Welcome to me controlling my PS5-buying impulse (and failing)

I’ve been dreading this day: 11/11. It’s like the online equivalent of a Black Friday sale, a not-so friendly reminder of how utterly broke I am and how I lack self-control. Just ask my virtual shopping carts.

And yeah, just when I thought I’m doing pretty great and can make it through the day without succumbing to material temptation, here’s comes an announcement that pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 will open soon.

Great, I can hear my wallet crying, moving from my bag to a safe and shutting it tight. I wanted to convince myself that I’m all about the humble thrift life and I don’t need a PS5, so I made a list of things I tell myself to justify missing out on its 120 FPS glory.

Is it working? Who knows. Check back with me on Dec. 11 because that’s when it’s officially released.

It’s either that or two Nintendo Switches

Now this is a rough estimate, but apparently yes, you can buy two Nintendo Switches for the price of a PS5, which will sell for P27,990, according to local gaming shop DataBlitz.

Not to encourage further spending or anything, but a Nintendo Switch will finally give me access to Animal Crossing, which further gives me a wholesome outlet for my pent-up emotions. And two Nintendo Switches mean I can subject someone else, perhaps a sibling or my significant other, to some portable virtual bonding.

Is this buying impulse just me and my FOMO? Is curing this FOMO really worth it, too? Lots of things to think about.

But can my room even handle a 4K TV?

Like most consoles before it and competing with it, it needs a TV that’s compatible with it. And I don’t have the space for that.

I’d probably need to declutter my room, then: maybe move a few things here and there, downgrade from a clothes drawer to a sack, probably throw the whole bed out too.

While a 4K TV guarantees high definition realness, it does require the player to be a decent number of feet away―the bigger the TV, the further you gotta step away to see the entire screen. Which means, a bigass TV needs even bigger space to accommodate that.

Part of buying consoles isn’t just a matter of buying the equipment and that’s it. You also have to consider the space you occupy, and the people you share it with. It’s important that we let people sharing our living space know about our big purchase, as it could affect even their household routines.

Yeah, but then again, it’s your money anyway

You know that one TikTok sound about having adult money?

“Don’t get me wrong, being an adult and living on your own is pretty great. The only problem is I now have access to adult money, which means I can buy whatever I want, which means I end up buying shit like this and having zero regrets about it.”

If you’re an adult and you’re seriously considering buying this console with your hard-earned money, you know what, fuck it. You do you, reward yourself for your hard work. (Otherwise please prepare for possibly some disappointing responses when you ask the adults in your household for a PS5).

Ironically, PS5’s catchphrase is “Play has no limits,” which both my wallet and self-control sadly do.

Still from Sony’s PS5 trailer