Quoted from swf127:I think we should write a book called "Preordering Pins for Dummies".
1. Take the initial down payment.
2. Put it in a savings account or short-term corporate bond fund.
3. When new deadlines come up, deposit money into account.
4. If/when the stars align and pin ships, use pin map to find one and play in person.
5. If you like the game, withdraw funds, add 10% more from your pocket and buy it.
6. If it never ships or you don't like it, salivate over next pin announcement instead.
The 10% extra you pay is more than made up for by retaining use/control of your money and avoiding bearing someone else's business, development and financial risk in the interim. The number of pins that skyrocket after release are relatively few and if something is insanely popular, they'll make more. Handing out free loans to guys you don't know based on vague promises and napkin drawings is idiotic. It's the pinball equivalent of buying lottery tickets.
Yes, I don't understand all the people thanking the preorder for exsisting and "saving" them money. Just save up the damn money yourself. Its not that hard.
The only rationale is you might find it hard to hand over the price of a car for a pin you have not played all at once, in which case you should not be buying it in pieces.
My philosophy with a game is if it is worth $7K or 8K, an extra $500 won't wreck me IF it is worth that kind of coin in the first place. The rub is when the dust settles, most of these games are not going to be all time greats worth that kind of coin. So the $500 or whatever is not saving you money. At best its just a little less that you lose by jumping in first on an unkown product.