Bob the Pleo Forums
Pleo Stuff => Pleo Archives => Archive -- Non-pleo => Topic started by: Comarorobotcollector on January 17, 2013, 10:26:51 AM
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My mom says she might get me one if its the only thing i ask for which would be best for next christmas?
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If you want cute, get pleo. If you want super intelligenxe, get the aibo ers 7 mind 3. If you like cuteness and intelligence, get both...
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You need to think about how much money your mum might be thinking of spending on you for Christmas. A pleo RB depending on where you are and where you can buy it from will cost around $500 but an Aibo may well be a lot more than that. It depends on which type of Aibo you are thinking of going for. An ers7 can cost between $1000 and $3000 depending on what color you are after, what software it comes with and what condition it is in. You could go for a 210 which seem to be fairly common and so there are a lot of them out there - they are also an older design to the ers7 - these range from about $500 to $1500 again depending on what color they are and condition etc....
Maybe do some research into the different types of Aibos as there are many more than just the two types I mentioned and then look at the cost of them, then you can work out about how much you think your mum might spend and see which one is in your budget - the Aibo or the pleo rb.
If you do want to go with an Aibo I would recommend you talk to Wolfbob as he sells them for respectable prices, he does repairs and maintenance and replaces/ refurbishes the batteries. He usually gives a 6month warranty too.
As for which is better - pleo rb or Aibo - well they are both very different creatures and both wonderful in their own ways so it isn't really fair to compare :P
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Pleo is a realistic, super-cute pet to have, and I think you would have a lot of fun with him/her. You don't have much control over what pleo does (unless you can program), but you can influence pleo in different ways.
On the other hand, AIBO can do cool things like take pictures, and I think you have more control over AIBO, and what it can do. AIBO is intelligent, but isn't as realistic or cute.
Your choice - you will be happy with either one :) Just be wary - AIBO can be a lot pricier than Pleo.
Merry (early) christmas! :D
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If you're rich i say BOTH :)
I dont have an AIBO (sadly, i love him) but i have 2 pleos and i love them. If you like electronic pets you'll love, fpr this cheap (!) price Pleo is the perfect companion if you want a robot pet!
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To be fair, you can get an Aibo ERS-210 for much the same money as a new Pleo RB, but of course no warranty for the Aibo as it would be second-hand so you may have ongoing costs with software and repairs.
If you just want a companion robot, get the Pleo RB as they're cuter and better company, but go for the Aibo if you really want to get into the software and technical side of things.
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If you purchase an Aibo be very careful while purchasing it. From experience I can tell you that unfortunately people who sell Aibos online seem to think it's ok to overcharge you for them while neglecting to describe them accurately.
Also although you may be aware the item you purchased for thousands of dollars is very valuable to you don't expect that to matter to the seller or postal services as nobody cares and it is very easy to get caught in the trap of overpaying for an Aibo and being sold a product that does not hold the same value as what you paid for it due to defects and signs of wear etc that make it impossible to recoup what you originally paid when trying to transparently sell it again later.
Be aware that an Aibo only devalues with use, so unless your planning on keeping it and using it for the long term they do not make good investments because they are not rare enough to ever increase significantly in value. The "limited edition" models and colors tend to get over hyped on the forums and are really not as valuable in the real world as the perception you get from reading forums has you believe.
In fact looking at the first generation, the 110, of which only five thousand units were made, and almost 15 years later you can purchase one that is "as new" for under five hundred dollars, that's significantly less than their official retail price of US$2500.00(Yen 250,000) and is very low when you consider their rarity.
If deciding to go with an Aibo I would avoid the following model
1)ERS-7 Mind 1 with a affected serial number. You can find the numbers here: http://aiboaddicts.yuku.com/topic/40#.UdmGb9hNfw4%22
If you purchase a Mind 1 with a number that is within the recall range but the seller says it went to have a Sony checkup make sure the seller is able to provide you with proof of the this.
Aibo gives you an experience of owning something that is different to owning a real animal and is good if you want a low maintenance companion.
I have never owned a Pleo, but from what I have read and seen of them they appear to be more like owning a real animal in that they need feeding and constant care etc and would appeal to you if that was what you were looking for in a robotic companion.
Also try options other than ebay when sourcing Aibos, their are a lot of cheaper alternatives out their such as the Japanese auction sites as people on ebay seem to over price Aibo for some reason.
Here are some things to expect when purchasing an older generation Aibo:
If purchasing a ERS-110, ERS-111, ERS-210 or ERS-220 expect that they will need to have a DHS repair fix which could significantly increase the cost of your Aibo once shipping and the repair costs are factored in.
Also expect that the battey will need to be re-celled, and it is now possible to have batteries for all the models replenished.
Once the DHS is fixed and battery re-celled you should have no further problems with these issues, so although these things may increase the cost of your Aibo, once fixed they will never create problems in the future. Although the battery capacity will naturally diminish overtime and this can't be helped.
Also expect that due to the age of Aibo that if you purchase any model that it most probably will have ongoing costs associated with it's upkeep.
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Just to add, if you get a 220 or a 210A, they tend to have been made after the problem with DHS was discovered, and you are much less like to have to need a DHS repair.
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The 220 still do get dhs unfortunately :-( I've got 1 that I may need to get repaired if i can not find a replacement head :-D also looking for a battery and charger for this model