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Vita's are going for cheap prices on Craigslist...

11K views 138 replies 28 participants last post by  dragonyeuw 
#1 ·
This might be a scenario that is only occurring in my local area, but if what is happening here is anything to go by, then anybody looking to buy a PS Vita should immediately head to Craigslist. When you get there, you will most likely find about 10 different Vita sell threads. Most of the guys will be asking for $350 or $400 for these packages with memory cards and games, and maybe a case or something. A few of them will have it around $275 or $250, for a Vita with a small mem card and one game.


Here is what I've paid for the Vitas:


1st Vita - 3G version with power cable - $190


2nd Vita - 3G Version with box, AR cards, power cable/usb cable - $200


3rd Vita - 3G Version with box, AR cards, power cable/usb cable - $197


4th Vita - Wi-Fi version with box, AR cards, power/usb cable - $157




All 4 of them were in flawless condition. No scratches or blemishes of any kind. I've also got memory cards and games and cases at extremely cheap prices as well. So, if you're looking for a Vita package, definitely go to Craigslist. The key is to find a Vita owner that is impatient and wants money right away. I did that in all 4 situations. All 4 needed the money and had to deal with a heavy loss on their investment, which sucks for them, but being an early adopter in new technologies can be very dangerous.



It does have me a bit worried though. So many people in my area have Vita's for sale, that I seem to be unable to sell my 3rd Vita. It seems that the demand on the black market for this handheld is very low. It's criminal that I've got these beautiful pieces of hardware for an average of $186. That hardware is way too good for me to be getting my hands on it for that cheap. Makes me a bit worried about it's future.
 
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#52 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21897847


Sony needs to get in gear quick, whatever they're doing, because judging from some of the boards there's a lot of 'doom' and 'gloom' and predictions of failure. Poor perception for a console that's just over a month old in the global marketplace.... there just isn't any momentum for this thing right now.

The worse news is that Sony overall is dying. They just announced a new corporate initiative to focus on their gaming and mobile divisions (since that's the only place they're making any money) along with major cuts to other divisions--something on the order of 10,000 jobs. Hopefully this means they'll be realigning their efforts behind Vita because now all of their eggs are going into just a couple of baskets.


If Vita fails, so too might Sony. So they'll either fold or double down. Probably means it's worth waiting to see what Sony does.


EDIT:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1 /forum/post/0


Was that in Japan? How did you get the US numbers?

Yeah, those were sales numbers for Japan. Weekly figures had been hovering around 10,000 for the last few weeks, and then this past week they fell even further to just below 9,000.
 
#53 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1 /forum/post/21898423


Was that in Japan? How did you get the US numbers?

My bad, it could very well have been the Japanese numbers. I'll have to check out the board I got that info from. Probably should have made absolutely sure the region before saying anything.
 
#54 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by number1laing /forum/post/21898554



If anything, the 3DS crowd had more optimism, because Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 were inevitable and guaranteed to be great and system-sellers. There is nothing comparable on the Vita. Gravity Daze is not going to move systems and Bioshock is vaporware.

That's just it, Sony has some good exclusives, but do they attract the same kind of dedicated fanbase that Mario and Zelda has? I'd reckon not. Would I buy Uncharted, God of War, Wipeout and so forth if I owned a Vita? Absolutely. Would I buy a Vita JUST to play those games? Not really....of course YMMV.

Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman /forum/post/21898555


The worse news is that Sony overall is dying. They just announced a new corporate initiative to focus on their gaming and mobile divisions (since that's the only place they're making any money) along with major cuts to other divisions--something on the order of 10,000 jobs. Hopefully this means they'll be realigning their efforts behind Vita because now all of their eggs are going into just a couple of baskets.


If Vita fails, so too might Sony. So they'll either fold or double down. Probably means it's worth waiting to see what Sony does.


Yep, here's an article from Gamespot about this:



Sony focusing on games to revitalize

April 12, 2012 6:40AM PDT

Eddie Makuch

By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Follow


Technology giant introduces "One Sony" plan aiming to help company return to profitabilty with focus on game business unit; 10,000 layoffs confirmed.


Sony will focus in part on games to help the company return to profitability, the technology giant announced today, after it was reported the firm would suffer a $6.4 billion full-year net loss and cut as many as 10,000 jobs.

Sony is looking to games to turn the ship around


Sony is looking to games to turn the ship around


Titled the "One Sony" approach, the initiative plans to focus Sony's efforts on its three core business units: digital imaging, game, and mobile. The company's plan is to generate about 70 percent of total sales and 85 percent of operating income from these business sectors by fiscal 2014.


In the game unit, Sony said it plans to continue to deliver "exhilarating entertainment experiences" for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, as well as leverage its other gaming endeavors like accessories and peripherals. Sony will also aim to increase sales by adding new titles and subscription services to the PlayStation Network.


Additionally, Sony will beef up the slate of PlayStation Suite devices and content in an effort to spur sales. In sum, Sony said it is targeting its game business to record ¥1 trillion ($12.33 billion) and an operating income margin of 8 percent by fiscal 2014.


Outside of gaming, the company's One Sony plan aims to bolster sales by restructuring its television sector, expanding its business opportunities in emerging markets like India and Mexico, creating all-new businesses, and realigning its portfolio and optimizing resources.


Elsewhere in the One Sony plan, Sony confirmed it had cut 10,000 jobs, with the total bill for restructuring costs estimated to total ¥75 billion ($930 million).




From a gaming standpoint, this is a good thing if it means Sony is consolidating their efforts moreso towards the divisions actually making them money. It's very unfortunate about the job losses, though....
 
#55 ·
The other possible wrench in the works: one of the reasons that Sony is saying they had to revise their 2011 numbers (nearly doubling their expected losses) was because of a price cut to the PS3. That might mean that investors will put pressure on Sony not to lower the price of the Vita. Sony is going to have to get really creative at incentivizing it.
 
#56 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21898648


That's just it, Sony has some good exclusives, but do they attract the same kind of dedicated fanbase that Mario and Zelda has? I'd reckon not. Would I buy Uncharted, God of War, Wipeout and so forth if I owned a Vita? Absolutely. Would I buy a Vita JUST to play those games? Not really....of course YMMV.

I would say the only Sony franchise that really has a passionate fanbase and moves tons of units and hardware is Gran Turismo. What are the chances we get a legit GT Vita (not like the stripped down PSP game) anytime soon? I guarantee it'd move hardware. But we know how Polyphony works.


Sony systems have historically done well on third party games. They got lucky with Monster Hunter in Japan, but that's not exclusive anymore. So MH Vita won't do what MH PSP did.


And I don't see the COD crowd running to get a Vita, it just doesn't seem like a portable game crowd.
 
#57 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman /forum/post/21898696


The other possible wrench in the works: one of the reasons that Sony is saying they had to revise their 2011 numbers (nearly doubling their expected losses) was because of a price cut to the PS3. That might mean that investors will put pressure on Sony not to lower the price of the Vita. Sony is going to have to get really creative at incentivizing it.

Interesting...yeah no wiggle room there. I still think it's a heck of a lot easier for them to bundle in a 4gb card with the wi-fi model, seeing as the 3g model comes with the 8gb. Personally, I'm fine with paying $249 for the system, and I would like to buy some cheap PSN games for it. But I'm not subscribing to their ridiculous pricing for the higher capacity storage cards. If Sony is serious about pushing DD, they've got to make storage more affordable.


Having said that, since they're realigning their resources to focus more on gaming, perhaps that will give them some breathing room to offer some decent incentives and not hurt their bottomline. For example, $249 wifi model with 4gb card and $20 PSN credit bundle. How feasible would something like that be? They've got to try something to drum up interest.
 
#58 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by number1laing /forum/post/21898703


Sony systems have historically done well on third party games. They got lucky with Monster Hunter in Japan, but that's not exclusive anymore. So MH Vita won't do what MH PSP did.

The problem is that the PSP soured third parties to Sony's portable devices. It's an uphill battle to get them back on board. There's been a lot of talk, but so far not much to show for it other than ports of console games. Again, we'll see at E3.

Quote:
And I don't see the COD crowd running to get a Vita, it just doesn't seem like a portable game crowd.

If Sony could get a CoD-quality FPS running online without considerable lag, they'd be minting gold.
 
#59 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by number1laing /forum/post/21898703


I would say the only Sony franchise that really has a passionate fanbase and moves tons of units and hardware is Gran Turismo. What are the chances we get a legit GT Vita (not like the stripped down PSP game) anytime soon? I guarantee it'd move hardware. But we know how Polyphony works.

I'm sure, based on what I've seen of the Vita, that it's perfectly capable of producing a full GT experience. I'm not much into that franchise myself, but that would certainly move units. I'll make a slight correction to what I said earlier; I would buy a Vita for Uncharted, as I love that series( as does my wife and son). But I wouldn't pay $49 for a portable version of it, and I've heard mixed things about Golden Cradle......
 
#60 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman /forum/post/21898739


The problem is that the PSP soured third parties to Sony's portable devices.

Which would certainly explain the rather paltry trickling out of 3rd party games over the coming months, just looking at the release schedule. As you say, alot of ports of PS3/360 games, but I don't see any evidence that developers are prepared to invest in creating some original Vita-specific IPs. They're very much in wait-and-see mode ( I'm assuming they want to see how 'hack-proof' Vita is as far as game piracy goes?) and of course wanting the user-base to expand considerably before taking any risks.
 
#61 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21898817


Which would certainly explain the rather paltry trickling out of 3rd party games over the coming months, just looking at the release schedule. As you say, alot of ports of PS3/360 games, but I don't see any evidence that developers are prepared to invest in creating some original Vita-specific IPs. They're very much in wait-and-see mode ( I'm assuming they want to see how 'hack-proof' Vita is as far as game piracy goes?) and of course wanting the user-base to expand considerably before taking any risks.

And the same third parties that used to devote resources to portables have moved their energies to mobile. The 3DS does well with its dedicated Japanese developers (both first and third party), but not so much with mobile-focused Western developers. The Vita's best bet is to get strong Japanese developer support (JRPGs, Monster Hunter, etc), but the Vita is selling like junk in Japan, so I don't see that happening.


Sony's really got their work cut out for them in winning over third-party publishers.
 
#62 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman /forum/post/21899359



Sony's really got their work cut out for them in winning over third-party publishers.

Funny that, considering how third parties were like moths to a flame for, most notably, ps1/ps2. I'm very curious to see their plan for attracting them to Vita. Perhaps Sony is doing all this realigning and reorganizing to free up $$$ to throw at those publishers?
 
#63 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21900171


Funny that, considering how third parties were like moths to a flame for, most notably, ps1/ps2. I'm very curious to see their plan for attracting them to Vita. Perhaps Sony is doing all this realigning and reorganizing to free up $$$ to throw at those publishers?


Well, everybody knows that Sony has a PS4 that will likely be ready to go head to head with Microsoft next year. The leaks have been all over the place in regards to PS4. If publishers want an early dev kit for PS4, Sony could require them to make a PS Vita game. Obviously, they wouldn't do this with all the huge developers that they NEED to be working on the PS4, but any of the lower tier publishers, they could use a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" philosophy.
 
#64 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1 /forum/post/21904056


If publishers want an early dev kit for PS4, Sony could require them to make a PS Vita game. Obviously, they wouldn't do this with all the huge developers that they NEED to be working on the PS4, but any of the lower tier publishers, they could use a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" philosophy.

But why would a lower-tier publisher want to do this? It would cost them more money. They'd simply go to another platform. There are far more platform competitors now than there were five years ago, and many of them are incredibly cheap to develop for.


At this point, Sony needs to do everything they can to win publishers over, not scare them away. The only solution is for Sony to open up the platform as much as possible. But their history with hackers (PSN) and pirates (PSP) has scared them away from open-ness.
 
#65 ·
#66 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21904406

http://www.gamestop.com/collection/s...0DK6moSZixw11w


Gamestop deal from Apr 13-26: Buy a Vita, get a free game( choose between Wipeout, Modracers, Hot shots golf) and a free case.


I'm weakening......slowly.

I think the deals will be better in a few months. And there will be more features and games to make it worthwhile. I think I'm back in the camp that was waiting. Now that rough sales estimates for March are rolling in (~200k in the US), we'll start seeing a bigger push from Sony and retailers.
 
#67 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by confidenceman /forum/post/21904113


But why would a lower-tier publisher want to do this? It would cost them more money. They'd simply go to another platform. There are far more platform competitors now than there were five years ago, and many of them are incredibly cheap to develop for.

Well, it's been proven that there is a real opportunity for publishers to launch a brand new franchise during the early days of a consoles lifecycle. A franchise that could become a powerhouse type franchise for the publisher and developer. With the 360, you had Oblivion, which was supposed to be a launch game, but got delayed a couple of months, but was still a very early 360 game. Oblivion became a force for Bethesda, who wasn't the largest gaming company at that particular time. Look at them now.


The PS3 saw the birth of Motorstrom. Motorstorm is a game that has been very successful for Evolution Studios, so much so in fact, that Sony ended up buying them outright.


Basically, the point I'm trying to make, is that when you have a brand new gaming console, there is always that chance to come out with a new IP, and grow that IP along with that new console, and the possibility of that IP becoming a huge force in gaming.
 
#68 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21904406

http://www.gamestop.com/collection/s...0DK6moSZixw11w


Gamestop deal from Apr 13-26: Buy a Vita, get a free game( choose between Wipeout, Modracers, Hot shots golf) and a free case.


I'm weakening......slowly.

i like the other deal they have, the simulview 3d tv and two games and two glasses for $299.... if I were freshman year of college I'd jump all of that deal... but I don't have anyplace to put that tv now.
 
#69 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1 /forum/post/21905468


Basically, the point I'm trying to make, is that when you have a brand new gaming console, there is always that chance to come out with a new IP, and grow that IP along with that new console, and the possibility of that IP becoming a huge force in gaming.

Absolutely. I just don't think Sony will force PS3 publishers into doing it.
 
#70 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21904406

http://www.gamestop.com/collection/s...0DK6moSZixw11w


Gamestop deal from Apr 13-26: Buy a Vita, get a free game( choose between Wipeout, Modracers, Hot shots golf) and a free case.


I'm weakening......slowly.


Well......guess I was weak enough. I was on holiday in NYC this weekend and took advantage of this deal. I'm going to sell off Wipeout and the case though, not big into that series so may as well sell it while I can get something decent for it, and the case is kinda crappy. Picked up an 8gb card too and put some demos, videos, and the free games on it.


Now I'm waiting for some of the launch software to drop to $20( I'm looking at you Rayman Origins, Blazblue, Hotshots Golf and Lumines), and based off what I've seen and played, Gravity Rush is a definite purchase as well as Resistance......
 
#71 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21925467



Now I'm waiting for some of the launch software to drop to $20( I'm looking at you Rayman Origins, Blazblue, Hotshots Golf and Lumines), and based off what I've seen and played, Gravity Rush is a definite purchase as well as Resistance......


Why didn't you just get Hot Shots golf with it then? The most you'll be able to sell Wipeout for is about $23 or $24 max, and if you sell it via Ebay they take about 20 percent of that in fees.


As for the other games, if you check Craigslist, you can sometimes find Vita games from anywhere as cheap as 17 bucks (Little Deviants), up to 30 bucks for Uncharted. Most games sell for around $22 to $24 used. A few games use the online pass, so be careful when it comes to that. Hot Shots Golf is one of the games that uses the online pass. (wipeout, MLB and Unit 13 are the others). If the online pass has been used in those games, chop another $10 off it's price.


On Ebay, most of the games go for about $25 or $26 each, with shipping, if you are patient.
 
#72 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1 /forum/post/21928028


Why didn't you just get Hot Shots golf with it then?

There's a little bit of a story there:


1st Gamestop I visited opposite Macy's on 34th St. didn't have the free case, and couldn't do the deal until they got more in. Neither did the GS across the street in Manhattan Mall. I was staying with friends in New Jersey, so wound up going to a GS in that area. That store only had one copy of Hot Shots, and it was gutted but still being sold as 'new'( which I loathe). That left Wipeout and Modracers, neither of which I'm that interested in, but figured Wipeout would have greater appeal and resale value. Having said that, a co-worker of mine has Wipeout and he says it's really good, so who knows maybe I'll be inspired enough by the demo to hang onto it.


In addition to what I mentioned earlier, I'm interested in Mortal Kombat as well, but since I own the 360 version already I'm not paying $40 for the Vita version( mind you, my threshold for handheld games is $30). Interested in Silent Hill book of memories as well, hopefully it turns out good.
 
#73 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonyeuw /forum/post/21928452


There's a little bit of a story there:


1st Gamestop I visited opposite Macy's on 34th St. didn't have the free case, and couldn't do the deal until they got more in. Neither did the GS across the street in Manhattan Mall. I was staying with friends in New Jersey, so wound up going to a GS in that area. That store only had one copy of Hot Shots, and it was gutted but still being sold as 'new'( which I loathe). That left Wipeout and Modracers, neither of which I'm that interested in, but figured Wipeout would have greater appeal and resale value. Having said that, a co-worker of mine has Wipeout and he says it's really good, so who knows maybe I'll be inspired enough by the demo to hang onto it.


In addition to what I mentioned earlier, I'm interested in Mortal Kombat as well, but since I own the 360 version already I'm not paying $40 for the Vita version( mind you, my threshold for handheld games is $30). Interested in Silent Hill book of memories as well, hopefully it turns out good.

If you haven't already opened that Wipeout, just take your receipt to another GameStop that has a factory sealed copy of Hot Shots. I'm sure they can swap the games somehow. In the long run, you'll probably be better off doing that, instead of trying to sell Wipeout and buy another used copy of Hot Shots that has an unused code.


As for your threshold being 30 bucks, you should try lowering that a bit. Try not to pay more than $26 for portable games. If you buy on Craiglist and Ebay and are patient, you can definitely get all your games for $26 or less. I will admit that I'm EXTREMELY tempted by Resistance. At the same time, I never pay full price, but this might be one time in which I actually do it. When Resistance comes out, it will definitely be the highest priced Vita game on the secondary market as well. Will probably go for $35 or so. Gravity Days and Mortal Kombat will probably go for $30 for awhile on the secondary market.
 
#74 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1 /forum/post/21928642


If you haven't already opened that Wipeout, just take your receipt to another GameStop that has a factory sealed copy of Hot Shots. I'm sure they can swap the games somehow. In the long run, you'll probably be better off doing that, instead of trying to sell Wipeout and buy another used copy of Hot Shots that has an unused code.


As for your threshold being 30 bucks, you should try lowering that a bit. Try not to pay more than $26 for portable games. If you buy on Craiglist and Ebay and are patient, you can definitely get all your games for $26 or less. I will admit that I'm EXTREMELY tempted by Resistance. At the same time, I never pay full price, but this might be one time in which I actually do it. When Resistance comes out, it will definitely be the highest priced Vita game on the secondary market as well. Will probably go for $35 or so. Gravity Days and Mortal Kombat will probably go for $30 for awhile on the secondary market.

Unfortunately going to another GameStop isn't an option. I live outside North America, and there's no GS store where I'm from. I actually picked up the vita the night before I left, so there was no time for me to exchange.


As to your second point, I'd prefer to directly support the developers as much as possible as opposed to buying on the used market. I'm past the point in my life where I need to buy a game at launch, and with games dropping in price so fast nowadays, many are in that $25-30 range within a few months anyway.
 
#75 ·
I just picked up my used vita on CL, came with fifa soccer and uncharted, 8gb card wifi version vita, a nerf case and the official PS carrying case.... got all that for $210.


Funny, though, just one run through the ps store with demos and free games and I only have less than 3 gb left on that card....
 
#76 ·
This thread got me to looking for one on craigslist and I was able to find a new in box 3g Vita for $200. Not too bad a deal. Been messing around with Little Big Planet on it.
 
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