Obviously, there's no doubting that this is one incredibly good looking piece of kit but, as the novelty of it's glossy looks wears off relatively quickly, we've divided the handheld into several categories, and commented on every aspect of the hardware. This one of the first times we've reviewed a handheld, so we've seperated our comments between the Good and the Bad. We're not giving the hardware a score, as that would be unfair, but we've addressed everything to do the handheld, factors that should help inform you whether you should pick up the handheld tomorow.
The Good
The Screen
The PSP's screen is beautiful. Seriously, it's something that has to be seen to be believed. Viewing it from an angle is just as plausible as viewing it straight-on, and the clarity is amazing. However, the screen is not without it's faults. Some screens ship with dead pixels (and you'll need a few of those before Sony considers replacing it for you), whilst in high speed games the LCD screen can leave a trail effect which, whilst not too noticable, can still be an annoyance. Overall though, this is the best quality screen in a handheld to date, and it displays video and games very clearly. We love the screen.
Software Library
Finally, the games have kicked up a bit. After launching in America and Japan with a somewhat limited software library, we finally have a reason to get excited over the PSP library. With titles like Grand Theft Auto, Daxter, Gran Turismo and V8 Supercar Race Driver 2 headed to the PSP we cannot help but get excited. We're desperately hoping to see even more original titles (like Mercury & Lumines) on the handheld.
Ridge Racer, one of the titles available from the day of launch.
Multimedia Capabilities
Video, photos, MP3's: all can be played on your new handheld, and all are extremely easy to implement. The only requirement for all of these features is a USB cord, an essential purchase come launch day. If you have an old mobile phone USB cord, then it is likely the cord for that will connect with the PSP.
The video is amazing on the PSP, We've imported some UMD movies and (although the actual quality of the movies was questionable) the image was flawless. FMV sequences on the handheld look amazingly good. Photos can easily be transferred to the PSP, and they're automatically resized by the system's software. The photos can be zoomed up on or zoomed out. The pictures turned out very clear without any hiccups.
If you're wanting to put MP3 files on the handheld, it may be advisable to purchase a bigger memory stick. If you can't, then the default memory card will hold about five songs, and that isn't including any game saves. The MP3s come out sounding great, although the included headphones are fairly average.
Gadget Factor
The PSP is still the coolest and most recent gadget to come out of Japan (even if it is still a few months late). It just feels so much more premium and expensive than the Nintendo DS; when making the transition back to the DS, the screen looks washed out and small. Anyone who is into their gadgets will have a ball with the capabilities of the PSP.
Graphics
Believe everything you've read so far: they really are of a high standard, and we're yet to play a PSP title where we can complain about the graphics. In comparison to the Nintendo DS, they're in a league of their own. Visually speaking, Ridge Racer is the highest quality title, along with WipEout Pure. If you're wanting to impress your friends, then pick one of these two titles up, but chances are that any PSP game will impress your friends.
Better than the DS version? You bet
Homebrew
Whilst this probably wasn't on Sony's mind whilst the PSP was still on the drawing-board, many programmers have learnt the intricacies of the PSP's architecture, developing applications that are genuinely original. Applications that turn your PSP into a PlayStation 2 remote, or let you play freeware Tetris or Doom, or even classic Nintendo games. Once that USB cable is plugged in, there's no limit to what can be done. Just don't tell Sony you're doing it; it's a bit naughty, see.
The Bad
Price
Whilst the price is - to an extent - justified, it's still a little high for the general consumer. If you want to pick up a movie, a game and a USB cable along with your PSP tomorrow, then you're looking at an outlay of $500AU/£250 for a handheld, and that's a lot to ask of people. Whilst the PSP does feel like it's worth $400, it'll be interesting to see if the Australian public dismiss the handheld due to the rather hefty price.
Loading
Loading. We hate loading. And we especially hate loading in a handheld game. Naturally, it's worse in certain games. From the titles we've played, all of them had some form of loading and, whilst none of this waiting around was so excessive that we turned off the handheld, we've heard the loading in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition is less than ideal, something we'll be addressing in our review later this week.
UMD Spinning
When playing your PSP, it's often easy to hear the actual UMD spinning around in the unit. Whilst not the most off-putting thing in the world, it can be quite loud and a little distracting, and neatly demonstrates how hard the PSP has to work in order to load data.
Battery
It's become common practice for everyone to moan about the battery, but do you know what? Against our expectations, it's never truly bothered us. It lasts just as long as necessary, and after three months, we've never run out of battery in a session. And whilst it does deplete rather quickly compared to the Nintendo DS, it is rechargable, and charges are every bit as fast as charging a mobile phone. For those who were tossing up whether to buy a PSP on the battery or not, the claims of it going flat within three hours are a slight exaggeration.
Final Verdict
So should you buy it? Well it's completely up to you of course, and we daresay you've already made that decision. The broad software library, multimedia capabilities and thoroughly excellent graphics do justify the price tag though, and if you've got the money lying about, we say: take the PSP plunge.
Loading...
