The Sony PSP is set for release in Australia on 1 September 2005.
Design
Colour us impressed, Sony -- if the oohs and aaahs of the CNET.com.au staff are anything to go by, then you've clearly got a winner with the PSP. Gamers and non-gamers alike at our offices were immediately wowed by the sleek design of the handheld, even with the unit turned off. In fact, with its extremely glossy front, it's almost as if people were hesitant to touch it, lest dirty fingerprints or smudges ruin the shine.
It's handy that Sony has packed a cleaning cloth with the PSP, because the glossy finish on the unit's front is certainly a smudge magnet -- you'll find yourself obsessively cleaning this little beauty in no time. The majority of the real estate on the front is taken up by the 4.3-inch widescreen LCD, with the controls flanked on either side -- on the left is a directional control pad, while on the right are the familiar Triangle, Circle, X and Square buttons of a PlayStation controller. Also on the left hand side (underneath the directional pad) is an unobtrusive joystick, which looks more like a small speaker grille than anything you can control a game with. This joystick works surprisingly well and offers excellent response, though its close proximity to the bottom of the unit means your thumb may cramp after long gameplay sessions. Several buttons are arrayed below the PSP screen, including a Home button (which sends you back to the main PSP menu if you're in a game or watching a movie), volume controls, a Select button and Start button. There's also dedicated buttons for Display and Sound -- pressing these will cycle through preset brightness or sound levels. And in another nice design flourish, Sony has included two clear shoulder buttons on the top left and right hand sides of the PSP -- it adds a nice contrast to the otherwise all black front, and means the PSP is only lacking two buttons from a full sized PlayStation controller.
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 Believe it or not, that's a joystick underneath the PSP's directional pad. |
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The back of the unit is (thankfully) less glossy, coming in a standard black plastic finish. At the centre is a large silver circle with the PSP logo in the middle -- a nice touch which makes an otherwise bland back look good. The PSP's proprietary UMD discs are inserted into the back of the unit -- a lever on the top of the PSP pops open the UMD slot, with the discs themselves sliding in and telling you they're inserted properly with a satisfying click. The PSP takes Memory Stick Duos, which slide into a MagicGate slot on the rear right.
On the PSP's right side is the Power/Hold button, while the bottom of the unit features the DC In power slot and a headphone input. The PSP ships with a pair of iPod-like all-white earbuds -- and just like the iPod there's a handy remote that can be used to control volume and skip tracks. The remote itself is silver and round, with its play and skip functions arrayed on a circular pad. On the top of the PSP is a slot for a mini USB -- the unit itself doesn't actually ship with one of these connectors, so unless you have a memory card reader or a PC that can take Memory Stick Duo, then you may need to shell out for one of these cables if you want to transfer music, movies or photos onto the PSP.
The PSP with its battery installed weighs about 280g, which gives it a fairly solid heft without being too heavy. Its length of 17cm, however, means it's not really an easy unit to carry around in your jeans pocket, unless you're still persisting with the baggy pants homeboy look. In fact, the overall 'feel' of the PSP certainly isn't one of a rugged, take anywhere, durable handheld gaming unit (like the Nintendo DS). With its glossy facade and sleek design, you'll instinctively want to take care of this thing (and god forbid any kids with their grubby fingers gets their mitts on it). Thankfully, Sony has included a protective carry sleeve for the PSP as standard.
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billbo baggins
22/09/2008, 10:50 PM
rating
10/10
Awesome!! Dark Alex has unleashed the true potential of this great device!
Pros: Custom Firmware and homebrew apps!!!
Cons: Very few!
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Zachary
04/09/2008, 08:10 PM
rating
10/10
it is the best portable game manking has eva made. i have a psp and it totally smashes ds!!!!!!!!!
Pros: music
vids
internet browser
ps3 connection
pretty much evrything
Cons: ABSOLUTLY NOTHING!!!!!!!
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Azegele
01/08/2008, 10:43 PM
rating
9/10
It is so fly
N nice. It is Gods gift 2 mankind!
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I am gay
11/07/2008, 10:44 PM
rating
10/10
It is sooooooo good. The DS Sucks
Pros: Everything
Cons: Nothing
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Diamanta
03/07/2008, 09:03 PM
rating
10/10
I think the Sony PSP is amazing!!
It is sooooo cool and everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pros: Everything is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cons: Nothing Watsoever!
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g0ld3n88
22/04/2008, 06:34 PM
rating
10/10
had mine since 2005. Great, no dead pixels, problems (not much) I really think that the people who think that it's confusing and pathetic should maybe learn how to use it.
For the people who hate the normal first released psps and prefer the Lites, well stop being cheap. You had to wait until they weren't the talk of the town to buy one for a cheaper price HAHA.
Pros: High resolution 11 cm screen
Sleek and glossy front
Capabilities!
share games, etc.
The directional pad is responsive
easy switch to wlan
shoulders are great, very stylish unlike the PS1 and 2s shoulders.
Screen brightness adjust
Web access with tabs
Flash playback enabled
Later firmware enables WMA playback
If your firmware is the oldest, the speed of the game load time would be longer. They increased the game loading time with the.. (can't remember what firmware update)
Radio
Skype (free internet calls)
gps
rss channel
Cons: i'd have to say:
The annoying frequent firmware updates!
Battery life
It has turned me into a cleaning freak
On the web i always accidentally click on the left shoulder! (it goes back one page)
For example, if i'm on the web and downloading something, i click select to go to the home screen without exiting the download. But when i click on music or something it stops the download. So i don't see the point of looking at the home screen if i can't do anything.
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jas
20/04/2008, 10:23 PM
rating
8/10
i got it for christmas 2 yrs ago.
love it but, im a girl. They should get more girl games. :(
Pros: pretty
sounds exactly like the computer !!(music)
big screeen
shiny.
(it does make u an obsessive cleaner, but its fun!) xD
everything is great!
they should make more girl games !!!!!
Cons: make more girl games
the sims2 game is pretty boring......
no CONCERNS!!!
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metalgod666
30/03/2008, 06:20 AM
rating
10/10
God of portables.
There are only 2 systems that people must bow that are or were totally wonderful in it's eras:The Psx for the home consoles and the PSP for the portables.This 2 budies talk about what the real revolution was.Oddly enough this 2 systems begin with the sceptisim of the people.Meanwile at first some nerds yell that the ds was the best and there was no reason for the PSP excistence.Only time have told who's right.Hopefully those nerds aren't hanged up in a tree right now.The PSP tells now what the Ds really is,an expensive portable for kids only.
But enough,Let's talk about this wonderful hardware.
The first time I hold a PSP I really feel totally amazed of what technology can do in this days.
I have Darkstalkers Chronicles and my parents were totally agree that how cool it looks.At comparision, not even the game boy ot the advance were cool to me when I was a teen only, I was totally disapointed with the gameboy display of the so big dots totally squared in a green displayed.
But I say nothing to no one about this. With the advance was the same, I was totally dissapointed of the so obscure screen and the feeling of playing just old games of the Super Nintendo.
Well I think that was the top of the technology can get those days , or Nintendo mediocrity can achieve.Ha,ha,ha.
Returning to the review my father said that I musn't expect that the Psp durability will last long,it looks kind of fragile.
And remembering the fate of my Nintendo portables (to the floor at high speed, intentionaly, they crashed) that reafirms why his feelings. But don't know why my PSP is alive and kickin', because this hardware is made to last, (not like the 360) or because I really apreciate the thing and I am careful while handling it, you know, buying it a protector and not leaving it to fall on the floor.
The best thing of the psp is his large screen, I complained to much about how I did't see a thing in the advance, when I know that the Ds have 2 tiny screens I avoid it like plague.
Perhaps I loosing my sight a little,I don't have problems with the PSP, I play it until I get tired.
The library it's pretty decent and there are much very good games.
Now another interesting thing about the PSP is the many aplication programs that you can get of homebrew, if you have a big capacity memory stick for the PSP, much of them are in development yet but some can be useful for some people. To be sincere I used for playing most the time but I still trying to make it play videos without conecting to the internet. Returning to the homebrew never imagine how many old games,nintendo,supernintendo,etc.have I played. Well this games isn't the strong point of the psp because they are what they're: old.
But at first they'll be interest to look at in your portable.
Don'T know why some FOOLS insist in charging oldware, well that their stupid problem.
Finally if you know how much I have save in games...but thats other thing that you'll have to investigate by yourself.
The PSP doesn't achieve the power of a PS2 but comes pretty close.
Don't know if can compete with a Ipod, but Im only interested in playing videogames so that doesn`matter to me.
Mortals, hail the biggest portable of all times, nothing comes close an nothing will be.
HAIL PSP, HAIL SONY!
Pros: Homebrew aplications including retrogames, aplication programs,video and mp3 playback,internet conection,a very entertaining library of games,cooldesing,large screen,very popular,durable,not only for kids.
Cons: Only a couple of hours and somethinf of battery power but can be pugged to the electric suply all the time.And ther are car powercord to.Playing to much hours a portable can be a little rough to your neck.The DS still exists,unfortunately.
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nellais
14/03/2008, 02:36 PM
rating
5/10
like to know what would be storage memory on this PSP. I like to know about this if doesn't any memory storage, is that possible to upgrade to 10GB or 20 GB.
Pros: Good one
Cons: Am not find any
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PSP_PR0_001
20/02/2008, 10:53 AM
rating
10/10
i have had my psp for a year and i love it, the games are great and enjoyable, i would not change it for anything
Pros: everything
Cons: none at all
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