DH wants a PS4. Any tricks to getting a deal?

[engineerjourney]

DH wants a PS4.  To be fair, he would use it a lot and he has waited quite a long time since the release to make sure he did really want one enough to spend the money on it.  Video gaming is one of the only areas he actually spends money and he leaves all the investing up to me so I get to max out his 401K without any objection from him.  So pretty much he is going to get this, I am not looking for ways to deny him this.  I am looking for any ideas people can think of to help offset the cost!

This is what I have so far:
 - Only $374 at our local warehouse store (BJs) vs the regular $399 price everywhere else
 - $120 in credit card cash back rewards available
 - We own three other systems... 1) a really old PS something (a PS2? 1? I don't know anything about gaming) that is probably not worth much and he still goes back and plays old games on,  2) a Wii system with a ton of games and accessories that we use rarely with the other tv as a way to play Netflix and 3) the PS3 which we use all the time to stream content and him play video games.  The PS3 would become our backup streaming device once the PS4 is purchased so I think he should sell the Wii stuff for some $$ to use to buy the PS4.. thoughts?
 - Credit card signup bonus?  I looked through the CC recommended page and it looks like most of them have really high spends to get the bonus.. we don't have many expenses that I can use a credit card with so I am a little leery, it was almost a struggle to reach a $1000 in 3 month spend for the last bonus I signed us up for.  Any suggestions?  We already have Chase Freedom, Southwest, American Express Blue. 

That's all I have... would appreciate any other ideas!  I know quite a few of you are gamers so I am hoping I won't get only answers saying don't let him buy it :-) 

[queenie]

Have you looked at used?  I just found a mint, barely used PS4 on our online classifieds for $350 CAD (about $282 USD) and I didn't even scroll through all of the listings.  That particular listing comes with 2 games and a headset.

[ioseftavi]

Used is the way to go.  Buy from an eBay seller who offers a fair price and a few extras - look to see that they do this kind of sale regularly and have good feedback.

[engineerjourney]

ughh, you guys are so right about used being the way.  If it was up to me only that's what I would do.  My DH however has a ridiculous, cynical perspective when it comes to used things, especially electronics.  He pretty much doesn't understand why someone would be getting rid of it if it works.. so thinks there has to be something wrong with it so he won't buy used.  I already tried to pitch him one that was $275 where the listing says the guy bought both a Xbox1 and a PS4 and he doesn't use the PS4 anymore.. sounded great to me.  DH is still super suspicious... I will see if I can get through to him but I will not count on it.  Thanks for the reminder to look into used again though!

I wonder if he would go for refurbished.. sometimes that can be a good deal too, hmmm.

[Ccube19]

Could you do used if you made the sacrifice to spend the time to make sure it works before purchase or get a refund after the fact?

[Retire-Canada]

ughh, you guys are so right about used being the way.  If it was up to me only that's what I would do.  My DH however has a ridiculous, cynical perspective when it comes to used things, especially electronics.  He pretty much doesn't understand why someone would be getting rid of it if it works.. so thinks there has to be something wrong with it so he won't buy used.  I already tried to pitch him one that was $275 where the listing says the guy bought both a Xbox1 and a PS4 and he doesn't use the PS4 anymore.. sounded great to me.  DH is still super suspicious... I will see if I can get through to him but I will not count on it.  Thanks for the reminder to look into used again though!

I wonder if he would go for refurbished.. sometimes that can be a good deal too, hmmm.

Buy it used. Clean it up. Install it for him and have it waiting when he gets home with a game in it you know he will love. What will he do - refuse to play it because you saved a bunch of money? ;)

-- Vik

[waffle]

For used see if you can find one still under warranty. That would probably help some of his fears. If you do go new check out store's price matching policies. I don't know about most electronics stores but I often pit home depot and lowes against each other. Both stores have the same price match policy where they will beat a competitors price by 10%. I just look up the prices online and go to the store that is more expensive so they will price match to 10% off the cheaper price. If there are stores that sell the PS4 and have a similar policy that could help you get a deal there.

[JLee]

slickdeals.net - search for past deals and see what they have been going for, then set up a deal alert for new deals.

[waffle]

Also if you buy online see if you can find it somewhere that wont charge shipping or sales tax. that will save a few dollars too.

[Imustacheyouaquestion]

If he really objects to buying used off craigslist, Best Buy "open box" and Amazon warehouse deals often have good prices on electronics that are still wrapped/never used, but literally someone just opened the box and returned them, so they can't be sold as "new." For Best Buy, you can go to the store and inspect these yourself before you decide to buy -- I think Amazon warehouse has a return policy. Does he object to buying manufacturer refurbished systems?

You can definitely sell the Wii on craigslist or ebay for cash. PS 1 is not worth much - I'd say just keep it if he really still enjoys playing old games. There are emulators you can install on a computer if you're really interested in selling the PS 1.

[Sibley]

I like the suggestion of you getting it and setting it up. He's happy, and doesn't need to know that it's used.

If possible, use a cc and get rewards when you buy it!

[TonyPlush]

Groupon Goods is currently selling refurbished PS4s for $330.

[TheAnonOne]

Start playing PC games? PCs have more games, better graphics and a gigantic community on steam.

This may or may not be a cheaper option depending on how much power you already have or that you want to buy.

[GreenHorn101]

Here ya go~

http://slickdeals.net/f/7783493-sony-playstation-4-500gb-console-pre-owned-229-99-with-free-shipping

PS4 for $230... It is pre-owned (used) but it is sold by CowBoom (aka Bestbuy), so it is relatively safe.

remember to use code: PS44915 to get $50 off :)

[Lis]

If he insists on buying new, trade in that PS3. You really don't need both, promise. I'm fairly certain the 4 can handle all the 3 games and do all your streaming. As for a 'back up' device, get a cheap HDMI cable and connect your lap top to the tv if something happens. There are only two reasons I can think of streaming would stop working on the 4 - something's wrong with the internet (in which case, you're shit out of luck until that's fixed) or something's wrong with Sony (where your 3 would be just as useless as your 4). Your Wii can also stream Netflix and such, but if you're hardly using it, you might as well trade that in as well. I think I just read GameStop was offering a pretty good deal on trading in 3's for 4's. Obviously, used/refurbished is still better money-wise.

Double check my facts, but I'm pretty sure I"m right. Then again, I'm more of an XBOX girl myself.

[iamlindoro]

If he insists on buying new, trade in that PS3. You really don't need both, promise. I'm fairly certain the 4 can handle all the 3 games and do all your streaming. As for a 'back up' device, get a cheap HDMI cable and connect your lap top to the tv if something happens. There are only two reasons I can think of streaming would stop working on the 4 - something's wrong with the internet (in which case, you're shit out of luck until that's fixed) or something's wrong with Sony (where your 3 would be just as useless as your 4). Your Wii can also stream Netflix and such, but if you're hardly using it, you might as well trade that in as well. I think I just read GameStop was offering a pretty good deal on trading in 3's for 4's. Obviously, used/refurbished is still better money-wise.

Double check my facts, but I'm pretty sure I"m right. Then again, I'm more of an XBOX girl myself.

The PS4 is (like the Xbox One) not backwards compatible.  He'll need to keep his PS3 if he wants to go on playing his existing library.

[okits]

I like the idea of buying it used and setting it up.  :) Once there he'll be all over it, regardless if new or used.

Does he have a nearby frugal friend who also wants a PS4?  They could buy one between the two of them and take turns (trade off every week or month.) It's not like he'll play it 24/7.  On his off-weeks he can play his other systems, instead.  And not having it full-time will extend the novelty and excitement of it.

Or, you could do what parents do when kids want something expensive: it covers the next birthday, Christmas, and even anniversary gifts.

[Guses]

The PS4 is (like the Xbox One) not backwards compatible.  He'll need to keep his PS3 if he wants to go on playing his existing library.

YES MY HAMSTERS, RUN, RUN ON THE WHEEL OF LIFE!

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

/Meltdown

I seriously hate systems that are not backward compatible with their predecessors. They force you to rebuy the same "upgraded" games you used to play on the new system.This turned me off of console gaming and made me almost PC exclusive.

All my peripherals and software are still good after an upgrade.

[neo von retorch]

Yes - my last console purchase was an "original" 60GB PS3. It's backwards compatible with (most) PS2 and PS1 games. It was easy to backup the system and replace the hard drive with a much larger one. (You don't need to buy a special Sony hard drive - just a quality 2.5" laptop hard drive.) When you buy the latest console, you get the very limited "new games" library, costing $60 new. If I were to get a PS4 or XBox One, it'd probably be 5 years from now...

Since he already has a PS3... can you maybe delay the PS4 purchase a little at least?

[engineerjourney]

So glad I posted!  Thanks all for the ideas!

I will not be buying a used one and sneakily setting it up and pretending it was new.  He would eventually ask me where I got it and we don't lie to each other.  Deceiving someone I love is not worth a $100 or so. 

Yes, unfortunately the PS4 is not backwards compatible.. believe me, I have ranted about that to him several times, which is why I didn't suggest selling the PS3.  (We both agree that its a great strategy on Sony's part but really sucky for the customer).

I will keep an eye on slickdeals and see how he feels about refurbished, the Groupon seems to be a good deal.  Will also look into warranty stuff.

He has wanted one since they came out (late 2013?) so I think its been delayed as much as possible.  I do like it being his presents for a while, we have done that before with big gifts and we usually struggle to find gifts for each other around the holidays since we usually buy what we want/need before then. 

He and his friends do swap games so that helps but I don't think he will be into swapping the console itself, one of his friends already has it and he has played on it several times and compared it to his PS3 which helped him decide that it was worth it to him. 

Will also look into savings on shipping & tax as well as use the best rewards CC if purchased that way. 

[okits]

Definitely don't lie about a used one, the point is that once he can sit right down and play it, is he going to stand there and argue about it being used, or is he going to dive in and enjoy it? 

Since you like the Christmas-birthday-anniversary gift idea, buy the PS4 and on the special occasions your gift can be that you'll play an hour of video games with him while naked. The best things in life truly are free. ;)

[Lis]

Well forget about my idea then. That's so stupid! Clearly I'm not on the up and up on newer technology. So the XBOX One isn't BC with the 360 either? Pssh... I'll happily play my old 360 and PC games. Sorry for not being helpful!

[Retire-Canada]

I will not be buying a used one and sneakily setting it up and pretending it was new.  He would eventually ask me where I got it and we don't lie to each other.

You don't have to pretend it's new. You don't have to pretend anything. It's a real life PS4 that works and is ready to play.

What will he get upset at?

-- Vik

[FrugalKube]

I'd check cheapassgamer and Amazon Warehouse. Good luck, anyone who games should regularly check CAG for deals

[Mrkineticz]

Suck it up and pay for a new one but refurbs also have warranty you might want to look into that. One mistake I made was I sold my ps3 for peanuts to game stop and I wish I didnt. Keep the ps3 to stream netflix.

[Imustacheyouaquestion]

Engineerjourney, have you seen this bonus credit of $80 for trading in a PS3 on Amazon? If your husband is willing to give up the PS3 to trade up, this might be an option. Could also probably raise some extra cash by selling the old games for that system too.

http://deals.kinja.com/trade-in-your-old-console-to-get-a-ps4-for-50-off-or-m-1698076696?rev=1429132720796

[Ricky]

I paid $300 for my 660GT a little over 2 years ago. It's handled ever single game I've tried to play while running at a higher FPS and resolution than the PS4. That card now goes for $100-150 used. You can get a GTX970 for the same price I paid nearly and get DOUBLE the performance, meaning it will blow any PS4 out of the water in terms of performance and graphics.

Plus, I pay no additional subscriptions to play online.

If he's really stuck on the PS4 after you've given him a chance to research better PC options, just buy it. I mean, he's maxing out his 401k, who's going to judge him for doing something he enjoys doing?

[JLee]

I paid $300 for my 660GT a little over 2 years ago. It's handled ever single game I've tried to play while running at a higher FPS and resolution than the PS4. That card now goes for $100-150 used. You can get a GTX970 for the same price I paid nearly and get DOUBLE the performance, meaning it will blow any PS4 out of the water in terms of performance and graphics.

Plus, I pay no additional subscriptions to play online.

If he's really stuck on the PS4 after you've given him a chance to research better PC options, just buy it. I mean, he's maxing out his 401k, who's going to judge him for doing something he enjoys doing?

That's assuming the rest of the computer is up to par.  I have always been a PC gamer, never really got into consoles - but I won't pretend that building a midrange/high end gaming PC will be cheaper than a console.

[FrugalKube]

Any luck finding a good deal on one yet?

[Spondulix]

Employee discount... if you can find someone who works there.

[engineerjourney]

Thanks for the continued info!

He is not very much into the computer game interface and much prefers the console, for now at least. 

Any luck finding a good deal on one yet?

Well, it hasn't come back up.  We have been really busy at work so we might be waiting a little while again, which gives me more of a chance to find a good deal.  It helps that I guess a lot of the games they were supposed to release forever ago are still not out and he gets to play with our friend on his PS4 about once a week.  We will see how long it takes for us to actually get one :)

[FrugalKube]

I'll keep an eye out for a reasonable one and let you know

[YoungInvestor]

Glad to hear you're not going to try to fool him with a used one.

He's trusting you to keep an eye on finances, but he's a working adult and should not be treated like a kid. Good on you!