PSP Reviews and News

All things you need to know about your PlayStation Portable / PSP!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Sony PSP Star Wars Battlefront Entertainment Pack

The Star Wars Entertainment Pack is a white PSP with black Darth Vader monogram and the Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron game. It is lighter, slimmer, and sleeker update of the original PSP; it has AV output for video and game playback on TVs. It also has improved load times for games. This new PSP retains all of the impressive media and online features of the original PSP but with a deep lineup of great game titles that offer better graphics than Nintendo DS games.



The button layout is based on the classic PlayStation controller layout--four-way directional pad on the left, square, triangle, cross, and circle keys on the right--so anyone who's used a Sony console over the last decade should be able to pick up and play.

The rounded contours on the backside of the earlier PSP have been replaced with a totally flat surface. And we mean flat--unlike the rough exterior of the older model, the skin of the new PSP is perfectly smooth.

Despite improvements, problems and annoyances remain: UMD load times still poky compared to Flash-based DS games; volume levels still less than optimal; limited gameplay options via video output; USB charging option is cumbersome; screen is still too reflective and a magnet for fingerprints; subtle redesign missed the opportunity to add even more features.



If you're already familiar with the classic PSP, then you won't have any problems using this new one. The new PSP is an evolutionary upgrade, with the following key changes:
  • It's 19% thinner and 1/3 lighter than the original version of the console. Anyone used to the older PSP will immediately notice the reduced weight as soon as they pick it up.
  • It has slightly improved cosmetics and controls. The thinner profile offers a slightly sleeker, more rounded look and feel. Even better, however, is that all of the control buttons (the D-pad on the left, the PlayStation circle, X, square, and triangle on the right, and the shoulder buttons on the top) are all sitting a bit more elevated on the chassis' face.
  • It has faster loading times--the new PSP utilizes a system setting called "UMD Cache" that enables faster loading of game discs. The secret is the new PSP's extra RAM--it's got 64MB versus the 32 on the original model, and just like a PC, more memory enables faster performance. Many games do indeed load faster--while Test Drive Unlimited showed no real improvement in GameSpot's testing, Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 and WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 both showed nice gains, for instance. But don't expect miracles: the UMD load times are still poky when compared to the lightning-fast, Flash-based games of the Nintendo DS and Game Boy.
  • The new PSP can be charged via the USB port--it takes about 5 hours to fully charge the unit, and it needs to be on and connected to a powered-up PC, whilst in the USB mode.
While it may not be a must-have upgrade for existing PSP owners, a host of subtle improvements make the latest Sony PSP (aka the PSP 2000) an even better deal for anyone looking for a solid portable gaming and multimedia device.

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