Post by KazeYoukai on Oct 21, 2005 17:04:11 GMT -5
For over a decade, the handheld industry has been dominated by one company, and one line: Nintendo's Game Boy. This has given Nintendo a virtual monopoly ib the handheld console market, allowing them to release new hardware with minimal updates. But now, Sony has entered the handheld market with their Playstation line, under the name Playstation Portable (PSP).
Simply put, this is more of a multifunctional device than your old Game Boy Advance. Featureing support for multimedia formats such as JPEG (picture), MP3, and MPEG-4 (video), it all sounds good, until you realize that the PSP uses a propreietary memory card format, a shrunken form of the proprietary Memory Stick Pro used in some Sony digital cameras. Dubbed 'Memory Stick Pro Duo', a 32MB card is included with the unit, but in reality 32MB is not going to let you take advantage of all the PSP's multimedia funtions. A 256 MB Duo currently costs 49.99in U.S. Dollars plus sales tax, while a Secure Digital (SD) card of the same size costs considerably less, up to $10, $20 sometimes at sales.
The Duo isn't only small and sexy, it's pricy and proprietary.
Aside from the memory stick, there isn't much wrong with the PSP's multimedia functionality.
Music in MP3 format sounds just as you'd expect from a digital music player, but you'd probably want to get some headphones other than the earbuds that come with the system because like with most earbuds pagackaged with devices, they are of low quality. You have the option to sort your music into folders by making folders in your memory stick's PSP/MUSIC directory, which then sorts the music into groups in the interface. There's even an option to change equalizer settings. Settings like 'Pop', 'Jazz', and 'Heavy', make this worth noting, however it's also worth noting that you also cannot create your own settings. It's always possible that Sony will create this feature in a future firmware upgrade, but for now the option is not there.
MPEG-4 playback is a nice feature, but getting your videos to that format can be a problem. Luckily, there are freeware converters such as PSPVideo9 which can convert your videos to both MPEG-4 and 16:9 ratio, and are user friendly at the same time. As for playback of the video, it depends on what you're watching. For example, a high resolution fansubbed video of <i>Mobile Suit Gundam SEED</i> will probably look and sound better than some video you randomly pull off the internet.
Now, anything with 'Playstation' in it's name has to be a game system, right? Well, PSP does this, but don't count on it being there all the time.
Games come in a now universal UMD (Universal Media Disc) format, which physically is slightly smaller than a Gamecube disc or a mini-DVD. However, they hold more at 1.8 gigabytes. They are quite fragile compared to the handheld storage media of the past; please don't put them in your pocket, they <i>WILL</i> break. They are discs, after all, and discs were meant to be in their case, or their device.
DO NOT PUT IN POCKETS!!1!!~
Games look beautiful on the PSP's 16:9 aspect ratio screen, with a clarity rivaled only by the Game Boy Micro. There are four brightness settings, the most powerful only available if you are using the included AC adapter. One drawback to the PSP's clarity is that it was really made for darkness clarity, it seems. You can barely see a thing in the sunlight, which is a dissapointment considering handhelds are meant to be taken with you.
Games like WipEout: Pure look amazing on the PSP's 16:9 screen.
The D-Pad on the PSP feels and Plays like it's older brother, the PS2 controller. However, for games like <i>Coded Arms</i>, it is better for you to use the analog nub for greater control. The nub isn't as good as a control stick, however for a handheld it will probably be the best thing we see for a while. The lack of a second nub for First-Person Shooters is dissapointing, however. Coded Arms didn't feel like a modern FPS with just one stick.
Another issue with the PSP is that its battery life is limited due to its power and disc motor. A UMD movie can drain the battery in about three hours, as can a high powered game where data streaming is often neccecary. In addition, a motor to spin a disc takes a lot more to power than simply streaming data from a cartridge or card. Despite this, the PSP is still enjoyable for trips if you plan to have your AC adapter.
Overall, the PSP is a peice of hardware that has its ups & downs. On the plus side, it has a great user friendly interface with a lot of nice features. On the downside, its battery life is limited, and its media storage is either fragile or propietary. The PSP now has a bundle with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and a 1 Gigabyte card for $300 U.S., so if you want to get this, it's entirely up to you.
Retail Price: $250 U.S. Dollars (Value Pack)/$300 U.S. Dollars (GTA Pack)
Materials used in this review: PSP Unit, PSP AC Adapter, USB Type "B" cable, SanDisc 256MB Memory Stick Pro Duo, PSPVideo9, WipEout: Pure, Coded Arms, PSP Demo Disc, Author's computer running Windows XP Pro/Fedora Core
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