Yoshi
03-30-2005, 03:28 AM
Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable)
By: Joshua “Yoshi” DeHerrrera
Initial impression, a full article will be on the new site when launched and I will update this thread as well.
Sony bills the new PSP as ”The portable entertainment revolution”. This is a pretty tall order, with competitors such as iPod for music, Nintendo DS for portable Gaming, Archos for portable video as well as laptops and small portable DVD players.
Lets see if they hit their mark.
To get a good feel for the PSP and to make sure I had good results I purchased two PSP's the day they came out in USA. This gave me the ability get average readings, in case one unit was unusually good or bad. I didn't want “review” samples as these are usually hand picked units, that they make sure are perfect.
First looking at the PSP I like what I see, it is nice and sleek. If I dare say... kinda sexy looking for a piece of hardware. The layout seems logical and easy to access. Cosmetics gets a big thumbs up. I will be proud to sport it around.
Specifications
From Sony's website
Dimensions:
Approximately 6.7 in (W) x 2.9 in (H) x .9 in (D)
Weight:
Approximately 280g / .62 lbs (including battery)
CPU:
PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1 - 333MHz)
Main Memory/ Embedded DRAM:
32MB/4MB
Display:
4.3 inch, 16:9 Wide screen TFT LCD 480 x 272 pixel, 16.77 million colors
Maximum luminance 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using battery pack)
Maximum luminance 200 / 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using AC adaptor)
Sound:
Built-in stereo speakers
Main Input/Output:
IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi), USB 2.0 (mini-B), Memory Stick Duo™, Infrared Port
Disc Drive:
UMD Drive (Read only)
Power:
Lithium-ion Battery, AC Adaptor
Codec:
[Video]: "UMD": H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level3
[Video]: "Memory Stick": MPEG-4 SP,AAC
[Music]: "UMD": linear PCM,ATRAC3plus™
[Music]: "Memory Stick": ATRAC3plus™,MP3(MPEG1/2 Layer3)
Wireless communications:
IEEE802.11b, Infrastructure mode, Ad hoc mode (connection up to 16 consoles)
Supplied accessories:
AC adaptor, Battery pack, Memory Stick Duo (32 MB), Headphone with remote control, Soft case and cloth, UMD In-pack Sampler.
Dead Pixels
One of the things people had been complaining and speculating about before the USA launch was dead pixels. So the first thing I did was to check for dead pixels. On my first unit I had 2 dead pixels, that were all the way in bottom right corner and barely noticeable even with solid black screen. This was OK to me, something I could live with. It would never be seen while watching video or during game lay.
The second unit on the other hand had four dead pixels about 1/3 way down the screen right in the middle. They were fairly bright and very easy to see with a black screen, during game play and while watching video you had to really concentrate to see them. This will be my test case to see if I can get the unit replaced under warranty.
Picture Quality
Aside from the dead pixels the picture quality is wonderful. The included SpiderMan 2 UMD movie looked great and game play looked as good as its big brother on a TV screen. This is area that I can say Sony really nailed. Watching movies on it while on a trip, plane or car, would be very nice. Especially if you don't want to lug around a laptop or portable DVD player. And game play can be very easy to get into thanks to picture quality of this 16:9 480 x 272 TFT display.
Sound Quality
The built in speakers in the PSP are adequate but are definitely not a great experience. While the included headphones had rich full sound, wonderful. The games are much better with them and will be better appreciated with headphones on. I also tried using Sony's larger MDR V600 headphones and the included ear buds sounded much better. Something I think would be cured with a small headphone amp as the on board power for headphones just isn't enough for large headphones.
Media
The media is something that falls short. The UMD while a nice concept is just not practical for video. I can not see myself buying movies on UMD. If I want to buy a movie I'll buy DVD so I can watch on my Home Theater as well. The area I do see UMD movie sales doing very well is Adult Titles...
Memory Stick "Duo", is limited as well. Currently Duo cards are maxed at 1GB. There is a way to mod an adapter to let you use standard memory sticks and memory stick pro which go up to 4GB. I will be following up on this subject in future update. The draw back to this is the cost vs quality. At high quality you will only fit one feature length movie on a 1GB card, which avg around $150.
What Sony needs to do is make available an affordable burner and media for UMD discs. This would allow people to have home videos etc, without investing hundreds of dollars in memory stick media. I for one will be one of the first to buy a burner when/if they do come out.
Game Play
I played two games primarily Need for Speed Rivals and Lumines. I wanted to play Twisted Metal for Internet play testing but it was sold out at my local stores. I will update with impressions of online play later.
Game play was very fun and easy to get fully engrossed in. For the most part the controls are very easy to use. I had zero issues with the square button as people speculated would be an issue. I tried twisting and jerking the unit around and no issues with UMD media popping out. While I didn't twist as hard as I possibly could I twisted a lot harder than I normally would just to make sure.
My only complaint is the analog stick. With games such as Lumines it doesn't matter as you use the directional pad. but with racing games such as NFS rivals the analog stick would be nice to use. The problem with the analog stick is it's position. Being on the very bottom of the unit it is very hard and uncomfortable to hold the PSP in your hands and use it. If you can set the PSP down on your lap or a table it works great.
Battery Life
Battery life was tested with continuous video play of included UMD movie SpiderMan2. Using headphones set 5 clicks from maximum. Screen at maximum brightness level and at dimmest level. I did this same testing with two separate units purchased at retail store.
The times varied by less than 10 minutes between the two units.
Test one Full brightness averaged 4 hours and 44 min.
Test two lowest brightness averaged 5 hours and 52 minutes.
The average charge time for initial charge was 1hour and 36min. Subsequent charges from fully discharged state (where unit will not play anymore and shuts off) averaged 2 hours and 20 min.
This meant that for game play. I used my PSP all day long without needing recharge and I played it constantly. I will update these specs with numbers for game play using WiFi.
Conclusion
I think the PSP is here to stay. Its potential is enormous. If Sony develops the accessories and options for it that it is capable of, look for the PSP to be the next must have item. I am very glad I purchased mine and look forward to many happy hours of gaming and multimedia play.
By: Joshua “Yoshi” DeHerrrera
Initial impression, a full article will be on the new site when launched and I will update this thread as well.
Sony bills the new PSP as ”The portable entertainment revolution”. This is a pretty tall order, with competitors such as iPod for music, Nintendo DS for portable Gaming, Archos for portable video as well as laptops and small portable DVD players.
Lets see if they hit their mark.
To get a good feel for the PSP and to make sure I had good results I purchased two PSP's the day they came out in USA. This gave me the ability get average readings, in case one unit was unusually good or bad. I didn't want “review” samples as these are usually hand picked units, that they make sure are perfect.
First looking at the PSP I like what I see, it is nice and sleek. If I dare say... kinda sexy looking for a piece of hardware. The layout seems logical and easy to access. Cosmetics gets a big thumbs up. I will be proud to sport it around.
Specifications
From Sony's website
Dimensions:
Approximately 6.7 in (W) x 2.9 in (H) x .9 in (D)
Weight:
Approximately 280g / .62 lbs (including battery)
CPU:
PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1 - 333MHz)
Main Memory/ Embedded DRAM:
32MB/4MB
Display:
4.3 inch, 16:9 Wide screen TFT LCD 480 x 272 pixel, 16.77 million colors
Maximum luminance 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using battery pack)
Maximum luminance 200 / 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using AC adaptor)
Sound:
Built-in stereo speakers
Main Input/Output:
IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi), USB 2.0 (mini-B), Memory Stick Duo™, Infrared Port
Disc Drive:
UMD Drive (Read only)
Power:
Lithium-ion Battery, AC Adaptor
Codec:
[Video]: "UMD": H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level3
[Video]: "Memory Stick": MPEG-4 SP,AAC
[Music]: "UMD": linear PCM,ATRAC3plus™
[Music]: "Memory Stick": ATRAC3plus™,MP3(MPEG1/2 Layer3)
Wireless communications:
IEEE802.11b, Infrastructure mode, Ad hoc mode (connection up to 16 consoles)
Supplied accessories:
AC adaptor, Battery pack, Memory Stick Duo (32 MB), Headphone with remote control, Soft case and cloth, UMD In-pack Sampler.
Dead Pixels
One of the things people had been complaining and speculating about before the USA launch was dead pixels. So the first thing I did was to check for dead pixels. On my first unit I had 2 dead pixels, that were all the way in bottom right corner and barely noticeable even with solid black screen. This was OK to me, something I could live with. It would never be seen while watching video or during game lay.
The second unit on the other hand had four dead pixels about 1/3 way down the screen right in the middle. They were fairly bright and very easy to see with a black screen, during game play and while watching video you had to really concentrate to see them. This will be my test case to see if I can get the unit replaced under warranty.
Picture Quality
Aside from the dead pixels the picture quality is wonderful. The included SpiderMan 2 UMD movie looked great and game play looked as good as its big brother on a TV screen. This is area that I can say Sony really nailed. Watching movies on it while on a trip, plane or car, would be very nice. Especially if you don't want to lug around a laptop or portable DVD player. And game play can be very easy to get into thanks to picture quality of this 16:9 480 x 272 TFT display.
Sound Quality
The built in speakers in the PSP are adequate but are definitely not a great experience. While the included headphones had rich full sound, wonderful. The games are much better with them and will be better appreciated with headphones on. I also tried using Sony's larger MDR V600 headphones and the included ear buds sounded much better. Something I think would be cured with a small headphone amp as the on board power for headphones just isn't enough for large headphones.
Media
The media is something that falls short. The UMD while a nice concept is just not practical for video. I can not see myself buying movies on UMD. If I want to buy a movie I'll buy DVD so I can watch on my Home Theater as well. The area I do see UMD movie sales doing very well is Adult Titles...
Memory Stick "Duo", is limited as well. Currently Duo cards are maxed at 1GB. There is a way to mod an adapter to let you use standard memory sticks and memory stick pro which go up to 4GB. I will be following up on this subject in future update. The draw back to this is the cost vs quality. At high quality you will only fit one feature length movie on a 1GB card, which avg around $150.
What Sony needs to do is make available an affordable burner and media for UMD discs. This would allow people to have home videos etc, without investing hundreds of dollars in memory stick media. I for one will be one of the first to buy a burner when/if they do come out.
Game Play
I played two games primarily Need for Speed Rivals and Lumines. I wanted to play Twisted Metal for Internet play testing but it was sold out at my local stores. I will update with impressions of online play later.
Game play was very fun and easy to get fully engrossed in. For the most part the controls are very easy to use. I had zero issues with the square button as people speculated would be an issue. I tried twisting and jerking the unit around and no issues with UMD media popping out. While I didn't twist as hard as I possibly could I twisted a lot harder than I normally would just to make sure.
My only complaint is the analog stick. With games such as Lumines it doesn't matter as you use the directional pad. but with racing games such as NFS rivals the analog stick would be nice to use. The problem with the analog stick is it's position. Being on the very bottom of the unit it is very hard and uncomfortable to hold the PSP in your hands and use it. If you can set the PSP down on your lap or a table it works great.
Battery Life
Battery life was tested with continuous video play of included UMD movie SpiderMan2. Using headphones set 5 clicks from maximum. Screen at maximum brightness level and at dimmest level. I did this same testing with two separate units purchased at retail store.
The times varied by less than 10 minutes between the two units.
Test one Full brightness averaged 4 hours and 44 min.
Test two lowest brightness averaged 5 hours and 52 minutes.
The average charge time for initial charge was 1hour and 36min. Subsequent charges from fully discharged state (where unit will not play anymore and shuts off) averaged 2 hours and 20 min.
This meant that for game play. I used my PSP all day long without needing recharge and I played it constantly. I will update these specs with numbers for game play using WiFi.
Conclusion
I think the PSP is here to stay. Its potential is enormous. If Sony develops the accessories and options for it that it is capable of, look for the PSP to be the next must have item. I am very glad I purchased mine and look forward to many happy hours of gaming and multimedia play.