Archived from groups: alt.games.video.sony-playstation2 (More info?)
Well the PSP is finally here and I've been playing it quite a bit yesterday
and today (the battery is recharging now). Here is what I think of this
system and I also included a picture of what I have.
Yesterday I got the system and I have four games (NFL Street 2, Tony Hawk
Underground 2, Lumines, and Wipeout Pure) and I have to say I'm very pleased
with the system overall, I'm not saying it's perfect but it's pretty darn
close.
Let's start by talking about the WOW factor (no I'm not talking Warcraft
either, sorry guys). This thing is hot, and it is one sexy piece of
electronic goodness. Just looking at it will make the hairs on your arms
stand at attention, the screen is huge, but the system isn't and that's a
pretty amazing thing to accomplish. Having a 4.3" screen and still staying
roughly the same size as the original GBA system is pretty incredible, plus
it doesn't weight much more than the original GBA either. Sony did a pretty
incredible job of making more than half the system a LCD screen and still
manging to fit all the buttons, a D-pad and even an analog stick on the
system (no it's not the speaker). For the overall WOW factor, or design if
you want how can I not give it a 10/10.
Now lets talk about the use, the video and audio are pretty amazing, even
though the built in speakers are a little weak they still do a good job of
getting the sound out, and anything with stronger sound would have drained
the battery more, so I understand why this is and I can totally live with
it, plus using a good set of headphones is totally incredible and will save
you battery time too. The visual will most likely make you take a step back,
from the opening sequences to games like Wipeout and Tony Hawk over to music
videos found on the sampler disc or the bundled Spider-Man 2 UMD movie
you'll be amazed, the screen is bright, vivid and pretty big for a handheld
system. As good as the screen is , it's not perfect. Many people are
complaining about dead pixels, and this is pretty much a complaint for any
LCD technology so the PSP is no different, you're probably asking, "if I get
a PSP will I have dead pixels?" and the answer is probably yes. I have a 4
dead pixels but I can only notice them on a static black screen, I haven't
noticed them in a game or video yet so I'm not complaining about that at all
really. Other than that the screen is great. The controls are also great,
you'll notice it has a lot of buttons, but it doesn't have as many as the
PS2 controller, there are only 2 shoulder buttons and one analog stick, but
this is fine for a portal and in games like Tony Hawk (which I also own for
the PS2) you'll hardly notice the difference, sure in a couple places they
had to be creative and use a button combination where the PS2 could do it
with one button, but once you get use to it you'll hardly notice. I've also
tried loading a couple small videos and songs on the included 32MB memory
stick and I have to say that works very well too and music sounds fantastic
using headphones. The last thing I'd like to mention is the battery, many of
you have probably heard about the short life of the PSP battery, well I'm
hear to say it's not so bad. I'm use to getting about 10 hours on my GBA SP
when playing games, you won't get this on any PSP game but it is not so bad.
Combined between checking out the UMD video sampler, the Spider-Man 2 UMD
movie, some MP3's and videos from memory stick and several hours of gaming I
managed to get somewhere between 5-6 hours of battery life before I had to
recharge (I still had 7% battery remaining too). The overall use of the
machine I would have to give it a 9/10. It's not getting a 10 because the
controls aren't perfect and some people will complain about the weak
speakers and dead pixels on the screen.
How about games? Well games look fantastic, Wipeout is incredible and looks
better than Wipeout on the PS2, Tony Hawk looks fantastic too graphics wise.
There is a load time you'll have to wait for, but it's not terrible. In
Wipeout and Tony Hawk you can be playing in less than a minute from the time
you first switch the PSP on, which is on par with many PS2 games, in Lumines
you can be playing in under 30 seconds. Obviously Lumines has less graphical
textures to load so this might be a factor is some more intensive games, but
I'm sure as developers increase the graphics with programing tricks they
will also learn to keep the load times acceptable. I haven't play NFL Street
2 yet because I was waiting for some reviews before I opened it, so far the
reviews seem to say this game is pretty bad for load times, they say that
load times are about 50 seconds between challenges and matches and
considering that some challenges are less than 1 minute to complete that
seems pretty bad, so I still haven't decided on if I'm keeping this game or
not. The audio department in the games I played is great too and its on par
with the audio you would expect from a PS2 game, clear sounding and lots of
variety in the music department, making games sound great. I'm giving the
gaming experience a 9.5/10 for the PSP because right now the load times will
frustrate some (especially if the NFL Street 2 reviews are right) but I'm
sure programmers will improve this since there are first gen launch titles.
Last thing I want to touch on is the bundle, I bought the value pack and I
think for the $299.99 Canadian what you get is a pretty good deal, the
system is pretty much what you pay for but in the box you'll find some
extras, you get a wrist strap that allows you to keep it strapped to your
wrist so you don't drop the system, you also get a pretty remote and
headphones, they look pretty good and the wired remote functions well, but
the headphones are pretty cheap, if you plan on using the headphones a lot
or if you're an audiophile then you'll want to invest in better headphones,
but for a bundles set they are okay. You will also find standard power
hookups for charging the system, it would have been nice if it was a little
smaller so you could fit it in your pocket (like the GBA SP one) but it does
the job well enough. You'll also find a padded sleeve case for storing the
system, truthfully the case isn't very good and I will never use it, I think
you'd be just as well off if you wrapped it in a t-shirt or something, you'd
be very sorry if you dropped your PSP in this thing. You'll also find a 32MB
memory stick duo pro included which is great for save games, but if you plan
on using the PSP for music or videos off the memory stick you'll need to buy
a bigger one, but I'm glad I didn't have to go out and buy a memory card for
saving like previous Sony consoles. You'll also find that the system comes
with a lint free cleaning cloth, this system is a finger print magnet so
you'll need to clean it often, in fact clean freeks will probably find they
spend just as much time cleaning the thing as they will playing games or
watching videos. The last things you'll find (well besides registration
cards and the manual) is the Spider-Man 2 UMD and a Sampler UMD discs, the
Spider-Man 2 movie is a nice inclusion, especially if you're a fan of the
movie it looks and sounds fantastic. However, the Sampler UMD isn't so hot,
it contains trailers for several movies and games, also you'll find some
music videos too. This is okay for showing off multimedia capabilities for
the PSP but it would have been nice to see a couple playable game demos,
even a single level from the Spider-Man 2 game and Lumines or something
would have been a welcome edition. It also would have been nice of Sony to
include a USB cable so you can hook the PSP up to your computer, if you
already have a digital camera you might not need to buy another one, but if
you don't already have one this is something you'll eventually need to get.
Overall all I'd give the packaged Value Pack a 9/10, sure its a pretty good
value but some of what you get you're not likely to use.
Overall I'd give the system a 9.5/10, while it isn't perfect it is the best
handheld experience you'll find that is legal to do in public.
I also purchased the Mad Catz Montorous pack, it retails for $30 Canadian is
is a good value, if included a better foam padded case which is capable of
holding the system and 4 UMD's or 2 UMD's and the remote and headset. In
this pack you'll also find 4 screen protectors, I installed one of them and
managed to get rid of all of the bubbles but though it took away from the
screen clarity so I removed it, if you want to keep the screen scratch free
these are good, but I know eventually I'll get minor scratches anyway so I'd
rather have the full glory of the screen and not use these at all. Also
included are another set of headphones, which aren't great but are slightly
better than the ones included in the PSP value bundle, you'll also get a car
charger for charging the battery in the car which is very very good. There
is also a USB cable included in the kit too, which would normally retail for
about $10-15 on its own. The last thing included in this value kit is 6 UMD
mini-cases, they are fantastic for keeping those UMD discs safe, the main
reason I bought this kit was for the PSP case, UMD cases and car charger,
everything else was a bonus. I'd give the Mad Catz Monstrous kit a 10/10
because at $30 it's a steal.
Here is the pic of my PSP system, games and accessories.
http://img171.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img171&image=hpim0816custom3pw.jpg
Well the PSP is finally here and I've been playing it quite a bit yesterday
and today (the battery is recharging now). Here is what I think of this
system and I also included a picture of what I have.
Yesterday I got the system and I have four games (NFL Street 2, Tony Hawk
Underground 2, Lumines, and Wipeout Pure) and I have to say I'm very pleased
with the system overall, I'm not saying it's perfect but it's pretty darn
close.
Let's start by talking about the WOW factor (no I'm not talking Warcraft
either, sorry guys). This thing is hot, and it is one sexy piece of
electronic goodness. Just looking at it will make the hairs on your arms
stand at attention, the screen is huge, but the system isn't and that's a
pretty amazing thing to accomplish. Having a 4.3" screen and still staying
roughly the same size as the original GBA system is pretty incredible, plus
it doesn't weight much more than the original GBA either. Sony did a pretty
incredible job of making more than half the system a LCD screen and still
manging to fit all the buttons, a D-pad and even an analog stick on the
system (no it's not the speaker). For the overall WOW factor, or design if
you want how can I not give it a 10/10.
Now lets talk about the use, the video and audio are pretty amazing, even
though the built in speakers are a little weak they still do a good job of
getting the sound out, and anything with stronger sound would have drained
the battery more, so I understand why this is and I can totally live with
it, plus using a good set of headphones is totally incredible and will save
you battery time too. The visual will most likely make you take a step back,
from the opening sequences to games like Wipeout and Tony Hawk over to music
videos found on the sampler disc or the bundled Spider-Man 2 UMD movie
you'll be amazed, the screen is bright, vivid and pretty big for a handheld
system. As good as the screen is , it's not perfect. Many people are
complaining about dead pixels, and this is pretty much a complaint for any
LCD technology so the PSP is no different, you're probably asking, "if I get
a PSP will I have dead pixels?" and the answer is probably yes. I have a 4
dead pixels but I can only notice them on a static black screen, I haven't
noticed them in a game or video yet so I'm not complaining about that at all
really. Other than that the screen is great. The controls are also great,
you'll notice it has a lot of buttons, but it doesn't have as many as the
PS2 controller, there are only 2 shoulder buttons and one analog stick, but
this is fine for a portal and in games like Tony Hawk (which I also own for
the PS2) you'll hardly notice the difference, sure in a couple places they
had to be creative and use a button combination where the PS2 could do it
with one button, but once you get use to it you'll hardly notice. I've also
tried loading a couple small videos and songs on the included 32MB memory
stick and I have to say that works very well too and music sounds fantastic
using headphones. The last thing I'd like to mention is the battery, many of
you have probably heard about the short life of the PSP battery, well I'm
hear to say it's not so bad. I'm use to getting about 10 hours on my GBA SP
when playing games, you won't get this on any PSP game but it is not so bad.
Combined between checking out the UMD video sampler, the Spider-Man 2 UMD
movie, some MP3's and videos from memory stick and several hours of gaming I
managed to get somewhere between 5-6 hours of battery life before I had to
recharge (I still had 7% battery remaining too). The overall use of the
machine I would have to give it a 9/10. It's not getting a 10 because the
controls aren't perfect and some people will complain about the weak
speakers and dead pixels on the screen.
How about games? Well games look fantastic, Wipeout is incredible and looks
better than Wipeout on the PS2, Tony Hawk looks fantastic too graphics wise.
There is a load time you'll have to wait for, but it's not terrible. In
Wipeout and Tony Hawk you can be playing in less than a minute from the time
you first switch the PSP on, which is on par with many PS2 games, in Lumines
you can be playing in under 30 seconds. Obviously Lumines has less graphical
textures to load so this might be a factor is some more intensive games, but
I'm sure as developers increase the graphics with programing tricks they
will also learn to keep the load times acceptable. I haven't play NFL Street
2 yet because I was waiting for some reviews before I opened it, so far the
reviews seem to say this game is pretty bad for load times, they say that
load times are about 50 seconds between challenges and matches and
considering that some challenges are less than 1 minute to complete that
seems pretty bad, so I still haven't decided on if I'm keeping this game or
not. The audio department in the games I played is great too and its on par
with the audio you would expect from a PS2 game, clear sounding and lots of
variety in the music department, making games sound great. I'm giving the
gaming experience a 9.5/10 for the PSP because right now the load times will
frustrate some (especially if the NFL Street 2 reviews are right) but I'm
sure programmers will improve this since there are first gen launch titles.
Last thing I want to touch on is the bundle, I bought the value pack and I
think for the $299.99 Canadian what you get is a pretty good deal, the
system is pretty much what you pay for but in the box you'll find some
extras, you get a wrist strap that allows you to keep it strapped to your
wrist so you don't drop the system, you also get a pretty remote and
headphones, they look pretty good and the wired remote functions well, but
the headphones are pretty cheap, if you plan on using the headphones a lot
or if you're an audiophile then you'll want to invest in better headphones,
but for a bundles set they are okay. You will also find standard power
hookups for charging the system, it would have been nice if it was a little
smaller so you could fit it in your pocket (like the GBA SP one) but it does
the job well enough. You'll also find a padded sleeve case for storing the
system, truthfully the case isn't very good and I will never use it, I think
you'd be just as well off if you wrapped it in a t-shirt or something, you'd
be very sorry if you dropped your PSP in this thing. You'll also find a 32MB
memory stick duo pro included which is great for save games, but if you plan
on using the PSP for music or videos off the memory stick you'll need to buy
a bigger one, but I'm glad I didn't have to go out and buy a memory card for
saving like previous Sony consoles. You'll also find that the system comes
with a lint free cleaning cloth, this system is a finger print magnet so
you'll need to clean it often, in fact clean freeks will probably find they
spend just as much time cleaning the thing as they will playing games or
watching videos. The last things you'll find (well besides registration
cards and the manual) is the Spider-Man 2 UMD and a Sampler UMD discs, the
Spider-Man 2 movie is a nice inclusion, especially if you're a fan of the
movie it looks and sounds fantastic. However, the Sampler UMD isn't so hot,
it contains trailers for several movies and games, also you'll find some
music videos too. This is okay for showing off multimedia capabilities for
the PSP but it would have been nice to see a couple playable game demos,
even a single level from the Spider-Man 2 game and Lumines or something
would have been a welcome edition. It also would have been nice of Sony to
include a USB cable so you can hook the PSP up to your computer, if you
already have a digital camera you might not need to buy another one, but if
you don't already have one this is something you'll eventually need to get.
Overall all I'd give the packaged Value Pack a 9/10, sure its a pretty good
value but some of what you get you're not likely to use.
Overall I'd give the system a 9.5/10, while it isn't perfect it is the best
handheld experience you'll find that is legal to do in public.
I also purchased the Mad Catz Montorous pack, it retails for $30 Canadian is
is a good value, if included a better foam padded case which is capable of
holding the system and 4 UMD's or 2 UMD's and the remote and headset. In
this pack you'll also find 4 screen protectors, I installed one of them and
managed to get rid of all of the bubbles but though it took away from the
screen clarity so I removed it, if you want to keep the screen scratch free
these are good, but I know eventually I'll get minor scratches anyway so I'd
rather have the full glory of the screen and not use these at all. Also
included are another set of headphones, which aren't great but are slightly
better than the ones included in the PSP value bundle, you'll also get a car
charger for charging the battery in the car which is very very good. There
is also a USB cable included in the kit too, which would normally retail for
about $10-15 on its own. The last thing included in this value kit is 6 UMD
mini-cases, they are fantastic for keeping those UMD discs safe, the main
reason I bought this kit was for the PSP case, UMD cases and car charger,
everything else was a bonus. I'd give the Mad Catz Monstrous kit a 10/10
because at $30 it's a steal.
Here is the pic of my PSP system, games and accessories.
http://img171.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img171&image=hpim0816custom3pw.jpg
I bought Wipe out pure, Lumines, and Tiger Woods, all of 
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