Customer Reviews

PlayStation Portable (PSP) Value Pack

5 star:		(642)
4 star:		(118)
3 star:		(76)
2 star:		(53)
1 star:		(139)

 

 

You've probably done a lot of research and read reviews already, so I'll just keep this short and hit the highlights.

- The screen: Yeah, it's nice. I have no dead pixels.

- The games: A little skimpy right now, but I can easily imagine REALLY good ones coming to this platform. If you can live without a PSP for a while, you may want to wait for the good stuff. I haven't tried any multiplayer games yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

- The video player: VERY nice. The Spiderman 2 movie looks fantastic. The movies are a little skimpy right now too, but if rental places (Blockbuster, airport stores...) start carrying lots of titles and new releases, the device is worth the purchase as a portable movie player alone. I hope there are plans for making UMD-R/RWs, because the memory stick is not yet practical for day-to-day storage of your own stuff.

- The MP3 player: More bulky than most that are out these days, but good enough. It's a nice extra feature, but don't buy it for this functionality alone. (Is anyone anyway?) The included remote is handy.

- The geek features: USB connectivity is kind of slow, but that's probably because of USB, not the PSP. I had a little trouble connecting to my Linksys wireless router. I had to assign an IP address because it wouldn't get a DHCP address automagically. Speaking of wireless, it SURE would be nice to be able to move files back and forth using a wireless network instead of USB, but I don't think this functionality exists (yet). Haven't used the IR port yet, don't know what it's good for since USB connectivity is included. Also, there are already hacks to make the PSP a Web browser and IRC client. This functionality was already built in, which tells me that Sony has plans for more functionality coming down the pipeline.

- Spiffiness: Very. They put a lot of thought into the design of this device, and I think it really paid off. I appreciate little things like the button to disable the wireless and the switch to disable all of the buttons (for watching movies or listening to mp3s) except the remote buttons. I wish the case were a little more ergonomic, but with the right grippie/protector, it's fine.

- What you'll need in addition:
1) A bigger memory card. For it to be useful at all, you'll want at least 256MB. I would recommend at least 512MB, but they're curiously hard to find anywhere now. 32MB just plain sucks.
2) Some sort of screen/unit protection, such as the rubber cover. You do NOT want that screen to get scratched!
3) Some games. It comes with none. I don't like the bundles that everyone is selling, because there's no discount. (Add up the price of the bundle and compare it with the prices of the separate items...) I suggest getting the Value Pack and picking your own games and accessories.
4) A carrying case and some UMD disc cases would be nice, otherwise they'll get scattered all about. The games and movies do NOT come with a protective case, so unless you plan on ALWAYS returning the disks to their almost DVD box-sized boxes, you'll need something to keep the discs from getting scratched.

If you're the kind of person who has to have a PSP now, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy it. If you're not, then don't let all the hype change your mind. It solidly earns four out of five stars right now, and as more games and movies are released, that rating will crawl towards five. If you're somewhat interested in buying one, though, I do think you'll eventually get one because it is a lot of fun and quite useful. Hopefully this will help in your purchasing decision!

I ordered the Sony PSP way before Dec. 14, 2004. The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the shining, crystal clear, liquid-like 4.5" screen! If you cover the control pad and buttons to reveal just the screen, you might think this is a tiny Plasma screen you're holding!

I also own a Nintendo DS, so I am being very fair here; the dual screens is a nice touch; my wife loves to play ZooKeeper using the stylus; but compare the screens to the Sony PSP's screen, it is not as sharp as the PSP.

The menu on the PSP is pretty intuitive, easy to navigate. Control pad and buttons are layout just like a regular Sony PS2 controller, except the joystick on the PSP, it looks like a round tape covering a hole or something, and I almost thought it is something I should remove. The analog pad is a little hard to use when playing any game requires precised movement, like Super bobble pop type of game, or shooters using cross-hair; but once get used to it, not a problem. The WiFi connection is easy to configure - switch it on and search and connect. I am getting a US verson next month to play wireless game with my wife.

People who has seen and played the PSP will tell you, the graphics are awesome! (yes it is a over-used word, but you'll agree with me if you own one.) I showed it to the guys at the cellphone store while playing Ridge Racer, immediately they formed a line and took turn to play with their jaws dropping to the floor!

I also tried some MPEG4 video playback using a 512MB MS Duo, now this is what a portable AV player should be! It's like watching a DVD movie on a plasma tv, smaller of course! No wonder Sony is going to including SpiderMan 2 movie for the first 1 million PSP shipped in the US. Watch it and you will see what I mean.

This is really a nice portable entertainment system, and yes, it plays MP3 nicely. It is larger than Apple IPod, but I love that big screen! Don't forget to get a screen protector and a carrying case, you want the screen look good.

DONT GET THE VALUE PACK!!!

All the extra items you get in the value pack is not worth the money. The memory card is too small and you're most likely going to get a new one with a larger capacity. The headphones are cheap and will not last more than a month. You are most likely going to get a new carrying case for your PSP also. It is not worth the extra $60.

I bought one the first day they went on sale in the U.S. Mine works fine - no problems with pixels. However, the one game I have (Ape Escape - made by Sony) wastes an INCREDIBLE amout of your time with loading between scenes. Each time you leave a relatively small area, the screen goes blank for 10 to 15 seconds and the message "Loading" appears. This can happen dozens of times in one session. This makes me think that the "UMD" system is not good and is very slow. The last time I recall this much time waitng for loading was when the first arcade game to use a video disc, "Dragon's Lair" , came out - in the 1980s! If this is true of other PSP games then Nintendo will provide a much better gaming experience.

...then don't feel obligated to buy it. If you're mad that Sony released this system then you're just envious. If you've played with one then you're either in two groups. One group is frustrated that they can't afford one right now (please think about saving up for one if you can manage your money maturely). The other group are the ones who have the money specifically for this system. Both groups (who have played it and have had first hand experience, mind you, and not just spouting off hearsay) can't deny the quality of the product. It definitely is worth the price. I have these games:

Twisted Metal Head On
Ridge Racer
Lumines
Wipeout Pure

Great games to start with if you're not into traditional sports games. That out of the way I'll just copy and paste a review I did earlier.

1.) Huge assed screen. 3 levels of brightness when on battery power. 4 when plugged into the wall and the 4th is really bright.

2.) Didn't have any dead pixels on my PSP. I must be one of the lucky ones or not part of the vocal minority.

3.) Solid build. At first you wonder at how they got all that stuff into such a tiny package, but then you notice how solid it is.

4.) Removeable battery pack. Which means it's not built in. Yes! Replaceable.

5.) Speakers are two pairs of holes at the two lower corners of the screen. The ones on the bottom are the speakers and the ones on the face are, I guess, the subwoofers? Not that the sound is all that loud (nice sound, but really quiet). It's about the half way mark on a Game Boy Advance SP. The GBASP is louder but tinnier.

6.) Wireless that I have yet to use functionally. My wireless router sucks or its antennas suck. But I can connect to the internet successfully according to the network update manager. (Update: I have played Twisted Metal Head On online and it is good. Remember Mario Kart? Great party game. This too.)

7.) Analog stick/pad is about what you'd expect. Plays great in Ridge Racer.

8.) The UMD technology must be based on the MiniDisc tech since when you open the slot it looks like you're opening a MiniDisc slot. Of course the capacity is different and the way it works may be different, but I'm talking about the space where you put your disc in.

8a.) The disc door must be made of metal because whenever I touch it it feels cold. Hmmm.

9.) No analog buttons. Oh well. And no L3 button under the analog stick (so don't go mashing the stick down in frustration). One set of shoulder buttons. Full face buttons as on PSX and PS2 (except for R3).

10.) USB connection which I have yet to test out. (Update: Just as they say, it shows up as a removable drive in both WinXP and Mac OS X. Very easy to use. But your Memory Stick is the only thing accessable. Maybe they're making a mini keyboard for the PSP?)

11.) The Memory Stick door feels flimsy when opened. Might break off in the future? Not even hinged but attached with a piece of rubber/soft plastic.

12.) First time I've had to deal with a Home button on a handheld or any system. It's... strange yet natural. This button just takes you out of the game and back into the PSP's file and settings management screen.

13.) This is the most mature handheld I've ever used. It doesn't feel like a kid's toy. Of course that will be an attractive selling point to kids. ;)

14.) Buttons are clear like the Xbox's. All of the buttons. Even the D-Pad and shoulder buttons. But not the analog stick of course.

15.) You can turn wireless fuctions off with a flick of the switch. That's good when the etiquette of an establishment is that you not have any wireless devices.

16.) Infrared port? That's what it is, but how many people will be using that when they already have wireless WIFI. I guess you could come up with a remote control program that would control your TV?

17.) I was hoping that they'd come out with that Gran Turismo white version that they showed at the various conventions.

18.) Graphics are unbelieveable. They say between a PSOne and PS2, but I'd say closer to a PS2 with some elements that put it on some levels with Xbox. Seriously! You laugh in jest? Have you played a PSP yet? You should.

19.) Logotype on the system (other than the button symbols) like the Sony logo and other things like "Power", "Hold" and the Memory Stick and Wireless logos are printed right on the clear plastic face. These will undoubtedly (with where they are) rub off in the future. Why they couldn't print them under the clear plastic is beyond me. Seems more logical.

20.) Sound, when plugging in the earbuds or headphones, is great. And I swear that I heard (in the Twisted Metal intro) simulated surround sound. Could have been my imagination.

20a.) My iPod Shuffle's earbuds actually sound better than the pack-in earbuds. So I'm using those now.

21.) Video looks great. No artifacts to be seen that you'd expect with compression.

22.) Wow, I did not know that on the lowest setting ATRAC sounds great... :shock: 66kbps is like 160kbps MP3 or 128kbps AAC. And it takes up so little space... but I like iTunes... :( I might reconsider my allegeance. Sony's SonicStage/Connect Music Store looks similar to iTunes anyway in its ease of use... but I like my iPod Shuffle... And Memory Sticks are so expensive... :( My head hurts...

23.) Twisted Metal Head On, BABY!! Online Multiplayer, BABY!! I'm not very good at it as some are but the online rooms are really fun. And I'm not saying this assuming everybody is paying a subscription for it and automatically knows that, because there IS NO SUBSCRIPTION FEE. I'm still waiting on people to get on Ridge Racer. :( I like that game. How is it that it's not liked by other people?

And beware of a lot of fake reviews here. I see a lot of people posting how much PSP sucks compared to the DS and vice versa when, if you've played with either for any length of time, you'd know that they're just saying that to ->somehow<- sabotage the public reviews section or sales of PSP. It's ridiculous. Trust in-depth reviews, not ones that lack substance like many of the 1 star reviews here. If your PSP "shatters" your game discs (highly doubtful if you've seen a game disc) then that's probably a very isolated incident and doesn't need to be mentioned to other people since most likely they won't experience the same thing and such claims just serve to spread F.U.D. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. If your screen scratches, then get a screen protector. Protectors that have been made for years for several devices with LCD screens. Skins work well for the glossy finish around the buttons. DecalGirl sells lots of kick ass skins (learn to use Google).

I originally wasn't planning to write a review for the PSP, but after reading the other Kid's Review, a terrible, biased, completely banged out in half a second with all the grammatical skills of a semi-paralyzed orangutang piece of work if ever there was one, I just had to offer my opinion. If anything, I hope to convince you that not all kids are completely mindless internet slaves.

Wow, that was a weird way to start. Maybe I should just talk about the PSP. The PSP is, simply put, and amazing feat of engineering. Just one look at the tech specs, and then another look at how small the unit is, and your jaw will hit the floor. It's just that awesome.

The beautiful screen takes up the bulk of the front, providing beautiful graphics no matter whether you're viewing a game, a movie, or content from you memory stick. The sound works well, and the controls are very well designed and placed. Just to take a moment to laugh at Mr. Nintendo Fan who reviewed earlier, "Where's your analog nub, Mr. Dual Screen?"

When you get inside the machine, it runs fast (although loading times can be upwards of 10 seconds and startup around 30), and the software itself can run movie files, sound files, and picture files, so that files on your home computer that you copy onto a memory stick and place in your PSP, it will run. If you want to (and have a larger memory stick than 32 MB), you can even have TV episodes for viewing on the go. There are also companies releasing commercial movies on UMD, the PSP's media format, but if you don't want to buy a UMD copy for viewing on the go, you could buy a large memory stick, rip the video from the DVD with your computer, and copy the file to the memory stick so that the PSP can view it that way. I'm not sure, but I think that this viewing format even extends the battery life, as the PSP doesn't have to run a motor to spin the disc.

Battery power is actually something you should consider when purchasing a PSP. It varies depending on many factors, such as: are you running a game, movie, or music, is Wi-Fi turned on, is it a processor taxing game, is the disc motor spinning, etc. There are many charts available showing how long the battery can run in different conditions, and as it varies wildly, you might want to consider buying a second battery pack. The PSP can be recharged while playing, though, so a car adapter for the power cable would be useful for long trips and possible another preripheral, such as the carrying cases that include large batteries for charging the PSP while it's carried.

Software itself is a little slim for the PSP at the moment, although there have been many quality titles in the launch lineup. Perhaps waiting a little longer for some of the big names to hit the PSP might be in order for some of the less-rabid consumers.

Well, I've covered all of the pressing points on the PSP, I believe. It hasn't been a very well structured review, but I leave you with this: whether now or later, get one of these. Get a PSP. They're cool.

Happy gaming!

First, I need to get this out of the way: If you've got the money, buy both DS and PSP. They are both heartily worth your money and will serve you well. If you can only buy one right now, base it on price, or read some DS reviews as well.

Okay, so: The thing that got me first with the PSP was the gorgeous 4.3-inch TFT. The models shipping as of January 2006 don't seem to have many dead pixels, only stuck ones, which can be fixed. The PSP, unfortunately, is very fingerprint-prone, and so the included microfiber cloth is a necessity, as is a Hori-brand screen protector. The other need-to-buy accessory, is the Logitech Playgear Pocket case, made of sturdy polycarbonate on the outside, and molded rubber on the inside.

Right. The games are of a PS2-like selection, with great carryovers from PS one and PS2 like ATV Offroad Fury, Gran Turismo 4, MediEvil Resurrection, popular franchises like NFS and Burnout, new titles like the incredible Kingdom of Paradise, and one of the most anticipated titles for the system, Star Wars Battlefront II. Playing Battlefront II, the highly-touted Star Wars FPS game, on a 16:9 huge screen with great graphics and some of the best sound on a portable system, ANYWHERE. That is certainly an experience.

The music feature is nice, especially since it supports many popular formats, including the iTunes-standard AAC. It also supports many image(more on this below) and video file formats, and these can be moved onto a Memory Stick Duo by the built-in USB port(mini-A cable not included), because the mem. stick appears as a USB Mass Storage class device. Speaking of Memory Sticks, I reccommend that you plan to purchase a 512MB or bigger Duo, I would chose a 1 GB, just enough to fit a converted full-length film and a few more things. Look for the PRO Duo designation and MagicGate, both of which will increase your speed reading/writing to the memory stick.

Although a bit small, the unit is the chic-est in the land. The buttons are positioned a bit awkwardly, and you find yourself hitting the X and O buttons with the midjoint of your thumb, but the Playgear somewhat rectifies this. The analog stick is positioned asymetrically, and it is a sliding "nub", not like a traditional analog stick, and takes some getting used to.

In firmware versions 2.0 and up, a web browser is included. Using wi-fi, you can access the internet by typing using a cellphone-like layout and entering web links. However, it is a bit slow and lacks Java, Shockwave, and Flash. It does render most web pages faithfully, including the crème de la crème of industrial web site design, apple.com, which happens to be one of the hardest to render properly.

And now the biggest, most talked-about feature of the PSP: Homebrew. If you have a version 2.0 PSP or lower, DO NOT UPGRADE! You can easily run homebrew on your PSP, and it is worth missing the RSS reader and LocationFree player in 2.6. Some applications(uploadable to the memory stick, of course), include classic emulators, organizers, and games. People are even working on replacement firmware with web browsers with java support, etc. 2.0 requires that you "downgrade" to 1.5, but you can switch back between the two easily. Version 2.5 firmware is currently being cracked.

Overall the PSP is an incredible 333MHz ARM-powered powerhouse in a sleek, sexy package which is well worth the relatively high startup cost. It is a good _companion_ to the Nintendo DS, not a superior, simply because no one can ever beat trademark Nintendo gameplay, not even Sony, although a PlayStation idiom of gameplay is rapidly emerging and shaping itself with the PS2 and PSP.

PROS
Graphics, gaming, internet, most everything

CONS
Expensive..

Graphics:
The graphics in this system are unmatched for any portable system. They look as good as the PS2, because of the smaller screen. I haven't yet watched movies, but they would probably be as good as tv.

Gaming:
The lack of a wide variety brings this down a little. There is pretty much racing and sports with a couple of other games, like twisted metal. The game play is much like the ps2 with the same controls when applicable. There are only two triggers missing from this controller, which make some of the combos hard to remember. But it is fun to just play the games as if they were on PS2

Features:
The features of this system seem wonderful. I haven't used the MP3, Video, or Photo features on this, but the way the gaming looks, it seems like another plus for the system. However, the internet is amazing. The PSP have a built in wifi antenna that lets the user surf the web. It is hard to type on the psp, but I can check my mail from anywhere with a wifi connector, for FREE. My neighbor has a WiFi, so I sit close to his house and mooch of his connection and play people all over the world. Also, I haven't used the PSP to PSP connection but that is probably even better than the internet.

Cost:
Yes, it is really expensive. You buy the system, 250, protection, 50, a good memory stick, 50-200, USB, 20, Games, 50, Movies, 30, accessories (speakers and such), 30-200, and it all adds up to a whole lot of money. Worth it? I think so, but you have to decide. The whole experience is awesome in my opinion.

Durability:
From other reviews, I decided to buy a case, umd protectors, and a screen shield to keep my PSP in tip-top shape. The second day I had it, and dropped it about 4ft in the air, and it was fine, so I don't know about all the protection. To me 50 worth of insurance is ok for a 250 dollar machine.


If you could wait, i recommend to do so. The price has got to come down sometime!

$250 is quite a big bite out of your wallet (or purse) for any game machine, let alone a portable. So the answer for those either new to hand held game machines or to those wondering if they should take the plunge is...maybe. The following are my initial reactions to the PSP...the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good: The PSP is a very well made and awesome looking unit. It is sleek, high-tech and user friendly. The primary functions of the PSP are as a game machine, a video player and a MP3 player. There are other functions, but these are the ones you'll use most often. The game disks come encased in a small disk holder which prevents, in theory, damage to the disk. I say in theory, because while the disk is protected, dropping the unit is not good. The LCD screen is very bright and crisp, and the colors are in the teens of millions. The "value pack" includes the ear phones, a soft case, a demo disk, the charger and the usual amount of advertisements and such. The buttons on the PSP are essentially the same as the PS2 controller. You have your directional buttons and the familiar square, triangle, circle, and X buttons. The shoulder buttons are clear and look very nice.
Graphics are very sharp with a little blur in fast motion games such as Midnight Club. The PSP will definitely make you the center of attention when you play with it, as there are still not enough of them out there to make it a common item. Most people who are not familiar with the PSP will want to try it out, so beware. Seeing a movie on the PSP won't replace your DVD player, but it is a novel experience to see movies on a small screen. The PSP definitely has a high wow factor. If you're a gadget freak and like the small hand held format, the PSP will be for you.

The Bad: Since the PSP is new, the library of games is somewhat small. Don't expect to pay less for the games. Most of the titles are averaging around the $50 mark, which is a pretty hefty bite out of your allowance or paycheck. If you are planning to build a library of PSP games and movies, the total cost of owning one can be pretty expensive unless the games and/or movies drop in price. If you're not ready to totally committ yourself, you'd be better off in just borrowing or playing with your friends PSP. The PSP comes with a soft case to "protect" it, but this is only useful if your PSP is just sitting on the shelf...safe and sound. Practically speaking, if you drop your PSP, the case won't do a thing to protect it except to prevent scratches to your screen. Another problem with the PSP is it is very easy to have it slip through your fingers and drop it. The body is all made of slippery plastic, and if someone bumps you by accident or you are naturally butter-fingered, you can kiss your PSP goodbye. There is a "remote controll" earphone device where you can adjust the volume levels of your headset. What this really is, is an attachment that attaches to your headphones. You can just plug your headset directly to the PSP, so the addition of this "remote" leaves me scatching my head. It's like having a light switch to turn on the light switch. Doesn't make sense. For my money, they could have left this device out and given me a hardshell case for the PSP.

The Ugly: Some games for the PSP crash when you play them. Of note, Street Showdown, a basketball game. While playing, the game would occassionally freeze or crash for no appearent reason. The disk would buzz and rattle, but would not load. Whether this is due to the new format disk, or improper testing of the game is up for debate. It is (I hope not) possible that there are bugs in the PSP that are not totally fixed yet. Time will tell how reliable the PSP and tha game manufacturers are. Most parents who look at the price tag for the PSP will probably gag. This unit isn't cheap. More likely, they will look at the Nintendo DS and buy that unit for little junior because of the lower price at which time little junior will blow his gasget and throw the untimate tantrum. One thing that is not so cool is the recharable battery system. You can expect to charge your PSP for about two hours to get four or five hours of continuous play. You cannot use off the shelf batteries in the PSP and must recharge the internal battery. Not a great move. If you are a serious gamer, this will be a major complaint. However, I suspect that Sony will be selling an external battery accessory that will soak you for another $50 or $60. Boo. If not, you are stuck. Too bad they didn't equip the PSP to use standard rechargable AA batteries. This would have really been a great help for the mobile gamer.

The Bottom Line: The PSP is definitely a status machine, but added to that, it is an incredibly slick piece of tech. The decission to buy or not to buy rests with how much of an actual hand held gamer you are. If you have not been a small game machine person, the PSP will only be a novelty to you and you'll lose interest after a few months. But to the dedicated hand held fan or PS2 gamer that would love to have his/her games on-the-go, you wouldn't be doing to bad in selecting the PSP. If you don't have to have one right now, wait about a year when the prices level off to save some of your hard earned cash.

Yes, $250 is not a small amount of money, and no, the games for the PSP are not cheap. However, you definitely are getting what you pay for. Simply put, the PSP is an amazing device - it has crystal clear clarity for movies, flash memory for MP3s, and a large assortment of FUN games (as opposed to the DS - but I will touch more on that later). Really, what more could you want?

I don't mean to trash the Nintendo DS ( I have them both), but they clearly are not in same league. This is probably partially by design - the Nintendo DS (Judging by its assortment of games) is designed for kids under the age of 12. With the exception of Super Mario 64 - I have yet to find one game that I enjoy. The PSP already has a much better selection of games, and games that adults actually want to play - notice there is not a "Madagascar" for the PSP. The PSP is designed to be a total entertainment device.

Here are some comparisons and pros and cons-

Graphics-
PSP 5 out of 5 - really they are as good as you could ever expect

DS- 5 out of 5 - maybe a shade worse than the PSP- but still very good

Sound -
PSP - 4 out of 5 Has issues with volume (you almost have to wear the headphones) - but plenty of options for tweaking the set-up

DS - 4 out 5 also a little problem with volume , but not bad

Load TImes
PSP- 2.5 out 5 - clearly this is where the PSP underperforms the DS. The Nintendo DS uses a flash type memory compared to the PSP's optical read. There is a large difference between the two.

DS- 5 out of 5 - The Flash memory is much faster

Games -
PSP- 4 out of 5 - an already large selection and growing by the day. HUGE advantage over the DS

DS- 1.5 out of 5 in my opinion- it only has 1 good game. Supposedely there will be a metroid game released, but I have been waiting for 8 months.

Features-

PSP- Another HUGE advantage over the DS... here is a list of thing you can do on the PSP that you can NOT do on the DS

- Watch/rent movies
- Listen to MP3s off of a flash media card (Much like an ipod)
- view pictures off of your digital camera (or Sony Digital camera at least)

Things you can do on the DS that you can NOT do on the PSP

- draw pictures using a stylus

ADVANTAGE - PSP


Tip: Be VERY careful of the PSP screen not to get it scratched. I can see no easy way of replacing it, and to severely scratch it would be horrible. My advice is (until you can buy the "Real" screen cover) trim a piece of plastic wrap around the screen. The static electricity will cause the plastic wrap to stick and thus protect your screen.