by With the cost of living in the UK so high, there was a sudden realization that hit me last week; despite my plans for all of 2022, I wouldn’t buy an Xbox Series S on Black Friday. Against the best plans of mice and men, no, I wouldn’t be able to afford any of the Cyber Monday gaming PC deals I’d cover for work.
Whenever Black Friday and Cyber Monday game deals arrive, I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels a huge amount of pressure to make the most of them. Especially when it comes to gaming hardware, there’s no better time in the whole year to get some of the best products on the cheap. This year, with rising inflation, incredibly high energy prices and even Tesco’s meal deals getting a little more expensive, the fear of missing out looms large for me.
What makes matters worse is that while everything else is getting more expensive, previously elusive pieces of gaming hardware are now priced at “historically low”. SSDs, 30-series GPUs, DDR4 RAM – it’s all the cheapest and most attractive ever. And then, of course, there are deals on consoles like the Xbox Series S, which is now at this calendar year’s lowest price point. Yet even at these lowest-ever prices, the sad truth is that I still can’t afford them.
…But it’s fine
Yes, it’s sad that I (and I’m sure many people) won’t be able to afford a new game kit this year. On the other hand, let’s zoom out for a moment. I, for one, may not be able to afford a robust upgrade to my gaming PC. That space I’m saving on my TV unit for a sleek Series S may need to go empty for a while longer. But, on the other hand, I can afford the rent. Food: I can still afford it for now. I may have to give up a couple hundred FPS on PC, but at least those aforementioned energy bills are covered.
The sad fact is that many people are not even that lucky at the moment. Yes, the consumerism and culture around Black Friday and Cyber Monday will tell you that you are missing out if you don’t make the most of the best deals, but there’s actually a lot more that you could be missing out on.
Cyber Monday deals I can afford
With that in mind, there are other ways to make the most of Cyber Monday. For example, you could pay £1 and get GamePass Ultimate for a month (opens in a new tab). You may not be able to afford a new gaming PC, but you could spend half the cost of one and get a new GPU instead.
On that note, I rounded up a few affordable gaming deals that I bookmarked last week and listed them below. If you like any of them, maybe they’ll help keep that nasty FOMO away.
