I bought myself a sleek, black PSP over Thanksgiving break! It’s my early Christmas present to myself since I’ll be spending winter break in China. This is another great gadget! :-)
The $250 bundle from Fry’s came with the PSP Value Pack, a starter kit, and the games GripShift and Frantix. The first thing everybody notices about the PSP is its wonderful design (like all Sony products). It’s glossy black, with a large screen flush with the entire front of the PSP. There’s the standard cross-square-triangle-circle PlayStation buttons and four-button D-pad, and there are two clear shoulder buttons! And the low-profile analog stick does not protrude from the body because it’s flat–it slides when you push it around. The speakers are hidden in two small holes, and the headphone and power connectors are tucked neatly away on the bottom. Overall, the PSP is pleasing to the eye and its artful design stands out.
The 4.3″ widescreen LCD is bright and crystal-clear. The games are in full 3D, which looks impressive on a handheld. Movies play sharp thanks to it’s 480×272 resolution. The games come on UMD discs, which are small cartridges with what looks like a miniature CD inside. Each holds 1.8 GB of data!
The only drawback I see with UMDs is that recordable versions aren’t available. That means that any content like movies, pictures, and music must go on the Memory Stick. I ended up ordering a $50 Lexar 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo just for this purpose.
Despite what I’ve heard about the battery life, it seems acceptable but I don’t have any super-graphically-intensive games yet. Still, I think 3-6 hours is still a reasonable battery life. After all, it has a super-bright, high-resolution screen, wireless capabilities, and spinning optical media! My starter kit included a car charger so I wouldn’t run out of power on a long road trip. Overall my experience with the PSP so far has been excellent.
Now, some games I’d like to get soon, most wanted first:
- Wipeout Pure – a futuristic racing game
- FIFA 2006 – soccer
- Ridge Racers – car racing game with great graphics
- SSX – extreme snowboarding
- Twisted Metal: Head On – a car/shooter game