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With prices rising, securing a modern console isn't dirt cheap even if the golden age of owning that system is nearly over. You can choose a more affordable competitor , or stick with the current one and buy it used. For the PlayStation 5 in particular, you'll want to dip into the used market, but be careful about which model you buy. One of the early launch models, the CFI-1100/1000, has had potential issues with liquid metal leaking , which can make repairs costly or force you to replace the model entirely.

Eventually, newer models eliminated these issues when Sony quietly revised the liquid metal encasing and used an updated heatsink to improve the layout. Of course, when you're shopping the pre-owned market, it is tough to pinpoint what the console has been through and how severe those issues were. Sometimes, it is just the PlayStation 5 overheating, with loud fans indicating the console is dealing with high temperatures (by cooling it down).…