The Short PSP Summary!
Sony's Playstation Portable is actually a very remarkable little machine. It can access the Internet, display photos, play music, games, and videos. Of course, you've all heard that before, because those are the basic highlights of the PSP. The PSP has initally impressed me, because I thought that Nintendo's Dual Screen was going to be the king of the handheld market once again, and that there would be no real competition at all. Well, the PSP changes my view on that. I actually believe that it is a better handheld than the Nintendo DS, due to the fact that it can do about 100x more. While the DS is still just a handheld game system, the PSP is a handleheld theater, mp3 player, gaming machine, photo viewer, and web browser at the same time. I just thought I would throw together this quick little review for the thing, since it is 3:00 in the morning and I have absolutlely nothing to do. So, without further ado, my short review of the Playstation Portable! Appearence:
Black is the perfect color for the system, accompained by a large LCD screen, and the buttons and analog stick all fit into place nicely on the lightweight system. The UMD (Universal Media Disc) slot is in the perfect place, and it all comes together with the PSP logo printed on the back. Pretty nice looking machine. The only problem I have with the build of the PSP is how easily it can pick up fingerprints. The thing looks constantly dirty if you do not wear gloves while using it. Rating: 4/5
Software/Games:
The PSP's operating system is very stable and secure, and although it does crash sometimes, it is really nothing to serious to give it a downrating for. The PSP's game and movie selection, while limited, is good for the most part. Highlights so far for the system include Hot Shots Golf, Burnout Legends, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Katamari Damacy, Madden, and Metal Gear Ac!d. The system's Internet browser is also a really nice utility, although it needs more memory to power it, meaning that it will not display very large webpages without having some kind of error occur. Movies are plentiful, but they are not coming out as quickly as they were at launch. Probably because people were not going to spend the same amount of cash for a PSP movie when they could get the DVD instead. Music also plays very well on the PSP, but only with headphones. The standard speakers just do not pump out a lot of noise. Homemade videos can be put on the PSP, but it is a REAL pain in the neck to do; but if you are good with the basics of a computer, (Changing file extentions, names, etc) then you should be fine. Rating: 3/5
Durability:
If one thing is for certain, it is that the PSP can take a licking and keep on kickin. The magazine Popular Mechanics had recently had a little bit of fun trying to break the PSP and test its limits, and they were suprised that the little system could take so much. When put under a water source, the system still managed to turn on and operate; with some severe problems of course, but the main point is that the thing managed to work after being exposed to water. The PSP can easily survive dings and smacks, but do not throw the thing at the ground in a fit of rage. That will break it for good.
Rating: 5/5
Overall Package:
The PSP is a good system overall. It has very few problems both externally and internally, but these problems can be easily fixed and they do not occur often. The PSP would make a great gift for someone who wants to have a good time on road trips or when away from their computers. Good picture quality in games and films, good music quality, a sufficent Internet Browser, and lightweight make it the idea source for entertainment on the go, but remember, it is a handheld; so you won't see any next generation graphics on the games or anthing like that, but for a handheld system, they are actually quite remarkable indeed. Final Rating: 4/5
Ok, I am offically tired now, so good night all!
