, in other words, an adult emotion.

Thankfully, I managed to find a new console to sate my boundless need. And thus began the longest week in 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 time in life you recapture the excitement of a childhood Christmas Day is when a new console is on its way. It’s natural that as you age, the thrill of things diminish. But, for some reason, that hasn’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 — and it was worth every second.

It was only after the Series X arrived I realized this wasn’t the first time I’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 “pattern.”

Getting a new phone or laptop is electrifying, but it doesn’t feel quite 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 step in a happy gaming relationship set to last many years, and, 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 that’s hard pressed to be matched. Or maybe I’m a dweeb. The jury’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.

Story by Callum Booth

Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting (show all) Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC. Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too. Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.