Hardware Thinking of getting a used Vita off Kijiji, anything in particular I should look out for?

[bunny5390]

So I'm thinking of getting a used Vita, and so far Kijiji seems to have the best prices (Haven't checked eBay, but I prefer to be able to take a look at the system in person if I'm not getting it from a store).

Anyway, I was wondering if there's anything in particular I should look out for. I saw in the other thread to look out for screen scratches, as well as OLED burn-in since I'm probably getting a PCH-1000. Anything else in particular?

Also, a couple of other questions:

1. The organic compounds in an OLED screen degrade over time. What kind of "over time" are we talking about? 20 years? 10? 5? Already?

2. How do I check for OLED burn-in?

3. Some of the listings I'm seeing say their systems have only been used like 3-4 times. Does that mean the Li-ion battery might have issues from not charge cycling much? Is it easy to replace, and will I have to pay through the nose?

4. Besides the better battery life and non-proprietary cable, are there any other big advantages of the PCH-2000 over the PCH-1000? I'm a sucker for visual quality, so I'll probably get the 1000 anyway, but I wanna know what I'll be missing I've heard better design, does that mean ergonomically?

5. As above, any other things to look out for?

Thank you!

 

[leonmagnus99]

when i first had my vita, new and unboxed it and after a couple days i noticed the 'degration' the blotches, but they appear only on black backgrounds , not the pitch black , but more like the backlight of when you are in a game and it goes black as it is loading.

but it is not too distracting, and i am a person with awful OCD.
and i was just fine with it, as for the battery.

the battery is pretty decent.
get the oled if you want deep blacks in gaming /i think it also has more vibrant color depth, or the newer if you want to avoid seeing blotches. (it is also a good screen)
just make sure its below 3.61

 

[Deleted member 333767]

Make sure its firmware version is lower than 3.61, thats about it

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So I'm thinking of getting a used Vita, and so far Kijiji seems to have the best prices (Haven't checked eBay, but I prefer to be able to take a look at the system in person if I'm not getting it from a store).

Anyway, I was wondering if there's anything in particular I should look out for. I saw in the other thread to look out for screen scratches, as well as OLED burn-in since I'm probably getting a PCH-1000. Anything else in particular?

Also, a couple of other questions:

1. The organic compounds in an OLED screen degrade over time. What kind of "over time" are we talking about? 20 years? 10? 5? Already?

2. How do I check for OLED burn-in?

3. Some of the listings I'm seeing say their systems have only been used like 3-4 times. Does that mean the Li-ion battery might have issues from not charge cycling much? Is it easy to replace, and will I have to pay through the nose?

4. Besides the better battery life and non-proprietary cable, are there any other big advantages of the PCH-2000 over the PCH-1000? I'm a sucker for visual quality, so I'll probably get the 1000 anyway, but I wanna know what I'll be missing I've heard better design, does that mean ergonomically?

5. As above, any other things to look out for?

Thank you!

Battery should not be a problem as long as it has not been left for a long time (several months/years) with little or no charge. If the battery is completely discharged while in storage it is degraded and will probably no longer hold much charge, and might even inflate when you try to charge it, like my PSP battery did after having been unused for years. That's the only think you have to worry about with modern, quality batteries.

 

[bunny5390]

Thank you for the screen advice @leonmagnus99.

Battery should not be a problem as long as it has not been left for a long time (several months/years) with little or no charge. If the battery is completely discharged while in storage it is degraded and will probably no longer hold much charge, and might even inflate when you try to charge it, like my PSP battery did after having been unused for years. That's the only think you have to worry about with modern, quality batteries.

So I guess that means I should avoid those "Had if for 2 years, but pretty much brand new, only used it a few times" listings?

 

[Condarkness]

Well, you should ask what firmware they are on just to make sure. But in general just because they say they have had it for a few years doesn't necessarily mean that they update the firmware; such as my self. Make sure the firmware and tell them don't update it.