What should I be wary of when buying a preowned PSP?

Hydro2Oxide

Hydro2Oxide

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This generation of gaming, it's scary buying preowned. 360's RROD, DS's have cracked hinges, messed up touch screens etc. and I'm in the market to get a PSP. I've got some credit saved up at Gamestop and I'm thinking of buying there though I hardly trust the things people trade in there. Anybody know what to look for or if the 1000/2000 line have any faults that cause people to trade in and buy a new one?
 
1. Check the screen for any dead pixels.
2. Make sure the buttons are working fine (the 1000 model has a poor d-pad).
3. Make sure the UMD drive or memory stick slot are all in order.
 
[quote name='Kain Vincent']1. Check the screen for any dead pixels.
2. Make sure the buttons are working fine (the 1000 model has a poor d-pad).
3. Make sure the UMD drive or memory stick slot are all in order.[/QUOTE]

Everything I was going to say, however I will elaborate further (hopefully helping a bit more).

[quote name='Kain Vincent']1. Check the screen for any dead pixels.[/QUOTE]

I'd also check for scratches (which might at first seem obvious but still majorly essential, I absolutely hate scratches).

[quote name='Kain Vincent']2. Make sure the buttons are working fine (the 1000 model has a poor d-pad).[/QUOTE]

You shouldn't have to apply too much pressure to the buttons to get them to work, so press like you would normally with medium pressure. If you are required to push harder than usual it can be a big annoyance. Also, press down the d pad on all buttons and listen for a squeak. If it squeaks, it doesn't mean it's broken or anything, it's just really really annoying. :lol:

[quote name='Kain Vincent']3. Make sure the UMD drive or memory stick slot are all in order.[/QUOTE]

This part is absolutely required. 1000's have a switch to open and close the UMD part so check that is all in order (although I've never heard anything go wrong before), newer models are just opened manually. Also check that it will actually read a UMD, otherwise it's rather pointless.



Hope I helped!
 
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Thanks guys! The only problem currently is the Gamestop website has the 1000 model for 80, whereas my store has them for 100. I'd much rather be able to look at what I'm buying before I do but worst case online, I return it if it's not satisfactory.
 
make sure there are no dead pixles... no burn in and for the love of god make sure noone has smelled it (look up utube someone opening up a hanna montana psp system) for some reason they are smelling the hell out of it
 
Honestly I'd check Craigslist, you might find one for a similar price but with some games, and you can likely see who owned it 1st. I'd trust a private seller more than Gamestop - people purposely unloaded fucked up systems to them if the problems aren't obvious.
 
[quote name='keithp']You may want to check the firmware version to know what you've got to work with.[/QUOTE]

Buying from Gamestop probably wouldn't yield those kinds of results.

[quote name='johnnypark']Honestly I'd check Craigslist, you might find one for a similar price but with some games, and you can likely see who owned it 1st. I'd trust a private seller more than Gamestop - people purposely unloaded fucked up systems to them if the problems aren't obvious.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']I've got some credit saved up at Gamestop[/QUOTE]

Trust me, I wish I didn't have to deal with GS. Though a CAG sent me a PM so this may turn out well :D
 
Id say lurk ebay a bit and you can find one less than 80 for the 1000 or better yet hold out for a slim.

Ended up findin a slim+8gb for 100. Seemed good to me, just took a while checking daily for newly listed buy it nows.

IMO gamestop sucks for preowned consoles... than again I got a used ds there and its quality was very poor which tarnished my opinion.
 
[quote name='Steggy']Id say lurk ebay a bit and you can find one less than 80 for the 1000 or better yet hold out for a slim.

Ended up findin a slim+8gb for 100. Seemed good to me, just took a while checking daily for newly listed buy it nows.

IMO gamestop sucks for preowned consoles... than again I got a used ds there and its quality was very poor which tarnished my opinion.[/QUOTE]

:cry:
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']I've got some credit saved up at Gamestop[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='depascal22']1. Clean the system. You don't know what the last person had or was doing the last time he "handled" the system.[/QUOTE]

Either my mind is in the gutter or you're just disgusting :bomb:
 
[quote name='depascal22']1. Clean the system. You don't know what the last person had or was doing the last time he "handled" the system.[/QUOTE]

Hahahaha XD.
 
I would add ...make sure the WiFi works ASAP! I bought one on Ebay that I never could get to work, even after replacing the antenna/board.
 
[quote name='bringerofdeath']make sure theirs no porn in it lol i heard mother brought a psp for her son and it was full of porn videos.[/QUOTE]

Lucky kid.

OP - I realize that you have credit to burn at GS but like you said, used consoles are iffy. If I was looking for a PSP, I'd start trying to hunt down a $139, brand new Hannah Montana bundle. Yes it's purple but it's also really cheap, has an awesome screen, won't be covered in... whatever, and will have a warranty through Sony. Plus you can always sell the game to make up at least a bit more of the cost. Use the GS credit to buy some PSP games or something.
 
[quote name='Halo05']
If I was looking for a PSP, I'd start trying to hunt down a $139, brand new Hannah Montana bundle. Yes it's purple but it's also really cheap, has an awesome screen, won't be covered in... whatever, and will have a warranty through Sony. Plus you can always sell the game to make up at least a bit more of the cost. Use the GS credit to buy some PSP games or something.[/QUOTE]

I recently bought one of these and I have not regretted it at all.

Yes. It's purple. However it comes with a 2Gb memory card, and is an incredible price.

It DOES NOT HAVE any Hanna Montana branding directly on the unit.

Plus something like this skin from Decalgirl will look incredible on it. Use a coupon like PSPHOME for 10 percent off, and you can have a skin like that mailed out to you for approximately 11 dollars.
 
I think the psp is rather solidly made, but here's a checklist:

power on switch works
sleep mode on/off works
screen has little/no scratching or dead/stuck pixels, or other damage (it won't be mint, but it should be in good condition)
wifi works
headphone jack works
power adapter works
speakers work
umd drive works
memory card reader works
upgrade to latest firmware (or downgrade as tastes may be)
 
Honestly, and I know this isn't the answer you are looking for, I'd save enough to get a new system.

As long as a system is still being made it is worth the peace of mind to get it brand spanking new. IMO most people that trade in hardware are doing it because something is wrong with it (even if it is something minor). While I have bought used systems in the past it was often because new was not readliy available (Saturn, Virtual Boy, and Game.com for example) and times were different then as hardware seemed more reliable as a whole.
 
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