Getting a new console on launch is exciting. It also varies on how good the console is and the hype surrounding it and the games at launch. Here are my console launch stories.
N64- I was 14 at the time and was very hyped for the N64. About a month before the N64 launch Nintendo Power sent out a VHS promotion video of the N64.
I actually able to get the N64 a day early at Kmart since they started selling them right away. I didn't even have to wait overnight or when opened. I just called up Kmart the day before launch to see if they will be selling it and they said they already were and I was able to buy by just walking in to the Kmart. Mario 64 was amazing when first playing it. The launch lineup only had Pilotwings 64 and Mario 64 so after that there was not much to play. Also I remember it was very difficult to get some games especially Star Wars Shadows of the Empire which came out in December 1996 that game was so hard to find it stores at the time.
Dreamcast- I was 17 at the time and I had a summer job to save money for the Dreamcast and the games I wanted. I was able to preorder the Dreamcast at EB Games and my friends and drive to EB games to pick the console. I bought Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, Ready 2 Rumble, Powerstone, Mortal Kombat Gold, Hydro Thunder, and NFL Blitz 2000. Dreamcast had a pretty good launch lineup. Soul Calibur was awesome. There was one issue though and that the Midway games had issues with discs and bugs in the games where there would be sound glitches in Ready 2 Rumble, Mortal Kombat Gold and Hydro Thunder so I had to exchange the games for a new copy that had a green sticker on the case that Midway put that meant that it was the fixed version of the game.
GBA- I don't remember too much hype surrounding the GBA. I was able to pre order the GBA pretty easily. The games I got at launch was Super Mario Advance, F-Zero Maximum Velocity and Castlevania Circle of the Moon. The games were fun but not having a backlight screen it was hard to play some games like Castlevania. I was so glad Nintendo came out with the Game Boy Advance SP 2 years later.
Gamecube- I was pretty excited for the GameCube . It was a little bit more difficult for me to pre order. EB Games sold out of their preorders fast, however I was able to pre order at FYE. I remember the GameCube launch being rather subdued because I think the PS2 was very popular at the time and the Xbox was being released around the same time as the Gamecube. The games I got at launch were Luigis Mansion, Wave Race Blue Storm, and Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader. The games were pretty good, it did hurt not having a Mario game at launch though.
Xbox 360- I was very excited for the Xbox 360 launch. I tried to preorder at FYE and EB Games but was unsuccessful. So my brother and I decided to go the morning before launch at Walmart so we could wait in line. I was in college and had during the day so my brother held our spot in line. It was fun talking to people waiting in line. It was very hard to get a 360 at the time. Wal-Mart only got 6 units and only one had a hard drive. My brother and I got the unit with hard drive.The games we got were Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and Need For Speed Most wanted. 360 had a lot of hardware issues with the RROD. I went through five 360's during the generation. Launch 360 lasted about a year.
Wii- I was not able to pre order the Wii at launch. I went to Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and Meijer and all the lines were full of people. However I went to the the rural Kmart and no one was there waiting in line. I was able to get a Wii with Zelda the Twilight Princess. It also came with Wii Sports. The Wii was really hard to get for a long time.
Wii U- This was the first console to pre-order online. I pre- ordered from GameStop website. This was probably the least amount of hype and excitement around a console launch. Many of the games that came out for Wii U were basically the same as the 360 and PS3 versions like Assassins Creed 3, Darksiders 2, Mass Effect 3 and so on. I played those games on the 360. The game I got at launch was New Super Mario Bro's U. It also came with Nintendoland.
PS4- I preordered right after the 2013 Sony E3 Press Conference on Amazon. The hype surrounding the PS4 launch was huge. I took off on launch day and waited for the UPS delivery to show up. The games I got on launch day was Killzone Shadow Fall, Knack, Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag, Battlefield 4 , Call of Duty Ghosts, with Resogun and Contrast as PS Plus titles. The updates and waiting for the games to install was irritating.
PSVR- Ordered from Walmart website but they messed up my order but was able to buy from Best Buy website. The games I got at launch was Wayward Sky, Rez Infinite, Thumper, Battlezone, Super Hyper Cube, Eve Valkyrie, Batman VR, Super Hypercube and it came with PlayStation Worlds because I got the PSVR bundle with the Move controllers and the camera. Was very excited to try VR at the time.
PS4 Pro- Pre ordered from Best Buy website. I was excited to see games in 4K HDR for the first time.
Nintendo Switch- I was lucky in pre ordering online at Best But because they were sold out hours later. The games I got launch were Zelda Breath of the Wild, I am Setsuna, and Fast RMX.
Xbox One X- This was very much like the PS4 pro launch. I was able to pre order online at Best Buy.
I will probably pre order the PS5 or the Next Xbox online since it is so much convenient and easier.