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The PSP is the best portable gaming machine ever. Stick Alton Towers on casters, give it a battery and the Sony would still be our choice.
What other machine offers a widescreen of such excellent performance that units, terminally damaged due to the tears of weeping grown men, have been returned to Sony complete with thank you notes? What other machine offers its own dinky (though slightly expensive) UMD movie format?
Mix in movie and photo transfer capability, MP3 playback, plus a speaker that actually makes a bearable noise and you have media love. Nay, media lurve.
It's wireless too
While you're wandering around wireless territory you can also take a quick surf and check out the increasing freebie content at www.yourpsp.com. However, the max 4GB memory (with an add-on) means – other than a bag of UMDs or memory cards – a lack of content choice while on the go.
If only, while out and using the internet, you could gain access to programmes from your home's TV or DVD player. Ah yes, that'll be what Sony plans with its forthcoming LocationFree package. Cigar anyone?
Review continues after the break...
Game over at the four-hour mark
We're not completely blind to its shortcomings though. The battery conks out after four hours, and the PSP's analogue stick is (say it quietly) actually not that great. It lacks precision, and anyone with a man-size thumb will struggle big time. That and the fact you'd be wise to choose headphones other than those bundled with your PSP.
But the 4.3in colour widescreen is pole position material, delivering smooth action and extraordinary depth of field. Sound, though best through some buds, is also nowt short of brilliant. We like...
Comments
GeeDoubleu
6 years ago
Excellent machine, well desgined. It is held back by Sony's vision of proprietary software and locked down OS. Current Firmware supports WMA music files, wireless networking with an internet browser. I use it for my commute to play games and listen to music. 4GB memory stick holds a good selection of albums. Movies playback is great. It could have been the killer gadget if they released one with a 30GB harddisk and included an ebook reader. Meanwhile I have a PSP for games, a MP3 player for music and a PC for DVD/Computing.
fatherb
6 years ago
Howdy all, I have one of these things. Sucked into it by clever advertising last Xmas. Don't believe the hype. There are few to no good games for it. Those few good games are miles too expensive for a hand held. Loading times on UMD games are ridiculous - Pro Evo 5 has to go and load new stuff and you sit there for 10 secs every time the ball goes out. Other things it does are also not implemented correctly. Not having a touch screen is a huge mistake. Trying to websurf on it without a touch pad is enormously difficult. The only good thing it does is play movies from the memory stick. The screen is nice and bright but because you have to hang on to it (there is no cradle or stand) it becomes a bit tiresome. Battery performance is also pretty low too. Just a few hours. Save your money and buy something good like a GP2X or even god forbid a DS. Why can't we put star ratings in here like the journalists do?
markyp1234
6 years ago
It may be the 'best portable gaming machine ever', but can't anyone overlook Sony charging the money they are for UMD discs? It basically means I'm buying my DVD collection all over again. OK, in fairness the PSP itself is pretty superb. But it's the software costs that make me baulk.