Don't forget the people who pre-ordered WOZ and were skipped over for "new money" buyers who got their machines long before people who put their money down early. Why even pre-order a game when it doesn't cement your place in the order on the production line?
I will never pre-order a game years ahead of release that has not even been developed. I would consider paying for a game from a crowd-funded boutique company, but only if the game is fully developed, verified licensed, had playable prototypes in public, is entering production at Stern and is less than 3 months from my front door.