I noticed the other day at EB that refurbished and used Gamecubes sell for different prices (refurbished are like $10 more). I know refurbished means they've been fixed somehow, but why charge more for those? Is there some kind of extra warranty time on them that you don't get with a regular used gamecube? Do they not test the used Gamecubes at all to see if they work or something?
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What's the difference between a "refurbished" Gamecube and a plain "used" one at EB?
- Thread starter teiresias
- Start date
Probably means they have a new laser, maybe some other changes as well. The $10 extra is probably to cover the cost of installing the new laser
I'd guess a refurbished one is as good as a new one. A used one SHOULD be fine but it all depends on how it's been used in the past.
But it's a GC...these things work perfectly, without any problems at all. It's a shame every console isn't as reliable/sturdy as the GC
I'd guess a refurbished one is as good as a new one. A used one SHOULD be fine but it all depends on how it's been used in the past.
But it's a GC...these things work perfectly, without any problems at all. It's a shame every console isn't as reliable/sturdy as the GC
sonycowboy
Member
teiresias said:
Refurbished Gamecube & Xboxes come directly from Nintendo & Microsoft and are counted in the monthly NPD numbers. Used systems are from EB/Gamestop and are "tested" or "repaired" by them directly. They sell for a little bit less and do not count towards NPD.
Don't know about warranties w/refurbished (90 days? One year?)
123rl said:
They fail, just like any other piece of electronics equipment. My first GC died a week out of the box (drive mechanism stopped working). I'd be interested in knowing the fail rates on various consoles, although obviously the manufacturers probably aren't too keen on releasing that info. Opinions on game forums always seems to lean towards "Playstation and Xbox systems have all sorts of problems while Nintendo's systems are rock-solid". However, in my personal experience both my Playstation and PS2 still work perfectly as does my Xbox despite much heavier use than the equivalent Nintendo systems. Over the years the only systems I've had problems with have been Nintendo and Sega consoles (original NES: dreaded blinking blue screen, SNES: broken cart lock and broken pieces of plastic inside pads after a few weeks of use, Gamecube: dead disc drive, Gameboy SP: 3 straight systems with one or more stuck pixels, Sega Genesis: video output problem, Sega Saturn: drive failure, Sega Dreamcast: drive failure). Anectdotal evidence is fun!
PC Gaijin said:They fail, just like any other piece of electronics equipment. My first GC died a week out of the box (drive mechanism stopped working). I'd be interested in knowing the fail rates on various consoles, although obviously the manufacturers probably aren't too keen on releasing that info. Opinions on game forums always seems to lean towards "Playstation and Xbox systems have all sorts of problems while Nintendo's systems are rock-solid". However, in my personal experience both my Playstation and PS2 still work perfectly as does my Xbox despite much heavier use than the equivalent Nintendo systems. Over the years the only systems I've had problems with have been Nintendo and Sega consoles (original NES: dreaded blinking blue screen, SNES: broken cart lock and broken pieces of plastic inside pads after a few weeks of use, Gamecube: dead disc drive, Gameboy SP: 3 straight systems with one or more stuck pixels, Sega Genesis: video output problem, Sega Saturn: drive failure, Sega Dreamcast: drive failure). Anectdotal evidence is fun!
There's also a shitload more PS2 owners out there to tell you their failure stories. I wouldn't be surprised the Gamecube is failing almost as often as a PS2.
PC Gaijin said:
i thought i had a drive failure on my dreamcast (wouldnt read any discs, it would just go bios screen) but it actually was a the open lid lever wasnt lining up with the part of the lid that went down into the system... opened it up and scotch taped a small piece of a sponge to the open lid lever and it works flawlessly now
btw i bought a GC at launch and a PS2 last november... which one do you think broke first?
Squirrel Killer
Member
PC Gaijin said:
Jesus, that's a bad record, ever consider that the only consistant feature of all your dissatisfying relationships is you?
Nah, I had a Saturn (note: not the one with drive failure) that had that problem. I used the same solution :lol. In the case of the DC, the drive motor (the one that turns the spindle) starting making noise and eventually it locked up (wouldn't spin up at all). The laser mechanism still moved ok and there wasn't a problem with the lid. I got a replacement drive from NCS (this was before the DC died so getting a new drive was still cheaper than buying another system), put it in and everything worked fine. I still use that system.
Jesus, that's a bad record, ever consider that the only consistant feature of all your dissatisfying relationships is you?
Depends. Perhaps Nintendo/Sega consoles and I don't get along. At any rate keep in mind that I have a lot of systems (for example, four DCs and three Saturns) and some of them actually work! Sometimes...
and that's why there's a shitload more PS2 failure stories.Wyzdom said:
I still don't see what benefit there is in mentioning non-GC systems and/or their defect rates in this thread.
Refurbished GCs are systems which you know can work... FuncoLand used to offer a different warranty set for their refurbs but I'm not sure how the stores handle them now.
Used GCs are fine as long as you're willing to roll the dice on how well the previous owner cared for it and how well the EB employee checked the system on the day it came in.