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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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

PSP Phone - Soon to Hit the Market

It's a dream come true for me to use my PSP as my phone. That's why I was overwhelmed to hear that Sony Ericsson is coming up with something to integrate a mobile phone into a PlayStationPortable! In a deal with BT, the PSP is about to become a phone, Net browser and video comms device.


Sony has designed very good game controls on PSP, and they are trying to overcome the difficulty of gaming using a numeric keypad that comes with a mobile phone. Of course they came up with a solution and made a few keys on numeric keypad into a game controls and the problem was solved. The other issue was that most of the good games are played holding the PSP with both hands and using two thumbs to control game characters while the phone is operated usually with a single hand and thumb. A rotating screen solved this issue. When the device is in a phone mode, all you have is a simple mobile phone with numeric keypad , menu and function keys. Turn the screen around 180 degrees, your menu/functional keys are transformed into game controls and you have a perfectly good portable gaming device.

I would definitely buy this PSP Phone as soon as it's out in the market. Move over, iPhone!

PSP Slim and Lite's TV OUT feature

A really fantastic thing I like about the Sony PSP Slim and Lite is that it has a TV Out feature, allowing users to plug the PSP into a TV and see everything on a big screen. A PSP Slim and Lite component cable is required to do this and it's a bit hard to find.

WIth this feature, you can transfer games from the small PSP screen to a big screen TV. There’s no lag nor any drop in quality once the image reaches the TV. The games don’t output full screen, but it’s still certainly big enough to see what you’re doing from a distance. On the other hand, if you slide in a UMD movie, the display fills the screen while looking just as good as it does on the PSP. This is perfect if you have a new PSP Slim and Lite, but still crave to get your big screen gaming fix, then this is well worth the money (and the search!).


I have read some news, however that those who has standard definition TVs said that the movie UMD playback works just fine, while game UMDs don't, because the respective TV set does not support progressive scan. The composite cable capable of playing back all PSP content - whether games or media and is on top fully compatible to all kinds of TV systems including TFT, plasma, and even older CRT. The issue is with the progressive scan, and that has nothing to do with any cable.

But what the heck? The PSP Slim and Lite is a handheld--why would you desperately want to connect it to the TV set?

PSP Slim and Lite Rocks!

The PSP Slim and Lite is the redesigned version of the popular Sony PlayStation Portable handheld. There were many rumors about a new version of the Sony PSP and as everyone expected Sony Computer Entertainment America announced the PSP Slim and Lite during their press conference in Santa Monica. The official name of this new revamped PSP is PSP Slim and Lite. It has a new enamel coated finish to prevent scratches and smudges (yipee!).


Here’s a list of the important new features of the PSP Slim and Lite:
  • Internal Memory (RAM) has been increased from 32 MB to 64 MB, so more space for savegames
  • Wi-Fi Connection is better, the Wi-Fi Connection switch has been moved to the top of the handheld
  • UMD games and movies load faster because the PSP stores UMD data in its temporary memory
  • A better battery pack and the battery now recharges via USB data connection as well. The old PSP battery pack is still usable as well but the battery cover can’t be closed when using this old battery
  • A video-out port (yipee!) with composite cable for hooking your Sony PSP Slim and Lite up to your TV
  • The handheld has been reduced by 33%
  • The PSP Slim and Lite is 19% narrower, slimmer in thickness
  • The D-pad has been improved, it’s more like the PS3 SixAxis controller’s D-pad
  • Memory Stick slot has been relocated
  • The infra-red port has been removed
  • Speakers have been repositioned on the front of the PSP near the screen
  • Better UMD Loading tray, easier to use
Let's wait a few months and see if this new, lighter version is as good as the original PSP.