I just wanted to know if anyone has a opinion on the PSP.. I am really looking at buying one but i heard a couple problems with button placement. Now Some people think that 250 dollars is a high price but when ya think.. it is a portable dvd player whihc costs 150 ish average... then its a MP3 player which costs 80 bucks ish average. then its a pda that can view pictures and slide shows thats another 100 ish bucks average.. Overall I think it would be awesome thingto have for like inbetween my college classes so i aint sitting around listening to people that annoy me. so just wonering if anyone has seen a psp in person or has one and there opinions.. TY!

good topic, I'm curious too.

From what I've read (sorry I do not have any links nor the time to go find them at the moment) the button placement issue was that the left key on the pad (not the d-pad but the "shape" buttons) X I think...had a problem with the sensor not centered with the actual button (since they could not shrink the LCD screen so the sensor was sitting right under the button, I forget exactly what it was) and as a result you really had to jam it to get it to respond (for those who have played home edition DDR on soft pads, its the same way when the sensors get jarred out of place). Apparently though when people began to complain, the producer of the PSP came out and said that it was meant to be that way to be a "challenge."

Consider this:

PSP uses a proprietary memory interface.. and they give you what, 32MB? I think the most they make in the PSP's memory format is 1 or 2 GB, which would be very expensive. This (32MB) is nothing in terms of music storage.

In my opinion, this is no replacement for any MP3 player. Also, you have to buy movies in the PSP's format (I think?), when things like my H320 (below) can have movies stored straight from the PC (and from a DVD disc).

I don't know much about its gameplay, but personally I'd rather have an XBOX for $100 less or any console, despite the PSP's portability.

actgually they are gonna make it so you can buy non sony sticks to put in the system plus there are going to be online places you can download movies in mpeg 4 script for around 4 bucks each that you can watch.. that i know of. thers already japanese sites up sellingdownloadble movies.

Now Some people think that 250 dollars is a high price but when ya think.. it is a portable dvd player whihc costs 150 ish average... then its a MP3 player which costs 80 bucks ish average. then its a pda that can view pictures and slide shows thats another 100 ish bucks average..

But, its a portable DVD player with half the screen size of the average portable dvd player.
Its a MP3 player which is far too big to be kept in your pocket like an IPod.
Its a PDA that doesn't run the standard Palm OS so you can't get new software for it down the line unless its specifically made for the PSP.

Plus I wonder if the battery could keep up with 2 hours of DVD watching being that small. Honestly, if you want a MP3 player buy a MP3 player. If you want a Palm Pilot, buy a palm pilot. If you want a portable video game system, which the PSP is, then buy that. A big combo package is gonna disappoint you in every area.

I dunno I still like the portability function of it. That and being able to fight against your friends. IF...(big if) they do as Shamzy says this would be really cool, almost iPod like only for movies. The button thing worries me though, that sounds stupid.

The memory thing really isn't that major, the prices are constantly dropping. I do think you're right though Cados, I think the movies are in some special format but I don't know what. Does anyone here actually have one?

I dunno I still like the portability function of it. That and being able to fight against your friends. IF...(big if) they do as Shamzy says this would be really cool, almost iPod like only for movies. The button thing worries me though, that sounds stupid.

The memory thing really isn't that major, the prices are constantly dropping. I do think you're right though Cados, I think the movies are in some special format but I don't know what. Does anyone here actually have one?
I don't have one but a friend of mine does and you do need a specific format for their movies but there are places to download them already and also an open source compiler for psp-file movies or something. It's 250 dollars to buy a portable ps1.5 with a 2 hour battery life.

The only time I could think about really wanting/needing to play videogames when I wasn't in my house would be long car rides and with a 2 hour battery life I think I'll just stick with my old gameboy and spend that 250 dollars on gas!

Consider this:

PSP uses a proprietary memory interface.. and they give you what, 32MB? I think the most they make in the PSP's memory format is 1 or 2 GB, which would be very expensive. This (32MB) is nothing in terms of music storage.This is mostly right. The proprietary memory interface has been "defeated." There are hacks to use other memory - from some common sources.

http://www.expansys-usa.com/product.asp?code=P800_MSEXP

$30 to use normal memory sticks, and several other hacks if you have some odd pieces of hardware.

I have fun with mine at class.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/11580
and the average movie price that i have seen over all websites i have checked is about 5 bucks a movie. The only File type i see peole talking about is Mpeg-4 so i assuming thats the smallest they are going to go.. and like someone link there are ways to make non sony sticks work with the psp so thats like 5 gigs of movies that will size about 400 megs each on one stick... th eonly problem I see is how dependable are memory sticks for quality. you guys keep saying just buy a portable dvd player if ya want one.. but have you seen how big they are? everytime i see a psp pic .. i think of the Sega Nomad size and that wasnt that big.. I rather carry that around for movies then something i have to put in my backpack.

it is a portable dvd player whihc costs 150 ish average...It is NOT a portable DVD player.

I'm not saying it isn't a portable movie player; it is, but it plays UMBs, not dvds.

I saw some twit trying to sell one with the idea and telling the guy that he could play all his regular dvds with it.

omg im sorry its not a DVD player My apologies.. its a Mpeg-4 player better?

2hr battery life? you have GOT to be kidding! screw that.

yeah that kinda scared me to but theres gotta be a way to get a bigger batter size or something.

Pelican power brick (http://www.pelicanacc.com/psp/psp_spec_sheet/6018.htm)

Doubles the battery life for 20ish bucks.

And there's apparently a program that will convert just about any type of video file to the correct format for the psp. I'm too busy(lazy) to find it right now though.

The battery life on mine for playing gams is more like 4-6 hours. But I have heard that playing a UMD movie takes it down to 2-3. I would guess that playing a movie from a memory card would bring it back up since it wouldnt eat up as much power as spinning the dick.

Also the current line of games are only programmed to run at 2/3s of the PSPs actual power, so when a better battery becomes available on the market Sony will be updating its programming libraries to allow developers to work with its full abilities and it will really challenge the PS2.

For music, expect 8 hours, for games expect 4.5 (3 for more processor intensive games), for UMD movies expect 2.5, for movies off the memory stick expect 5.

My recommendation for the PSP as of now, is "don't buy it", wait for the price to drop, wait for a newer model, but the current one is not worth its price.

Why? you may add, "Traditional Sony Quality"...I'd imagine virtually anyone knows what that implies by now.

All arguments about games, movies, etc, aside for the moment, the machine itself, is VERY poorly built. I can sum it up in the following phrase "PSP is a portable gaming system thats not meant to be portable".

Current estimates show that over 60% of all PSPs ship with some form of defect out of the box, alot of this is accounted for by dead pixels(and don't let sony lie to you, even one is not "normal" and is a defect, as stands thier warranty does not cover them, and policy is to "deal with it"..lovely). Others suffer from manufacturing waste (basically refuse dust plastic that isn't properly cleaned from the mold, and ends up in the screen or on transitors, causing odd problems).
The placement of the one button is a fault by design, and causes problems in roughly %15 of units(depends alot on which version you own, the US ver is less prone to it).
Major defects aside, its a overall very poor quality, it feels flimsy, portable devices need *some* measure of durability, because they are thousands of times more prone to damage then consoles, PSP sorely lacks in this department, it simply was not designed to be portable outside the batteries and size. It breaks, easy, trust me I sadly know this firsthand.

Next is the price of the games, $50, is the standard for PSP games. Do I even need to elaborate on that?

Aside from the price of the games, the launch lineup is, weak, at best, some are enjoyable, but, not worth $50, especially with the majority being down-graded ports of popular PS2 titles.

For music, its ok, its somewhat lacking in sound quality, basically, if you already own a decent MP3 player, your not gonna be impressed with it.

The only "great" use the PSP has is for movies and homebrew applications.
For movies off the memory stick, its great, clear on a small, high resolution screen.
Many homebrew applications or hacks (such as the browser) add additional functionality to the device, however the average consumer is likely to be unaware of these applications, and thus isn't considerable in its value.
Also, despite being a great mpeg4 player, the problem lies in the barrier of entry, $400 or more (PSP+1-2gb memory stick, unless your really content watching the same 2minute clip for hours on the included one).
Basically, for $400, you can get a *much* better device for these functions, or a comparible one at a cheaper price (archos makes a very good line of afforable portable media devices).

Despite the hype, the PSP has turned out to be a poor value, what things it is good at, are overshadowed by its defects, and the fact that it is simply priced far too high.
If some games down the line show interest to you, you may want to pick one up in the future, but as is, its a poor gaming platform (not to mention a total PITA to develop for..why Sony...WHY do you hate programmers so much?..but thats a different argument), and a subpar media device.

In summary:
If you want one for gaming: Wait
If you want a portable media device: There are simply better, and cheaper, options.

There you go, my full critique of the platform.

ok i finally got to see a Psp up close at the nearest best buy and I am very impressed with its size and graphics and such.. the games look amazing compared to other hand helds out atm.. they had some kind of race game in the psp at best buy. Now i see no probhlem with its size.. considering itrs really thing and just alittle bit wider then a nintendo DS.. though i wish i could see amovied played so i could see how the lcd wrks then but i couldnt. With Pelican's product that increases battery life thats a great solution to extend the battery. Its ok its not a small MP3 player like you can buy these days cause istill have my small 32mb mp3 player i can use when i run or something. the only thing that is stopping me from buying one at this moment is.. all the scary reviews i have gotten about almost every psp that has come out has had something wrong .. most of them have probelm with the lcd screens... but overall after see this thing in person i soo wanted one that much more.

I got mine (the value pack), the spiderman 2 movie, and 2 games for msrp. I don't see any flaws with it so far (no dead pixels and the buttons are pretty solid on mine) and it's really nice to have at work when i'm bored. But like Darus said, it's not for everyone.
The movies look great tho, and the games graphics are pretty close to the ps2's (and i suspect will be even better in some psp games eventually)
Do i need it? No. Do i want it? Yes.
To me it's a nice little machine to pass time with and have a little fun and watch a movie or two at work while the boss is away :) The price will go down eventually, so may be better to wait till it drops a bit if your unsure about buying it. But i will get a better memory card once the prices drop appreciably tho.
The manual says 5-6 hours for games, about 4-5 on movies btw but probably depends on how heavily you use it.

Why Did I Buy A Nintendo Ds?!?!?!?!?!??!

/cry

Heres a link for the PSP conversion software so you can convert your videos into PSP format.


http://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=PSP_Video_9

Crystana Do you have to use a certain memory stick with the PSP?

Using the 32mb one that came with it, but am going to get at least a 1gb once the price drops a little so i can download more stuff. Think SanDisk and sony have them atm mainly, but sony is the more expensive but guaranteed to work with it with no problems at all. May be others but haven't extensively looked too much yet tho.
They have them to 2gb (from what i heard) but not going to pay that much atm. (2gb is like 230+ atm or so)
Sandisk has a 1gb one for 127 atm, plus i saw the 512 for about 65-70, 128 for about 40 on amazon. (may want to check other places tho for better prices)
Actually ran mine out of power at work due to alot of downtime and was bored. It lasted about 4-5 hours so wasn't too bad imho...Just need to remember the power cord next time..hehe

Using the 32mb one that came with it, but am going to get at least a 1gb once the price drops a little so i can download more stuff. Think SanDisk and sony have them atm mainly, but sony is the more expensive but guaranteed to work with it with no problems at all. May be others but haven't extensively looked too much yet tho.


Sony and SanDisk both own the rights (Codeveloped) too produce memory sticks, your not gonna see them from more generic 3rd parties anytime soon.

Buy the SanDisk, they're as good as the Sony, and its still a "Brand" name, for almost 1/2 the price .

What it will come down to me if i buy one or not is..
1. Are there really going to be movie download programs for PSP.
2. the size of the movies to fit on a memorystick/size of memory sticks.

if those two come out pretty decently theres no way i wont buy one.

Talked to few people who own one also and they have D/L a few movies and a ton of mp3's so far, but since i haven't really gotten into that part atm too much i'll hold off on saying anything till i'm more familiar with it..

All i can say is i like mine alot. Been watching movies, listening to songs and playing games on it at work when everything is done and the boss isn't around. Only thing i don't like about it is that the screen gets smeared easily. Easy to clean but annoying nonetheless to me. :)
I was thinking about SanDisk also for my memory card also. Once the rush is over the prices will go down i think. Until then i'm happy with whats in it right now...

http://playstation.hackaday.com/entry/1234000390021293/