A potential winner let down by lack of games (Sony PSP)

Member Name: Reviewer_2590

Product:	Sony PSP
Date:	15/09/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gorgeous 4.3 inch screen, graphics, multimedia capabilities (music, video, photo),

Disadvantages: Some serious design flaws, lack of good games

This is a review of the original PSP-1000.

I remember the hype surrounding the PSP when it was released. A portable Playstation approaching PS2 graphics? Yes please! And that wasn't all. It doubled as a music and video player (and photo viewer, although I honestly have no idea how many people actually use that functionality). Videos on the go on a 4.3 inch screen. The revolutionary cross-media bar to make navigating the device easier. The promise of firmware upgrades adding features and fixing bugs in the software. It just sounded too good to be true. And it was. Unluckily for me though, I only found that out after I bit the bullet and ordered one from Japan.

The design of the device is something to be admired. The huge screen is a joy to behold, and produces very clean and crisp images. Playing Wipeout Pure really showed off the colours and intensity that the screen can pull off, not to mention the graphics. It has most of the buttons of a normal PS2 controller, except for the R1 and R2 buttons and the second analog stick. At the back there is the UMD drive, and on the left and right sides of the device are the Memory stick slot and Wifi switch, and power switch, respectively. The problems with the design become apparent upon continued use. The device is too heavy too hold for long periods of time without straining the wrists. Not only that, it is far too big to be considered 'portable'. I would consider it portable if I could slip it into my jeans pocket without it looking like I'm carrying a brick in there. I have found that to be almost impossible because of the thickness of the device, not to mention the fact that it's always in a case for fear of scratching the screen while it's in my pocket. That adds extra bulk. In addition, the position of the analog stick makes it very difficult to use for long periods of time without straining the thumb. I have experienced this many times playing Pro Evolution Soccer. After about an hour the pain starts to get noticeable. And as much as I love playing Pro Evo I'm afraid it's a bit much to expect me to 'play through the pain barrier' like professional footballers often do.

The UMD format has been recognised as a mistake by Sony. If not directly, then by the fact that they will be releasing a new PSP without a UMD drive, and will be making all new titles downloadable from the PS Store from September 2009. Using a spinning disc such as the UMD is an awful idea for a portable system because of three main things:
- it increases loading times, where you should be trying to minimise them;
- it absolutely decimates the battery life, which is pretty essential in a portable device (I've experienced first hand the difference between the same title playing on UMD and downloaded from the PS Store - loading is quicker and battery life is conserved much better);
- it is a nightmare to store and carry the UMDs properly due to their size and propensity to get damaged, where a portable system should make carrying games with you easy. The Nintendo DS' cartridge system takes care of all these things by having a cartridge system. But then, what does Nintendo know about portable gaming eh...

Games are what makes or breaks a games console, and regardless of the PSP's aspirations to be a multimedia centre, this is fundamentally what it was made for. Unfortunately for the millions of PSP owners around the world, the system has always lacked, in my opinion, quality games across different genres. There have been a couple of blockbusters on the platform, no doubt about that, but no system-defining games like Halo on the XBox or even Super Monkey Ball on the iPod Touch (which Sony could learn from if it truly wants to make the PSP a multimedia/gaming system). LocoRoco is as close as it gets but there's nothing to say it couldn't have been done on another platform, the iPod Touch being a great example (Rolando on the App Store is a superb copy of LocoRoco which improves upon the original by using the device's touch and accelerometer functionality). There have been some great games, such as God of War, GTA, Virtua Tennis, but nothing so good that it would make you want to buy a PSP to play that game. Also, only a tiny percentage of games have really used the more promising features like Online Multiplayer and Game Sharing. If the PSP allows for such features why not implement them???!!!

I can't remember having used anything else which promised so much but delivered so little. I was so excited about this device but having spent the best part of £500 on the console (which I imported from Japan a month after it was released there), games and accessories, I can't help but feel let down. Sony didn't come close to unlocking the potential of the PSP. It didn't get enough third-party developers on board. The ones it did have did not make enough quality games. And Sony's games department lost its way in terms of promoting the device as a gaming platform, instead looking to add more and more functionality like the web browser (which works reasonably well apart from running out of memory far too often and making your hands melt from how hot the Wifi receiver gets) and paid add-ons like a camera and GPS, which for the majority of users is not the reason for buying a PSP in the first place. Videos were an absolute nightmare to deal with at first due to the confusing folder structure one was forced into using, but even now it is far from convenient having to convert video files into PSP compatible video.

All of which means that my PSP has been left on a shelf gathering dust for a couple of years now. I remember laughing at my friends who decided to get themselves a Nintendo DS back when I first got my hands on my shiny new PSP, smug with my technologically superior gadget. I guess they got the last laugh. At least some of them still play on their DS.

N.B. Readers may be interested to know that Sony is going to be releasing a redesigned version of the PSP, the PSP Go, which will be smaller, lighter, and no doubt more expensive than the current PSP-3000 model. If you want more information Google is your friend...this is a review not an advert!

Summary: Until good quality games start arriving thick and fast, this will be an expensive waste of money