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The PlayStation 4 offers a cheaper route into next-gen gaming when compared to its mighty big brother, The PlayStation 5. We've pulled together the latest pre-owned / refurbished deals on the PS4 Standard, Slim and Pro below.
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A refurbished PS4 is often the best choice for people looking to remove what is typically the biggest barrier of entry to purchasing a games console: price. If you're looking to jump into the PS4's massive library now that the PS5 has taken the spotlight off the console, you've come to the right place. We at GamingDeals.com pull in and compare prices, not just for new PS4 units off the shelf, but refurbished, pre-owned and second hand ones too. The PS4 has sold more than 116 million units worldwide since its launch. A fair few of those will have been traded in, refurbished and then ready to be sold back to consumers – always for just a fraction of the PS4’s standard RRP.
The PS4 represents one of the most vibrant video game eco-systems ever. Not only does it allow you to enjoy games in the traditional sense, but apps like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime serve to satisfy all your content needs, PSN opens up the realm of multiplayer, and the PSVR headset is one of the easiest ways to experience virtual reality. Picking up a preowned PS4 console that’s been refurbished is an affordable way to enjoy all of PS4s many facets, opening up a world of what this generation of consoles has to offer.
The PS4 has some of the best exclusive games you can play in The Last of Us Part II, Horizon: Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and countless others. All of which look incredible when played at 1080p resolution at a frame rate of 60 fps, fully immersing you into the high-fidelity graphical experience each seek to offer. Such a stellar game library is made possible thanks to PlayStation’s highly talented suite of developers, with studios like Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica and Guerilla Games, often considered some of the best interactive storytellers around.
The Dualshock 4 is often considered by many to be the most comfortable controller to use compared to other first-party gamepads on the market. This is because the bigwigs over at Sony’s R&D have had four consoles in which to improve the design. Any good refurbished PS4 purchase will come with a Dualshock 4 packaged in, connecting wirelessly to your console for restriction-free play with a charge that can last up to eight hours.
There are three types of PlayStation 4 you’re likely to find when doing your research and looking for a refurbished model. There’s the original launch PS4 model released on November 2013, the PS4 Slim released on September 2016 and finally the higher-end PS4 Pro that launched in November that same year. The PS4 Slim is the model that replaced the original ‘fat’ PS4 since April 2017, but if you’re picking one a preowned PS4, it’s worth nailing down which is the best option for you.
If you want the best PS4 console there is, a PS4 Pro should be your number one choice. It offers much better performance than the PS4 Slim and isn’t that much more expensive if you’re buying a refurbished model. We’ve found second hand PS4 Pro consoles which have been refurbished to very good standards, with prices typically £100 cheaper than brand new PS4 Pro consoles.
If you’re on a tight budget and want to buy the cheapest PS4 console there is, a refurbished PS4 Slim is the ideal buy. We’ve spotted plenty of 500GB and 1TB PS4 Slims that have been refurbished, and all are available to buy from leading second hand goods retailers, like MusicMagpie and eBay. Even Argos stock the occasional refurbished PS4 Slim, and most are in very good condition.
When a second hand PS4 arrives to a store for trade-in, the relevant retailer will complete its own bespoke series of checks and refurbishment techniques. There are a few standard protocols most can take, however, assuring that the preowned PS4 is fit for resale and can be brought up to as close to new as is possible. Chief amongst these checks will be tests made to the external ports – such as the power supply and HDMI input – to ensure that they still work and haven’t suffered from any type of liquid damage.
Refurbished PS4 consoles differ from those that have been “reconditioned” in that the former’s definition tends to be a lot more flexible. It’s effectively a catch-all term for “pre-owned” or “second-hand”, and as such requires retailers to spend a bit more time ensuring that it can be sold on without risk of any future issues later down the line. Any refurbished PS4 will be restored to its factory settings before listed for sale, albeit with the latest firmware updates already installed.
In terms of where you can pick up a cheap refurbished PS4, there are a couple of online retailers that keep plenty in stock. It’s worth saying that we at ConsolesDeals.com make a point of listing the quality of each refurbished PS4 in question being compared. This can range from “Fair”, “Good”, “Very Good”, all the way up to “Manufacturer Refurbished” – all of which will have an impact on price. Every refurbished PS4 we compare will be functional but could vary in terms of the number of bumps, scratches and knocks that affects how the console looks cosmetically. Please note we also feature preowned PS4 consoles in our comparison tables.
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