I worked at Pacific Stereo in 1980. We got in the first Sony CD players. They cost $1,299. I actually sold a few.
I remember telling my sales peers that there is no reason they should cost more than a couple hundred bucks. By then I’d already been jaded by the industry and realized what it should cost. Heck, we sold laserdisk players for $750 and they used gas tube lasers. I still have one for just that reason.
I remember learning early on that even if I could afford the early versions of new tech that it’s better to wait. The manufacturers need time to improve the product and “get the bugs out” and the price drops drastically.
Around the late 90s, a friend of mine could only find certain movies on DVD. He finally bought one (forget the price but a couple hundred for a big machine). I waited saw the PS2 and waited longer until the price dropped.
I really don’t feel like I missed out on anything due to the wait.