~Intro~
Yesterday morning with $120 in my pocket and $180 in Blockbuster gift cards, I braved semi-cold weather to stand in line to snag up my very own PSP. Actually, part of that is a lie, since there was no line, and I only arrived 2 minutes before they opened their doors. Being a day of such a big release, the sheer nonchalant feeling of the store opening began to wear on my excitement a bit. In fact, in the half hour I stood there talking to the employees (since I know one of the guy's really well), not a single person passed through the door looking for a PSP.
After leaving, I headed to Best Buy to load up on games and accessories and exploit my employee discount to the fullest. As I hung out there talking to the guys, they told me of a similar story, where the store opened two hours early at eight for the event, only to be greeted by 15 customers, only ten of which were actually there for the PSP. By eleven, they managed to move 11 systems. Obviously, this was not the release Sony was planning on. But no matter; anyone that didn't predict a hesitant reaction to the PSP would be a fool.
Which brings me back to the point of this review: to share my experience with those that are debating on picking up the system, or to those that do not know if the PSP is a better purchase than the DS. This review will focus mainly on the PSP, but I will do some comparison between the systems to give you an idea of how the two stack up in key areas. But enough of that, on to the review!
~Inside the Package~
When I first opened up the package, I was greeted with a number of little gadgets and items, along with one of the most complex packaging jobs I've ever seen. To dig my way through the cardboard maze Sony set up was quite a chore, and the last thing you ever pull out of the box is the PSP itself. Once I finally removed everything, the table was filled with an assortment of objects, which all look something like this:
The first item I pulled out of the box is the carrying case. It looks more like a cheap sunglass case, and is definitely less useful, if you can imagine that. Don't get me wrong, you need a case badly. But not this case. Sliding the PSP in takes a bit of twisting, and it never really fits in properly. It leaves the end exposed and if you put it in backwards, the power switch hangs out just begging to be pushed. It'll do to get you started, but don't hesitate to pick up a different case when you buy the system. Hiding under the case, I found a 32 meg Memory Stick Pro Duo, which is more than enough for game saves, tiny for everything else. Also in the same plastic bag is the cleaning cloth and a 1/2 inch thick instruction manual that's not pictured.
Next, I pulled out the Sampler disc, which offers game videos (no playable demos, which totally sucks), music videos from such "talents" as Three Days Grace, and movie previews from such "quality" movies as the xXx sequel and 'Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow'. In other words, another useless item. Also there is that Spider-man 2 movie that is actually a nifty extra (and looks amazing on the screen. More on that later), but is only limited to the first production of PSP's. After that, comes the carrying strap, which is made of high quality pleather and has the Playstation's trademarked button symbols on the end. However, the white clashes terribly with the PSP itself. No, seriously, it looks really bad. Chalk up another useless extra.
At the bottom of the box, I found a compartment hiding the AC adapter. However, I was annoyed to find out that there is also a separate power cord for the AC adapter. This isn't a laptop, so why have a laptop-style power adapter? Anyway, if you're looking to travel a lot with your handheld (which is, like, the purpose of a handheld), this thing isn't exactly space-friendly. Also in this compartment, there was the headphones and remote control. The remote is nice, with big buttons that are easy on the thumb, yet small enough to hide in your hand. It also has a clip on the back that allows you to, ya know, clip it to stuff. Hooray, a useful extra...if you use the PSP as an MP3 player, that is. The headphones are also decent, but that's only because they copied the most iconic headphones on the market:
If you ever hear anyone at Sony comment on how they are not marketing the PSP to compete with Apple, please do me a favor and kick them in the teeth.
~The PSP~
Alright, now that the extras are out of the way, let's get into the meat of the review; the system itself. When you first take this thing out of the wrapper, you will instantly see the elegance of the PSP.
Some may argue it, but I must hand it to Sony; this thing looks nice. The glass-looking L and R triggers are definitely a nice touch, and the shine on the casing is gorgeous, despite being a magnet for fingerprints. It is quite an impressive looking system, and rivals even the best consoles in terms of looks. Along the sides, there are all kinds of different switches and connectors, which slightly distract from the view, but are well planned out and avoid distraction as much as possible. The back has a rough finish, which allows you to grip the system, along with humps on each side to hold onto better.
~Startup and Main Menu~
When you first turn on the system, you go through the typical setup of ?select your language? and ?set time and date,? which I might add the date actually affects the system?s look by changing the main menu?s color scheme with each passing month (March is a kiwi green color, and April will be a magenta color). After that, you will choose a gamer tag that other PSP?s will recognize you as. The big question I know you all are dying to know is how the PSP handles a keyboard. We?ve all seen how nice the DS?s touch screen is when typing, so how does the PSP compare? Well, let me say this: I hope you like text messaging.
Every time you need to type something in, the PSP brings up this keypad, which is not too far off from a cell phone. So, if you are an avid text messenger, selecting buttons via the D-pad will kill your speed, but you will manage. For everyone else, it?s super-annoying. Sony had many other options available to them and could have easily came up with a better typing system, even by utilizing the analog nub (Beyond Good and Evil comes to mind), which, by the way, is never used in the menus. Beyond the setup, you are presented with five options: Settings, Photo, Video, Music, and finally, Game.
Navigating the menu takes some practice since there are icons everywhere, filling the screen and confusing you the first time you try to find things. However, it?s not too terrible and starts to make sense after a while. In the settings, you should first format that memory stick, since the PSP is very picky on where you stick your photos and music, and formatting will create the necessary folders for you. Movies on the memory stick, however, are a totally different story. They require a particular format, a particular directory, and even a particular filename made entirely of numbers. Expect no help from the manual or Sony?s website, either. You are simply on your own to scour the net for the information (Gamespot has an excellent tutorial). The normal PSP user will not figure this system out, and the rest of us will be infinitely annoyed by the bizarre movie setup.
Beyond the memory stick and battery saving options (like auto sleep and backlight turn off), the only thing left to do is set up your wireless connection. That?s right; this thing taps directly into your wireless router. Setup is painless, and the range on it is even better than the wireless card in my laptop (I was picking up signals from home networks down the street). Don?t get excited yet, though. All you can actually do once you connect is see if there are any firmware updates. The prospect for online gaming with the PSP, though, is definitely strong.
~Video~
The first and most obvious thing you will notice is the screen. It is huge, and is wonderful for the 3D gaming that the system was made for. It also is great for movies, assuming you do not already have a portable DVD player. The screen is sharp and the colors are very crisp. However, I have one big issue with the screen that has to do with the system?s glossy surface. Now, I know I stated earlier how nice the gloss looks, but it is definitely a double-edged sword, as it is super reflective. I know that the Gameboy Advance has a shiny surface on its screen too, but not like this.
As you can see, the PSP could double as a mirror.This is really bad if you have a light behind you, or even worse, if you?re playing outside. Sit in the sunlight, and you will not see the picture. Despite this point, however, the PSP screen is leaps and bounds beyond any other handheld system on the market.
As for the 3D visuals, let me sum it up by saying this; anyone that thinks the DS can compare visually is a fool, however, anyone that thinks the PSP can perform as well as the PS2 is a fool as well. The graphics are amazing for a handheld, don?t get me wrong. But this is not a PS2. Side-by-side comparisons of Tony Hawk presented extremely downgraded textures, lowered poly-count on characters, and even worse jagged edges than the PS2. That?s right, worse jaggies than the PS2. Impossible to imagine, I know, but it?s there. One other thing to call to your attention is framerate. The system can pump out a solid framerate in every game I tried, with absolutely no slowdown that I encountered. However, there is a bit of blurring that takes place. Some instances are worse than others, but on such a small screen, a little burring is extremely noticeable. Is it distracting? A little, but you will quickly overlook it. It is definitely worth mentioning, though. Anyway, at the end of the day, this little system packs a huge visual punch, and clearly blows the DS out of the water when it comes to 3D. However, unlike Sony?s claims, it doesn?t quite match PS2 visuals.
~Sound~
I really don?t have much to say about this category. Basically, only use headphones when playing this device. The ones packaged are good enough, and if you like the iPod headphones, these are identical in almost every way. That?s really your only option, since the speakers on this thing suck. Really, the speakers are the absolute most disappointing part of this system. I suppose I have been spoiled by the DS?s nice speakers. But really, these things pack no punch at all, and turning the system to max volume is the same as turning the DS up half way. There?s no sense of surround sound like the DS offers, and the stereo sound is barely noticeable. For an MP3 and video player, one would assume they would have semi-decent speakers. Do not be fooled. In fact, they are so poorly conceived, that they are actually located at the bottom of your system underneath where you generally would have your hands.
See that little hole. Yeah, that?s it. There?s tons of room at the top of the system that they could have put a much better speaker in, and it would be out of the way of your hands. But no, this is what you get. A huge disappointment.
~Controls~
Not much to add to this category, either. If you like the Playstation control setup, this is identical. The only two differences are the analog nub and the lack of handles. The analog nub is an understandable compromise to the huge analog sticks. However, it?s definitely something to get use to, especially the analog part of it. It?s easy enough to maneuver a character around at full charge. It?s the range between the center and the edge that is hard to judge. It took a lot of practice to get my character in Ape Escape to perform how I wanted him to. It?s something you will eventually adjust to, but it?s certainly not perfect. Expect a lot of errors in your gaming for a while. As for the lack of handles, this really is a problem. My hands are rather big, so to use an analog nub so low on the system, I had to hold onto it with just my index finger and my thumb. My other four fingers have nowhere to rest. It doesn?t affect my control of the nub, but it does affect the screen shaking more than it would if I had a sturdy grip. Of course, the smaller the hands you have, the less you will be affected by this problem. However, I expect some company to market handles for this thing.
~The Battery~
Finally, the big one; battery life. Before I even go into my findings, let me mention one thing. The battery can be changed out. It?s not screwed in like the GBA SP or the DS. It?s easily removable, and relatively small, so you can keep an extra on you. I haven?t seen them for sale yet, and I imagine an official battery from Sony is pretty salty in price, but expect third party developers to jump in and market replacements.
Anyway, with that said, on to my findings. When you turn on the PSP, you are given a 50% charge. Messing with the menus, changing settings, and doing things that do not involve the disc drive takes little battery life, and after an hour of playing I still had 40% charge. Memory Stick functions also pull lightly on the battery. I played a couple of MP3?s and noticed no dramatic battery drop. Once I popped in the demo disc, however, all bets were off. Watching about 10 or so minutes of music videos and demos dropped the battery about 7-8%. And on a 50% charge, my fianc?e did not make it through Spider-Man 2. After further testing, I determined the PSP had a little less than 3 hours worth of video playtime. It?s enough to make it through a movie, but not much else.
Next, we went to gaming. I popped in Tony Hawk and played for a solid two hours. Tony Hawk uses light disc access, but is one of the most graphically intense games at the launch. After the two hours, I checked the battery gauge, and it read 67%. Not too shabby. I continued playing off and on throughout the day, and after a charging, played some more. My findings concluded with Tony Hawk averaging a battery life of 5 hours. The next day, I tested Ape Escape. Ape Escape is a port of the original Playstation game, so other than some nice texture upgrades, there really isn?t anything changed, including poly-count. However, this game loads from the disc quite a bit. In other words, an opposite testing environment from Tony Hawk. After another solid 2 hour of play, the battery reading was 58%, a slightly larger draw than Tony Hawk. After more playing (and almost finishing the game), I concluded that Ape Escape pulled about 4 hours of battery. Not too different than Tony Hawk, but it?s obvious that disc access is the biggest killer of the battery. But, of course, we all knew this. As for Wi-Fi draw, since nobody else I know has a PSP, and I don?t have any games that can connect to the internet, I couldn?t test this. Now, do realize that these are definitely not totally accurate results. I had no timer and was estimating on times, but they are close enough to give you an idea of what to expect. Personally, an average of 5 hours of game life is good enough for me.
~Conclusion~
In the end, I do not regret my PSP purchase. Is the system worth $250? Most certainly not. The extras packaged are mostly useless, and knowing that their presence added $60 to the total irritates me more. A much nicer carrying case and a 128 meg Memory Stick would have made me feel a little better about the extra cash I had to spend. Now, is the system worth the $190 that it was released for in Japan? Almost. The handheld does a lot of things, and can easily be compared with those portable media players you see around nowadays. It plays MP3?s nicely, and has an amazing screen for watching movies on. However, the portable media players typically have 20 gig hard drives, where the PSP has only Memory Sticks and an utterly confusing and complicated way of putting movies on the stick. The PSP tries to be everything, but ends up only halfway accomplishing most of its functions. It is wonderful at gaming, which makes sense, since it is primarily a gaming device. However, its secondary functions could be better. The only secondary function that it excels at is UMD movies, but those are estimated to cost more than a DVD, which will probably not be worth it for most.
So, my feelings are that this device should have been sold between $150-$170 and cut out all the extra crap. At that price, it would have been a huge contender against Nintendo and a really good value. Sure, the games would still be expensive, but the console?s best price point definitely rests between $150-$170. But, as it stands, this is for hardcore Sony fans and technophiles only. Everyone else deciding between the DS and the PSP should probably go with the DS and wait until next year when the PSP becomes affordable.
. Great review 
. Good job with the review, Melancholy. Very informative and well thought out.
, but then thats a good or bad thing going by how you look at it, its a good thing since it means the will be more time to save up, it will most likely cost less, and it will have lots more games.
.
