The PlayStation 5 may be Sony’s golden child at the moment, but its predecessor is still going strong. The PS4 remains a solid option for those who aren’t ready to break the bank, thanks to its strong backlog of exclusives and cross-gen support that’s expected to last through 2021. If you don’t already own a video game console and are looking for Black Friday deals this year, there’s no harm in hanging back a generation. Here’s what you need to know if you want to take advantage of the Black Friday gaming deals and snap up a PS4 this holiday.
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Black Friday is the best time to buy a PS4 — but shop early deals
In theory, it shouldn’t be hard to get a PS4 this season. Many players have moved on to the new generation of consoles, making it easy to find an old one. That said, the current chip shortage has created an unpredictable market for tech. It’s hard to trust that anything will reliably be in stock for the holidays. As such, it doesn’t hurt to shop around for early deals. Prices aren’t going to get much lower on Black Friday anyway.
Don’t expect the system itself to be discounted much. Video game consoles don’t tend to go on sale; they just get permanent price cuts the deep their lifespan goes. There is one trick for cutting the cost down though: buying used. Since so many players are trading in their PS4 for a new system, you can get a used one relatively cheap. You can get a refurbished PS4 for $270
There are plenty of bundle deals to keep an eye out for too. Retailers like GameStop tend to throw a few games in with the console, adding some long-term savings. For example, you can grab a refurbished PS4 with Fallout 4, Borderlands 3, and Just Cause 4 for $330. Look for deals that include a PS Plus subscription too if you’re looking for some long-term value that’ll carry over when you upgrade to PS5 eventually.
Why buy a PS4
You’re probably wondering why you should buy a PS4 right now when we’re one year into the PS5’s lifespan. It’s a fair question, but it really just depends on your needs. If you just want a game console to pass the time and don’t care much about keeping up, an older console can be a much cheaper entry point while you wait for next-gen systems to get a price cut. You can always trade it in later, so it’s certainly not a waste.
With the PS4 especially, first-time owners are getting a lot of value. The console sports one of the best game libraries of any system, period. That’s thanks to hits like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and Uncharted 4. While those games are slowly starting to trickle to PC, the PS4 is still a reliable way to run them all if you don’t have a great PC. You could spend years simply catching up on the best exclusives the console has to offer.
You’re not missing out on too many PS5 games either. While you won’t be able to play titles like Returnal or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Sony is still supporting both generations. Horizon Forbidden West will launch on PS4 alongside PS5 in February and you can still play titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales on an old system. You won’t get the DualSense features, but that’s more of an extra than anything.
And let’s face it: the PS5 is still an absolute pain to find. There’s no telling how long you’ll need to wait until you can actually find one. If you’re simply just looking to play some PlayStation titles, the PS4 is a quick solution. The tech is outdated, but a PS4 Pro will at least help you bridge the gap a little. Waiting it out isn’t such a terrible idea either. You never know if we’ll get a PS5 Slim in the next year or two, cutting down the system’s $500 price tag. Slow and steady saves $100 sometimes.
