@Me1620 I think there are pros and cons to buying things early/on release date or late.
If you buy things on release date or early on during the lifetime of a series, then you can (1) obtain pre-order bonus content and (2) give suggestions or feedback or complaints about the product. Producers used to make pre-order bonus content for customers who want to buy things on release date, but can't because the demand surpasses the supply, and that there is a temporary supply shortage. Nowadays, producers do this to make a quick cashgrab, not only try to lure in the same old customers, but also people who just want the content. It's a great marketing gimmick, but it's a pain on the consumer end because the consumer may have to pay extra for the bonus content or the collector's edition or something. I usually buy things late, so it doesn't really affect me that much. Another big perk of buying things early is that consumers can give feedback on the product, and the producer will use the feedback to output patches/updates or to create a DLC or expansion pack to better fit the market.
One obvious downside of buying things early is the high price point. You have to be an extreme fan to know that you are getting a good product or something that is good enough so that years down the road, you have made a good investment in the company. Because The Sims 2 and The Sims 1 was a top-seller, some old consumers probably faith in the company, so they were more than willing to make an investment.
The upside of buying things late is that you are getting a finished product. The producer is no longer releasing any patches/updates, so any glaring glitches still left in the game will probably never be fixed... or they may be fixed by a very smart and tech-savvy modder. Another upside is the relatively low cost. Most products will reduce in price, after sitting for so long on the shelves. Some people like me want a finished product and can make do with the lack of patches/updates and no new additional content to the game.
Of course, if a consumer values the ability to offer feedback, then the company may do very little to fix that, because the producers have moved onto another product, focusing time and energy on that new product.
