PS4 Help needed a bit sharpish

[Puce Moment]

Hello - I have had to cancel some holiday plans in the Autum due to the covid which means that I suddenly have a bit of cash that I would like to spend on something to entertain whilst shut-in. I just bought a new, big TV and after watching Limmy on it playing Flight Simulator I realised it is finally time to get that PS4. Yes, I know the PS5 is coming out at some point in the next 2-4-months but it's going to cost something like £450. I just want to get a PS4 now because they have dropped in price somewhat. I'm looking at a Pro 1TB.

Looking around I am a bit confused by prices. The Cex models are the same price or more than Argos. Those Argos prices seem quite good to me and I feel like just nabbing one now.

https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail/?id=sps4p1tb002&categoryName=playstation4-consoles&superCatName=gaming&title=playstation-4-pro-console-1tb-black-unboxed
https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail/?id=sps4p1tb001&categoryName=playstation4-consoles&superCatName=gaming&title=playstation-4-pro-console-1tb-black-boxed
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1995767?clickSR=slp:term:ps4%20console%201tb:1:12:1
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2073509?clickSR=slp:term:ps4%20console%201tb:3:12:2

Thoughts? What would you do?

Is it insanity to buy a PS4 so close to the release of the PS5? My issue is that I have no games so getting a PS5 AND games would be a right smack in the jaspers.

[Mobius]

I don't think it is insanity to buy a PS4 now. The PS5 is still a few months away, and if you haven't really had a PS4 before there's so many good games to enjoy. You could even trade it in down the line when you're ready for PS5.

Have you tried going in and looking for a second hand PS4? Would imagine people are trading them in in preparation for the PS5, and the prices are probably lower than ever. Not sure where you are but I just had a quick look on Gumtree and there's cheap ones.

Also not sure if you realise but that Flight Simulator game Limmy plays isn't available on PS4

[Mister Six]

Bear in mind that most consoles don't have their best games within the first couple of years, and that some of those PS5 early titles will be graphically fancier versions of PS4 games, and I'd say picking up a second hand PS4 while you wait for the PS5 to drop in price is a pretty sound idea.

[Puce Moment]

I don't think it is insanity to buy a PS4 now. The PS5 is still a few months away, and if you haven't really had a PS4 before there's so many good games to enjoy. You could even trade it in down the line when you're ready for PS5.

That's pretty much what I read, and why I decided to jump in.

Have you tried going in and looking for a second hand PS4? Would imagine people are trading them in in preparation for the PS5, and the prices are probably lower than ever. Not sure where you are but I just had a quick look on Gumtree and there's cheap ones.

I'm seeing wild pricing from 260-500 for consoles - some of them look really beaten up. I was sure that Cex would be the way to go but for some reason their second-hand PS4s are more expensive than Argos' new models. Perhaps Argos are just being a bit more practical and foreseeing the massive drop in price, unless I am missing something.

Also not sure if you realise but that Flight Simulator game Limmy plays isn't available on PS4

Oh yes, I was aware of that. I have it saved in my Steam list but I'm struggling to justify the cost when I'm looking at PS4s. It just looked really groovy on my TV screen.

Bear in mind that most consoles don't have their best games within the first couple of years, and that some of those PS5 early titles will be graphically fancier versions of PS4 games, and I'd say picking up a second hand PS4 while you wait for the PS5 to drop in price is a pretty sound idea.

Cheers - and yes, I would normally go for 2nd hand perhaps with the idea that I could get a couple of controllers and a handful of games but the 2nd hand prices seem equivalent to the Argos new models. As far as I can see.

[Sin Agog]

Admittedly I did that thing where I used all my immense acting talent to put myself in the headspace of a dyslexic ebay seller so I could get a better deal, and I only bought a reg used ps4, but I got one with loads of games (Uncharted 4, Doom, Dragon Quest XI etc.) and a couple've Fat Controllers for about 70 squid.  Never once felt the need to upgrade to a Pro.  I wouldn't fret about the size of the HD.  Getting an external HD and just using that is way cheaper.  So yeah, try ebay or gumtree.  They seem the least marked-up.

[Huxleys Babkins]

CEX's pricing is usually based on demand in their own stores rather than price matching other shops. I sold my original 3DS for £50 more than I paid for it because CEX couldn't get enough of them.

[Timothy]

Flight Simulator isn't on PS4 is it? Only on Xbox and PC.

[MojoJojo]

CEX's pricing is usually based on demand in their own stores rather than price matching other shops. I sold my original 3DS for £50 more than I paid for it because CEX couldn't get enough of them.

Presumable their pricing is somewhat based on people trading stuff in as well.

[Bazooka]

I concur with all of the above, it's a really good time to buy. The psn store has constant sales if you want to buy digital, and you can buy nearly all the big releases for under 20 quid or even below a tenner depending on when they were released. Many of the new PS5 games are going to be released on PS4 too.

I have 4 external hardrives, solely used for PS4, but I've had it a few years so have bought shit tons of games dirt cheap to add in my backlog, and the standard console HD fills fast.

[Puce Moment]

Thanks guys! I am getting quite overwhelmed with details now as there seem to be tons of variables. My instinct is to take advantage of Argos' drop in price for new models, but I am also looking at 2nd hand models with two controllers and a handful of games. However - there does seem to be plenty of people selling controllers and bulk prices for 2nd hand games that maybe I can get the actual console new.

The vast majority of 2nd hand models for sale are 500GB rather than 1TB. My instinct is to go for 1TB as I hate having physical copies of things and would prefer to download. But perhaps it doesn't make sense given that I could just shove an external HD onto it.

argh!

[Bazooka]

It's going to vary, but on average the price difference between a 500 gig and a 1TB model is about £50 give or take brand new(not sure on second hand) which is the equivalent to getting an external HD of the same size. But if you are planning on being mainly digital download focussed, get as much as you can, the big AAA games fill things fast(50-100 gigs depending), but your 2D styles games can be in the mega bytes or a couple of gig.

[oustropique]

I've been debating on selling mine, but I don't think it would do very well and I don't have a handle on how to price it. I put a 2TB hard drive in my base model, but I buy digital mainly now so all my physical games (Crash, Spyro trilogies, God of War, Assassin's Creed 4, GTA V, some out of date Fifas) aren't big ticket items and I only have the one controller to give away. The hassle of online selling and wanting to possibly play The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima on the cheap in future is making me want to cling onto it. No CTR PC port yet either. Either way, I think getting a PS4 now is a very good decision, and it makes sense to be patient while seeing where the PS5 goes.

[Puce Moment]

Thanks again! It looks like the Fifa and Fortnite bundles with the PS4 Pro 1TB for £250 on Argos are sold out so a bit back to the drawing board as nobody else really comes close to that for a good deal. Ugh.

Sorry to be whiny, but looking on and cross referencing from gumtree, ebay, facebook and all the usual retailers is quite frustrating.

[Puce Moment]

I think I might go with this. Boxed and at a similar price on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PS4-Pro-CUH-7116B-1TB-Black-FIFA-19-New-Opened/124311844366?

[Mister Six]

Thanks guys! I am getting quite overwhelmed with details now as there seem to be tons of variables. My instinct is to take advantage of Argos' drop in price for new models, but I am also looking at 2nd hand models with two controllers and a handful of games. However - there does seem to be plenty of people selling controllers and bulk prices for 2nd hand games that maybe I can get the actual console new.

The vast majority of 2nd hand models for sale are 500GB rather than 1TB. My instinct is to go for 1TB as I hate having physical copies of things and would prefer to download. But perhaps it doesn't make sense given that I could just shove an external HD onto it.

argh!

I just bought a 2tb solid state drive and installed it myself. Absolute piece of piss and took about five minutes. Longest thing was transferring my save files on a USB because I didn't fork out for the PS4 online cloud network guff. External hard drive might be good too, I didn't know that was an option. Dunno if it'll be as fast, mind you.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

I think I might go with this. Boxed and at a similar price on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PS4-Pro-CUH-7116B-1TB-Black-FIFA-19-New-Opened/124311844366?

I'd try and get a 7216b if possible. It's the latest model, released in late 2018. It's considerably quieter than the earlier Pro models, which were very noisy. The model number is on the box somewhere, if you're buying 2nd hand.

Source: Myself. I've got a 7216b (white).

[Puce Moment]

I'd try and get a 7216b if possible. It's the latest model, released in late 2018. It's considerably quieter than the earlier Pro models, which were very noisy. The model number is on the box somewhere, if you're buying 2nd hand.

Source: Myself. I've got a 7216b (white).

Thank you! I ended up doing just that yesterday. Game were having an unusually useful PS4 Pro bundle sale and so I snapped it up. I nearly went for one of the 2nd hand Last of Us II or RDR Pro consoles as they are 7216b as well, but in the end I got a standard one new, along with an extra controller and a couple of games.

At the moment I am mainly staying within the familar and comforting world of Gran Turismo Sport (the controller steering the car was quite the exciting revelation!) but today will be looking at The Last of Us, Dying Light, GTA V and others.

From a buying point of view, I am really looking for good 2-player games. Beyond that, the new COD MW and Control look rather good.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Congrats. With regards to hard drives, I put one of these in mine:
https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/internal-hard-drives/hdd/firecuda/#features

It's a 2tb internal drive, but with 8gb of solid state memory, so the best of both worlds. The speed increase is definitely noticeable, especially if you're somebody like me who only tends to play one game at a time, before moving on to the next one.

[Puce Moment]

That's less than £100 - and it can be fitted easily into the PS4 Pro?

That would be fucking great.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Yeah, there's a single screw at the back of the PS4 that you unscrew, then you unplug the old one and slot the new one in. After that you download the firmware from Sony and put it onto a USB stick to install it to the new drive.

[Puce Moment]

Yeah, there's a single screw at the back of the PS4 that you unscrew, then you unplug the old one and slot the new one in. After that you download the firmware from Sony and put it onto a USB stick to install it to the new drive.

Thanks! My 1TB storage is already starting to look strained and I've only had it two days.

[Bazooka]

What's your PlayStation ID chief?