3 Popular Gadgets That Should Get Cheaper Later This Year

It's awfully tempting to go shopping these days, but think twice before shopping for big-ticket consumer electronics items. There are a couple of items that could get cheaper -- or at the very least better -- by the time the holiday shopping season rolls around.

Let's go over some of the high-priced gadgetry that could be a bargain later this year if you can hold off on making the purchase now.

Video Game Consoles

This is shaping up to be a big summer for folks looking to buy new gaming devices. Microsoft (MSFT) introduced a new Xbox One last week, packing double the storage capacity as the previous model. Sony (SNE) announced that it will be updating its PS4, matching the new Xbox One's full terabyte of storage, next month.

%VIRTUAL-WSSCourseInline-884%Sony hasn't announced pricing, but that is likely being done to protect sales of the current 500-gigabyte model. We already saw Microsoft roll out the new Xbox One at the same $399 price as the original, and that was accompanied by an announcement that the promotional $349 rate on the earlier model will become permanent. In other words, Sony will likely price the new PlayStation 4 Ultimate Player 1TB Edition at the same price as the current 500 gigabyte model, lowering the price of what will be the earlier machine.

Nintendo has been quiet this generation, but with plans to hit the market next year with an entirely new platform -- codenamed "NX" -- it's probably a good bet that the poor-selling Wii U will get another price cut in time for the telltale holiday shopping season.

Smartwatches

We're now a couple of months into the era of Apple's (AAPL) bar-raising Apple Watch, and there's already chatter on tech blogs about the enhancements for the second generation of Apple's smartwatch. A camera, built-in GPS, and possibly even built-in Wi-Fi would be nice additions, and improving on the battery life would address the biggest knock on the iPhone-tethered wristwatch.

Will the second generation of Apple's smartwatch hit the market later this year or early next year? It will probably be in early 2016, but the consumer tech giant's success should open the door for other smartwatches to gain traction this year. Apple validated smartphones in 2007 and tablets in 2010, opening the floodgates for cheaper Android alternatives. If 2015 is the year of the smartwatch, you can be sure that history will repeat itself.

Amazon Gadgetry

Amazon.com (AMZN) has gone from being merely the leading Internet retailer to a launching pad for consumer electronics. Its Kindle e-reader and Kindle Fire tablet lines have been successful, and while it stumbled last year with Fire Phone, it has a shot to redefine the smart home with Amazon Echo.
Echo became officially available for sale on Tuesday at $179, already $20 less than the suggested price of $199 it was touting when it offered the digital assistant to Amazon Prime members at half that price several months ago. If Echo isn't a hit at $179, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it drop to $149 -- or less -- come November. Amazon doesn't have a problem coming through with quick price cuts even when it has a hit on its hands. The original Kindle was priced at $399, for example.

Amazon moves quickly, and it wouldn't be a shock if we get cheaper or better Kindle and Kindle Fire updates in time for the holiday shopping season.

Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Amazon.com and Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. Check out our free report on one great stock to buy for 2015 and beyond.