what is better referbish consoles or brand new?

Although refurbished my be a little cheaper, brand new is always best. You never know what original problem the refurbished had and if it will pop up again. Either way you go, do get the warranty - just in case!

It is hard to say if one is better than another. A new PS3 has never been used. A refurbished PS3 is a PS3 that had a problem and has been repaired to "like new" condition, and will still have a warranty (if refurbished by the manufacturer).

If the issue that was fixed is fixed by an upgraded part, then the refurbished device would be the better one, because it has the updated part, where as the new device would not have the updated part, and could possibly fail because of it.

With all of that said, as far as the PS3 is concerned, the new PS3 is the better PS3. Why, because you can get the extended warranty from Sony, which is much better than any warranty a third-party (Best Buy, GameStop, etc) supplies.

If you buy a new PS3, then get the extended warranty from Sony, not from where you buy it from. Sony has a 1-year or 2-year extended warranty, which means you actually get 1 or 2 years more, it doesn't run at the same time as the manufacturer warranty.

If you buy Best Buy's 2 year warranty, then it is actually only covered for 2 years total, as the 1st year runs at the same time as Sony's 1-year manufacturer warranty, then you get one additional year. Sony's warranty gives you 3 years total, the 1-year manufacturer warranty, then the 2-year extended warranty (2 years total if you go with the 1-year warranty, which is still cheaper than retail stores).

So I suggest you get a new PS3, and then buy Sony's 2-year extended warranty, which will give you a full 3 years of warranty. Also, Sony's warranty is a "no questions asked" warranty, which means you could drop the PS3 in water, and they would still fix the PS3.

Here is Sony's extended warranty: http://us.playstation.com/support/protection-plan/...

Sony was running a deal on the PSN that you could get the 2-year warranty for the same price as the 1-year warranty if you have PS Plus. If you don't have PS Plus, then this will not apply to you. If you do have PS Plus, you must do the warranty through the PSN, not on the phone, or you don't get the discount.

You can purchase the extended warranty from Sony any time within the first year you buy the PS3, which means you do not have to purchase it right-away, as long as you do it before the 1-year manufacturer warranty runs out (you must have your receipt, so don't lose it, I keep mine in my PS3 box).

Also, just so you are aware, retail stores do not send the PS3 to Sony when you use their warranty, so it is possible that a PS3 they fix will not be fixed correctly. They have the right to give you a new unit, but they usually don't, as their warranties are to make money, not make sure your product is protected.

Refurbished* consoles are used ones that are returned, spruced up & put back on sale.

New ones are obviously, new.

So the likelihood of a refurbished lasting longer than a new isn't that good.

they work about the same. refurbished just means that they have been restored to original factory settings and parts.