Cheap PS4: Where to get Sony's current-gen console for the best price

Although Sony's PS4 is cheaper than the Xbox One, there's still some places you can go to get it for even less

Sony's PS4 is due a price cut, but there's still places to find it cheap (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

The PS4 is currently proving the console to beat, with a host of great games up for release and, importantly, a lower sticker price than its main competitor, the Xbox One.

However, even though Japan and North America have got a price cut on their PS4s, there's still no sign of a European discount.

The PS4 is still the cheaper option - the 1 terabyte version bundled with FIFA 16 costs the same as Microsoft's 500GB Xbox One - but it's still a significant wad of cash to drop in one go.

However, by shopping around carefully, you can find some decent discounts that can help you update to the current generation of gaming for a lower price.

eBay

when it comes to buying tech like this, eBay has a bad reputation.

Everyone's heard stories about someone winning an auction for a new console on launch day, only to receive a postcard of a crudely-drawn PlayStation in the post weeks later.

Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images (Gamers queue to buy the PS4 on launch day in London)

However, there's a number of established shops and trusted sellers that can undercut the big retailers due to lower costs.

For example, on ShopTo, one of eBay's bigger games retailers, you can buy the 1TB PS4 for £265.

It's a decent discount compared to other places, but all you get is the box, containing your PS4 and a controller.

There's no games or extra perks bundled in with this deal, so that's worth bearing in mind if you're after a saving.

However, 10 minutes of browsing throws up hundreds of listings from trusted sellers, some of which have games and extra controllers bundled - if you're looking for a bargain, you're likely to find it here.

GAME

Once a staple of the high street, GAME was forced to close 277 of their shops in 2012 after going into administration.

However, there's still some shops left, and they're going strong online - offering a pretty good deal on PS4s.

At the moment, you can get a 1TB PS4, a copy of FIFA 16 and a 3 month's access to streaming service Now TV for £300.

FIFA 16 for the PS4 costs around £45 on its own, so with the streaming service thrown in, you've already saved money when compared to eBay.

Smyths

Smyths toy shop have apparently moved into the 21st century, and are selling the 1TB PS4, an extra controller, and a copy of Fifa 14 for £330.

Sony's well-received new Dualshock 4 controller costs around £40 on its own, and it's pretty tragic to play FIFA by yourself - so this could be a good buy if you want to make the most of offline multiplayer at a lower price.

Do you need 1TB of storage?

The top-end PS4 comes with 1TB of storage built in, which is pretty huge.

It's useful to have that much storage if you're planning on downloading films or games from PlayStation Plus.

Reports from PS4 users who use this feature a lot say the 500GB hard drive is filling up fairly quickly, and recommend getting the 1TB.

However, if most of your games and other media are physical, or if you're planning on using streaming services like Netflix to watch movies, then you might not need the extra 500GB.

If you do go for the smaller version, you could make some savings - one well-rated eBay seller is currently selling the 500GB version bundled with The Last of Us for only £290.

And if you find yourself running out of space, you can always buy an external hard drive, or replace the PS4's built in hard drive.