rohan_mhtr
Most wanted
Remember the days when we all used to stay glued with the so called brick game playing games like snake and tettris for hours . All other gaming devices like the Nintendo gameboy or ds were too expensive and were not common for an average Indian child to experience in those days . I still remember the days when I used to cry for the 8 bit tv game and my joy knew no bounds when my parents purchased it when I scored good marks in school . But things have changed now , with high end graphics to pixels and latest consoles , gaming in india is about to explode. From childhood I have been a natural gamer and have experienced many different gaming platforms like 8,16-bit tv gaming , pc-gaming , consoles like ps2 , xbox and now this wonderful gadget the psp( Playstation portable ) slim aka psp 2000
Its been almost a week since I am using this sexy gadget and I am yet to check its full potential but even then I recommend the PSP to any gamer out there. For the most part, I haven't had to... Anyone who sees one, will wont one .
As I mentioned in earlier thread that I got the modded psp brick for 8.6k with bill and a 4gb card for 1.9k. Now here goes the review….
Design and Ergonomics
The PSP pulls off an impressive design and ergonomics coup that must have designers shaking their heads in bemused wonder. Comparing it with the older psp the psp slim is sexier and slimmer but some people can call it cheap since the original psp looked like an expensive 500$ gizmo , on the other hand the material used on the psp slim is slightly of inferior quality but is definitely more shinier . Aside from the slimmer dimensions (2.8 inches high 6.6 inches wide and 0.6 inch deep) and lighter weight (just about 200-220 grams), the new Sony PSP doesn't look much different from its predecessor. The main attraction of the gadget is its brilliant 4.3 inch widescreen lcd display . LCD display remains, bordered by controls on its left, right, and bottom side, plus two buttons along the top edge. Anyone who's used a Sony console over the last decade should be able to pick up and play this gadget . The speaker is on the front side unlike in the older model where it was located behind . At a first glance one would think that it might slip through your hands but believe me , the gadget fits perfectly in your hands and there is no way for slipping .
Performance
This is the various imformation I collected on net . The PSP is powered by the PSP CPU with a system clock frequency of 1 to 333MHz, depending on load. It has 64MB of main memory . The PSP has an optical UMD drive which takes 2.3" discs that look like very small CDs encased in a cartridge with a clear cover and an opening for the laser.
Display and Sound
The 4.3" 16:9 widescreen is certainly larger than any PDA . But the comparison ends there: the PSP the moment you turn on, To appreciate the PSP, you simply must see it in person. The screen is superbly crisp, carries perfect color tones in both games and movies, and is very bright but it is adviceable to keep the brightness on low level to increase the battery life . . No one will complain that the display is dim even on low brightness settings . The loudspeaker is nothing special but does its job while playing games . Using the bundled earbud headphones in the pack, sound is very impressive. It's loud, clear, and has great dynamic and tonal range . I tested the PSP with creative ep-630 headphones, and the end result was decently deep bass and rich, smooth sound. Yes, you can use any set of 3.5mm stereo headphones you like. And yes, the PSP doubles as an MP3 player. Some might say that sound output is not loud enough specially after using an ipod and my n91 but when sound quality is concerned then it is on par with the best in the business .I have heard of many hacks that can amplify the sound output by three times but I haven’t yet tried it .The psp slim can play DRM-free MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, and ATRAC3 files, along with support for album art. Shuffle and repeat modes are supported, along with a visualizer function. But I have to admit that the music management sucks all time . Searching songs can be a headache if you have a large collection . If you are not into gaming and just need a good pmp for music and videos then in my opinion the psp would not be a good buy .
Now the main part , GAMING!!
Gaming on psp slim is by far superior then any other portable console out there in the market . Graphics vice the psp is on par with the ps2 and many of its titles are simply ports of PlayStation 2 games . The gaming ergonomics are excellent and the small analog controller works well, as do the standard Playstation buttons .When gaming your fingers won't go into spasms while working with the psp . Clearly, the PSP is designed for a more mature audience .
It's also worth noting that many of the PSP games include an online multiplayer component. Some games offer ad hoc multiplayer (peer to peer, for playing against other PSP'ers in the same room), others offer Internet play, or both .
There are numerous tittles out there in the market and many of them are indeed very addictive . In India newer tittles costs slightly more then 1k but you can find all the tittles on the net that you need but that is piracy .
Big screen gaming??
If you play games nonstop then the battery will last for about 4.5 hours depending on the game you are playing . Brightness level of the screen plays an important role in the battery life . I watched the movie Transformers twice with full brightness settings and while watching it for the third time the battery went dead after 15 minutes of movie playback . If you keep the brightness level minimal then you can watch the same movie for about 3 times and about 10 % battery life still remains .
The system menu has a battery icon with four segments, as well as a menu option with more detailed information such as percentage and an estimated time in hours and minutes of remaining power. When the last brick disappears from the battery meter, the system warns you that power is low. You can also play the PSP while it's connected to the AC adapter, and charge the battery at the same time. The new psp slim also charges through the usb port and for that you have to change the settings to usb mode . The PSP actually offers longer runtimes for gaming and video playback than the current PDAs.
I still have to check the wifi system but that will surely reduce its battery life .
CONCLUSION
For about 8.5k the new psp slim is definitely a gadget to own . Why wouldn't anyone love a console that looks like a ultra-modern and cool device, has Sony behind it, a great list of rollout titles and a widescreen that can't be a beat? Throw in movie playback, an MP3 player, stereo, a photo viewer, stereo output, WiFi and geat gaming ergonomics .Anyone who sees one, wants one .The new psp slim is definitely worth a buy but I wont advice it as an upgrade for the original psp .
And finally the psp slim isn’t perfect , but who is? The battery life is surely a big problem but again to run such a big wonderful screen and wonderful graphical games require lots of power . The music management can be improved so that it can be used with its full potential . The usb charging is just a joke , it takes ages for the battery to charge fully through the usb mode .
With so many advantages and slight disadvantages the psp slim is definitely a gadget one must treasure in his collection . For 8.5k it is indeed a very good buy . I recommend the PSP to any gamer out there . In short I will rate it as 8.5/10 .
Its been almost a week since I am using this sexy gadget and I am yet to check its full potential but even then I recommend the PSP to any gamer out there. For the most part, I haven't had to... Anyone who sees one, will wont one .
As I mentioned in earlier thread that I got the modded psp brick for 8.6k with bill and a 4gb card for 1.9k. Now here goes the review….
Design and Ergonomics
The PSP pulls off an impressive design and ergonomics coup that must have designers shaking their heads in bemused wonder. Comparing it with the older psp the psp slim is sexier and slimmer but some people can call it cheap since the original psp looked like an expensive 500$ gizmo , on the other hand the material used on the psp slim is slightly of inferior quality but is definitely more shinier . Aside from the slimmer dimensions (2.8 inches high 6.6 inches wide and 0.6 inch deep) and lighter weight (just about 200-220 grams), the new Sony PSP doesn't look much different from its predecessor. The main attraction of the gadget is its brilliant 4.3 inch widescreen lcd display . LCD display remains, bordered by controls on its left, right, and bottom side, plus two buttons along the top edge. Anyone who's used a Sony console over the last decade should be able to pick up and play this gadget . The speaker is on the front side unlike in the older model where it was located behind . At a first glance one would think that it might slip through your hands but believe me , the gadget fits perfectly in your hands and there is no way for slipping .
Performance
This is the various imformation I collected on net . The PSP is powered by the PSP CPU with a system clock frequency of 1 to 333MHz, depending on load. It has 64MB of main memory . The PSP has an optical UMD drive which takes 2.3" discs that look like very small CDs encased in a cartridge with a clear cover and an opening for the laser.
Display and Sound
The 4.3" 16:9 widescreen is certainly larger than any PDA . But the comparison ends there: the PSP the moment you turn on, To appreciate the PSP, you simply must see it in person. The screen is superbly crisp, carries perfect color tones in both games and movies, and is very bright but it is adviceable to keep the brightness on low level to increase the battery life . . No one will complain that the display is dim even on low brightness settings . The loudspeaker is nothing special but does its job while playing games . Using the bundled earbud headphones in the pack, sound is very impressive. It's loud, clear, and has great dynamic and tonal range . I tested the PSP with creative ep-630 headphones, and the end result was decently deep bass and rich, smooth sound. Yes, you can use any set of 3.5mm stereo headphones you like. And yes, the PSP doubles as an MP3 player. Some might say that sound output is not loud enough specially after using an ipod and my n91 but when sound quality is concerned then it is on par with the best in the business .I have heard of many hacks that can amplify the sound output by three times but I haven’t yet tried it .The psp slim can play DRM-free MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, and ATRAC3 files, along with support for album art. Shuffle and repeat modes are supported, along with a visualizer function. But I have to admit that the music management sucks all time . Searching songs can be a headache if you have a large collection . If you are not into gaming and just need a good pmp for music and videos then in my opinion the psp would not be a good buy .
Now the main part , GAMING!!
Gaming on psp slim is by far superior then any other portable console out there in the market . Graphics vice the psp is on par with the ps2 and many of its titles are simply ports of PlayStation 2 games . The gaming ergonomics are excellent and the small analog controller works well, as do the standard Playstation buttons .When gaming your fingers won't go into spasms while working with the psp . Clearly, the PSP is designed for a more mature audience .
It's also worth noting that many of the PSP games include an online multiplayer component. Some games offer ad hoc multiplayer (peer to peer, for playing against other PSP'ers in the same room), others offer Internet play, or both .
There are numerous tittles out there in the market and many of them are indeed very addictive . In India newer tittles costs slightly more then 1k but you can find all the tittles on the net that you need but that is piracy .
Big screen gaming??
- The new PSP has an AV output jack (which doubles as a standard headphone connector) by which you can watch movies and play games on high end tv , unfortunately no cable bundle is provided so with the pack and you have to buy it separately . The maximum video resolution varies according to the content displayed. Video content from UMD discs and Memory Stick can be displayed at DVD-level 720x480 resolutions , though quality will vary depending upon how the compression of the video is but games are locked into the PSP's native 480x272 display as a result you cant play games in fullscreen and some black portion remains surrounding the border of the tv screen . Another potentially bigger problem with games is that they don't seem to even work on TVs that can't handle progressive-scan (480p) output. So while nearly any HDTV should be fine but older televisions will be limited to displaying nongaming video output.
- The PSP can also display JPEG, GIF, and TIFF photos stored on the MS Duo card--individually, or as a slideshow.
If you play games nonstop then the battery will last for about 4.5 hours depending on the game you are playing . Brightness level of the screen plays an important role in the battery life . I watched the movie Transformers twice with full brightness settings and while watching it for the third time the battery went dead after 15 minutes of movie playback . If you keep the brightness level minimal then you can watch the same movie for about 3 times and about 10 % battery life still remains .
The system menu has a battery icon with four segments, as well as a menu option with more detailed information such as percentage and an estimated time in hours and minutes of remaining power. When the last brick disappears from the battery meter, the system warns you that power is low. You can also play the PSP while it's connected to the AC adapter, and charge the battery at the same time. The new psp slim also charges through the usb port and for that you have to change the settings to usb mode . The PSP actually offers longer runtimes for gaming and video playback than the current PDAs.
I still have to check the wifi system but that will surely reduce its battery life .
CONCLUSION
For about 8.5k the new psp slim is definitely a gadget to own . Why wouldn't anyone love a console that looks like a ultra-modern and cool device, has Sony behind it, a great list of rollout titles and a widescreen that can't be a beat? Throw in movie playback, an MP3 player, stereo, a photo viewer, stereo output, WiFi and geat gaming ergonomics .Anyone who sees one, wants one .The new psp slim is definitely worth a buy but I wont advice it as an upgrade for the original psp .
And finally the psp slim isn’t perfect , but who is? The battery life is surely a big problem but again to run such a big wonderful screen and wonderful graphical games require lots of power . The music management can be improved so that it can be used with its full potential . The usb charging is just a joke , it takes ages for the battery to charge fully through the usb mode .
With so many advantages and slight disadvantages the psp slim is definitely a gadget one must treasure in his collection . For 8.5k it is indeed a very good buy . I recommend the PSP to any gamer out there . In short I will rate it as 8.5/10 .
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