With both next-gen consoles officially here, would-be customers are scrounging the internet to find the best PS4 trade in for PS5 deals (or the Xbox equivalent) to switch out their old systems for a brand new one. But, given that stock is limited at best and 2020 is, well... 2020, those kind of offers are hard to come by right now, to say the least.
Luckily, those making the switch from one generation to the next have a number of options available beyond PS4 trade in for PS5 deals when it comes to finding a new home for the consoles currently sitting beneath our screens. All of them are fairly viable, too, either making you some money, making someone's day, or saving the planet from one more piece of electronic waste. Read below for all the advice you need on what to do with your PS4 or Xbox One, and how you can go about doing it.
Recycle
If we want the games industry to survive another few more console cycles, then we need to do more to maintain a healthier and happier planet. Both the PS4 and Xbox One systems are embarrassingly energy inefficient, for example, so the least we can do to make up for that hefty carbon footprint is ensure they don't end up in a landfill site for the next century and beyond. Thankfully, it's now easier than ever to recycle used game entertainment systems, as the Microsoft operated CEXCHANGE program lets you send in your old console for free, and they'll do the rest.
Recycling can also involve simply selling the system on to someone else, and you can easily do this via a number of sites such as Craigslist in the US, or Gumtree in the UK. So long as you're not pulling people's legs with an exaggerated price point, you'll quickly find interested parties in your local area, many of whom will be happy to come collect the console from your home, saving you even the hassle of postage and packaging.
Trade-in
Trading in your old system for a better markup on its successor is a tradition dating back almost as far as console generations themselves, and it's still a viable way to get rid of your existing machine while saving money on a next-gen transition in the process. Given the limited amount of stock available, and current lockdown situations around the world, PS4-to-PS5 and Xbox One-to-Xbox Series X trade-in offers are hard to find at the moment, but will likely only become more prevalent as we head into 2021.
At the moment, US retailer GameStop is offering up to $200 in trade-in value for an Xbox One X or PS4 Pro, 175$ for a 1TB PS4, $125 for a 500GB or Xbox One S, and $100 for 500GB Xbox One, and all of that money can then be used on your purchase of a PS5 or Xbox Series X. As for the UK, GAME and other high store retailers aren't currently promoting any trade-in deals at present, but we'll let you know if/when this changes.
Hand down/Donate
If you have siblings or close friends with any interest in gaming, then handing your PS4 or Xbox One down to them, providing they don't already own one, is a no brainer. Heck, you could even offer it up as a blu-ray player/general entertainment system to your parents. Who knows? Maybe they'll end up couch co-oping Divinity: Original Sin 2 together...
You can also donate your console to charity, with organisations like Gamers Outreach and Charity Nerds putting your machines to good use, entertaining children in hospitals across the United States. For those in the UK, Get Well Gamers is always looking for console donations, too.
Keep
There is, of course, the possibility that you don't bother getting rid of your console in the first place. If it's in good nick, for example, you might consider preserving it as a collector's item. There's also the unthinkable, but nonetheless plausible possibility that you may have to send your Xbox Series X or PS5 away for repairs one day, at which point you'll thank yourself for holding onto their predecessors, giving you something to play on in the meantime.
Holding onto your console makes even more sense if you purchase an Xbox Series S or All-Digital PS5, as the lack of a disc drive on those consoles means they won't be able to play any of your existing physical copies of backwards compatible titles. With that in mind, it's absolutely worth holding on to your PS4/Xbox One, just in case, years from now, you stumble across your old library of games in the attic, and get a hankering to replay them all over again.
Finally, if you're the sentimental type, you may just want to hang onto the machine for the memories, digging it back out every now and again like you would a treasured photo book, reminding yourself of all the good times you had together. N'awh.
For more, be sure to check out all the biggest upcoming games of 2020 on the way, or watch the latest episode of Dialogue Options below.
