Has anyone ever bought a used PlayStation (preferably recently)?

I'm wondering how the quality is, even after they are preowned, as I am looking into getting one myself.HUNK-007

Depends where you buy it... A refurbished one from GameStop is "guaranteed to work" or you will get your money back... so you don't stand to lose much except for time and the inconvenience of returning the console should it not work.

I would stay away from buying used consoles online...

The best option would be to come to Japan! :P Japanese consumers take care of products that they buy, and the stores that sell used game consoles (as well as games) also make an effort to take care of their products. A used game console in Japan is quite literally "Good as new." The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the US...

Don't waste your money, buy a new one!

PS2 is probably the biggest hardware crap ever made, with the PS3 of course. So buying a used one is like risking to waste a lot of money for a month or two of gameplay before it breaks.

Don't get me wrong, i like the ps2 but what i say is you should buy a new one! 

^Certain models of the Xbox and Xbox 360 are far worse than the PS2 when it comes to hardware durability.

Anyways, I'm kinda confused at this topic, HUNK-007, I just want clarification. Do you mean the PlayStation as the 32-bit one? You didn't have the number two so. . .

Yeah.

1. The controller didn't work properly and everytime I played it felt like rubbing my hands in grease plus the cord was all wrinkled up 2. The box smelled awful 3. The manual had coffee stains all over it 4. The system was scratched up

The best option would be to come to Japan! :P Japanese consumers take care of products that they buy, and the stores that sell used game consoles (as well as games) also make an effort to take care of their products. A used game console in Japan is quite literally "Good as new." The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the US...

portej

What good is that if the person wants to play NTSC/UC (North American) games? And that is some weird generalization you have there. A Japanese slob exists you know. Not everyone there is a conformist. Haven't you seen Karin Muller's Japanland series? Osaka alone has a HUGE homeless problem and lots of run down areas. 

The best option would be to come to Japan! :P Japanese consumers take care of products that they buy, and the stores that sell used game consoles (as well as games) also make an effort to take care of their products. A used game console in Japan is quite literally "Good as new." The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the US...portej

[QUOTE="portej"]The best option would be to come to Japan! :P Japanese consumers take care of products that they buy, and the stores that sell used game consoles (as well as games) also make an effort to take care of their products. A used game console in Japan is quite literally "Good as new." The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the US...Pumster76

I have lived in Japan for a majority of my life, so my opinion is undoubtedly biased. However, based on what I have seen living in the United States, most used products are "buy at your own risk."

Used PS2 games in Gamestop are scratched, missing the manual, not in the original case, etc. There is also no difference in price between a used copy that is in mint condition (extremely rare at Gamestop or EB games) and a used copy that is so badly scratched up that it invokes the old phrase of caveat emptor.

In Japan, you don't have any of these problems. I am not exaggerating. Some stores do carry used PS2 games that are badly scratched or missing a manual, etc.  In these cases, the prices are significantly decreased.

[QUOTE="portej"]

The best option would be to come to Japan! :P Japanese consumers take care of products that they buy, and the stores that sell used game consoles (as well as games) also make an effort to take care of their products. A used game console in Japan is quite literally "Good as new." The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the US...

2deluxe

What good is that if the person wants to play NTSC/UC (North American) games? And that is some weird generalization you have there. A Japanese slob exists you know. Not everyone there is a conformist. Haven't you seen Karin Muller's Japanland series? Osaka alone has a HUGE homeless problem and lots of run down areas. 

It depends what kind of PS2 you get. The first generation PS2 (SCPH-10000) that was released in Japan, and only in Japan, was region-free. The first version to hit North American retailers I believe was SCPH-30000. That version, of course, is region coded. So, if you pick up an old SCPH-10000 in Japan (readily available at most retailers that sell used consoles), you can play NTSC/UC games in addition to NTSC/J games! Of course, if you were to pick up a slim PS2 (SCPH-70000), well... than you can mod your PS2. It would void your warranty.... but.... if you're buying it used in the first place... I'm sorry, but the warranty has already expired.