13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Amazing Hardware, two big flaws
Date of Review: Jul 11, 2005
The Bottom Line: Again if you have the cash, and like the game line-up go for it. Bringing movies with you on the go is GREAT.
My best man bought my wife and I (she wasn't as excitied as I was...) a PSP as a wedding gift and I was ecstatic! I'd wanted one of these since I first heard about thier unveiling at e3, but with a wedding and all the little expenses of life, I was sure that I'd be waiting awhile to own one.
The first time I turned it on, I was amazed at the bright, LARGE screen, and ease of use. After several months, I still enjoy the PSP, but it's not everything I had hoped.
The pros:
-The screen is very sharp and big enough for one person.
-It is very easy (I might be a bit biased, I'm a computer tech...) to add videos (even in full screen!), pictures, and mp3's using FREE software available on the net.
-Battery time is decent... Many people scoff at the 3+ hour rating of the battery, but it's very rare for me to be away from ANY power source (house, car, plane(?) ) for longer than this. Just ask yourself, "Will I be away from power AND playing video games for hours straight?" Maybe you will, but it's not an issue for me.
-Graphics. There is some aliasing (jagged lines) and FPS slow down (it sometimes gets a tad bit jerky), but overall the "eye-candy" is jaw-dropping.
The cons:
-Price. There is NO WAY I would have been able to afford this. The unit, memory card, accessories, and games are all still very price inflated. The UMD movies (DVD quality movies made for the PSP), though, seem much closer to acceptable prices.
-UMD load times. For most of the games available for the PSP, the load times for new levels or booting the game can be EXTREME. My theory is that the disc reader is slowed down to help conserve the batteries. This is fine, but waiting almost two minutes for the next race to load in "Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition" seems a little outrageous.
-Game Selection. There really aren't that many games out for the PSP right now, and they're all strikingly similar. This could hurt the PSP. I hope they have new titles lined up... (can you say, "Kill All Humans, PLEASE???")
-Ghosting. I haven't read notes about this issue before, but the refresh rate on the screen seems slow, which can have fast moving objects (and even not-so-fast moving objects) appear blurred and leave brief trails which sometimes make it difficult to see details. This is especially noticible in action scenes in movies, or in light scenes with dark areas.
Still needed:
I don't even know if these things are possible, but they would definately make using the PSP easier.
1) TV out. If there was a TV out box (so you could play on the TV, this would be a great improvement. Don't get me wrong, the screen on the PSP looks great, but staring down at a game system for hours, can be hard on the back and neck.
2) External controller. This would also make playing the PSP for long periods easier. With an external controller (which would presumably be lighter than the PSP) and a PSP stand, you could play in much more confortable positions.
Overall, I'd reccommend this if you have the cash. I've played the Nintendo DS, and while the games on it have more of a "silly-fun" factor that the current PSPs titles lack, I like being able to put my personal pictures, movies, and mp3s on a device with AMAZING visuals.
