drewrussell's Full Review: Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) Console
The Sony PSP (Play-Station Portable) is by far one of the most exquisite and well-sought after mobile gaming devices in the world. As the name implies, it is essentially a modified, portable Playstation – but it is also much more than that. It is a photo viewer, video viewer, MP3 player, and an Internet Browser as well. With all these great features, a great price, and such a reputable device…what’s not to love?
First Power Up
When you first take the PSP out of the box and turn it on, you are presented with a settings dialog as well as a few personalization options. You set the date, time, time-zone, color of the PSP’s home screen, etc. After that, you are ready for action. You can choose to watch a movie, play a game, listen to some music, or browse a few photos. You can check your email, set a new wallpaper, or…..well, the possibilities are endless! Essentially, you’re just ready to have fun.
Game-Play
Now, one of the most impressive things about the PSP is the quality of the games. I realize that the PS3, XBOX-360, and Wii are all the rage now, and that dusty old PS2 in the corner just isn’t as enticing as it once was, but for you to be able to play PlayStation 2 quality games anywhere you want – that’s pretty cool.
The buttons on the PSP are similar to that of the Playstation’s controller. There is the standard d-pad (which is slightly bigger than the PS2’s), the X, O, Triangle, and Square buttons, a single analog joystick (compared to the two on the PS2), as well as the R1 and L1 buttons (the R2 & L2 are missing). Buttons are tactile, provide good feedback, and more importantly, the response time is great.
Also, let me say that the quality of the screen in absolutely impressive. In fact, I caught myself watching a movie on the PSP at night with the headphones versus watching one on the TV by my bed due to it. Believe me, I’m serious about video quality, and this device delivers 100%.
Multimedia Features
As most people know, the PSP is not only a gaming device, but an all-in-one multimedia device as well. It has the capability to not only play music, but watch videos and view photographs as well. In order to take advantage of these features, you have to own a Sony Media Stick, and either a USB cable or a Media Stick reader.
Getting media on the PSP is fairly straightforward for the most part. Video is difficult, since most of the time you have to use a third-party converter to put the video into a format that the PSP can read. Music and photos, however, are easy. Place the file in the appropriate folder (audio or photo) and place the Media Stick back in your PSP. Fire up the application and you are good to go!
Wi-Fi and Internet Connections
One of the most interesting features of the PSP to me is the inclusion of not only Wi-Fi for game sharing, but also for Internet Browsing. The device is 802.11b compatible, so most common wireless routers are compatible with it. The multiplayer game feature is also cool as well. It is kind of like XBOX360 live… only portable.
The internet browser is very basic, however. No flash or shockwave–but it does support JavaScript. Without the above to features however, a lot of sites will not display properly, and it also means that there is no YouTube, MetaCafe, Hulu, etc.
Concerns
The only concerns that I have with this device are the use of UMD’s (the PSP discs), the use of Media Sticks (expensive option), and the lack of Flash on the internet browser. The UMD’s take a while to load, the Media Sticks are the most expensive media that you can purchase, and YouTube on the PSP would be awesome! However, even with those drawbacks, the PSP is still a great gaming device. With the price as low as it is today, there is no reason to hold out. Go out and get one!
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