7 Tips to Getting the Used Gaming Hardware You Pay For Company: GameVortex.com Product: Used Hardware Admittedly, times are tough. It makes sense to find a deal on that extra controller - especially when you can pick up used hardware from several different places, cheaply and easily. However, if you purchase a used game controller without a box, parts list and instructions... you might find out that you don't have everything you need. Take, for example, a recent call we received. Someone called with a question about their recently purchased PDP Afterglow AP.2 controller. It's a great controller; I reviewed one a while back (link below). However, it seems that this gamer purchased one used that only included the controller and a USB cable. The AP.2 is rechargeable and this cable can be used to recharge the battery, but isn't used to sync the controller to your system. There is a button near the USB port on the controller that is used to sync-up the controller to its USB dongle, but without its dongle, an AP.2 controller will not work. This is actually the case for almost all PS3 gamepads that aren't made by Sony. The only exception I've ever reviewed is the Subsonic NEO (link below), which I assume uses some form of dark magic to connect to the PS3 without a dongle, since the Sony Corporation frowns on that. If you're going to purchase hardware second-hand, it pays to take a few precautions... 7 Tips to Buying Gaming Hardware Used: Deal with a reputable seller. This could be a local store that you've dealt with for some time or even someone on eBay who's got a lot of positive ratings and - preferably - that you've dealt with before. If you buy from someone you've never heard of, they might not be around if you find something's wrong. Ask about the return policy. Different places will have their own rules on how long you have to return something. Some may require that you have your receipt, while others may only allow store credit if you return something without a receipt, but you should know exactly what the policy is before purchasing, so you don't get any unwelcomed surprises if you have to try to return it. If possible, ask to try it out in-store. Some defects aren't readily obvious, but most are. If you try out a controller and the analog stick doesn't work in the up direction, you can find that out pretty quickly - even moving around in the PS3 menu can show this. Research. If you can't actually try it out before buying, at least familiarize yourself with the controller before making your purchase. A few moments worth of searching on the Internet (perhaps on your smart phone) may reveal the parts that are supposed to be included. Often, you can even find manuals online. Test it at home. Try it out at home as soon as possible after purchasing. You may be picking up a used controller as a gift for your brother for his birthday a few weeks away, but if you wait until then to try it out, it might be too late to return it if you find out the controller doesn't work. Ask for a Christmas or Gift Reciept. If you're purchasing used hardware as a gift - especially a seasonal gift - ask for a gift receipt or Christmas gift receipt. Many places have more lenient return policies for gifts given at the holidays, since you might purchase something a couple of months before the gift is even given to its intended recipient. Give a well thought-out Gift Card. In general, if you don't have the system, or you're not a gamer and you're buying the gift for someone else and can't test the hardware out properly, it might be best not to get used hardware as a gift. That doesn't mean you have to shell more money to get something new, however. Online sellers and nationwide chains such as Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy and Walmart all have gift cards, often with videogame themes. Give a gift card with a suggestion based on what hardware you were considering purchasing and you have given purchasing power as well as shown that you had something personal in mind. It's up to them whether they want the controller you suggested or a different one, but they may be more familiar with games, so this could work out better than if you had made an uninformed decision. As a technophile, I learned at an early age that the secondary message of the Christmas season is, "Batteries not included." If you want to make sure that a gift can be used on Christmas Eve, you'll want to make sure the batteries have been accounted for and, in the case of used gaming hardware, you want to make sure that all of the pieces are there, as well. Follow the above steps and, hopefully, you'll be spared the embarrassment and frustration of an unusable gift this holiday season. -Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins Related Links: Game Vortex's Review of the AP.2 (PS3) Game Vortex's Review of the NEO (PS3) How to Sync an AP.2 Controller to A PS3 on Yahoo Answers Buy an Amazon Videogames Gift Card at Amazon Buy a GameStop Gift Card at Amazon