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Sell Me a PSP
Mr Pink
I got catsfor youRegistered User regular
I got catsfor youRegistered User regular
I've recently come into some extra cash and have been thinking about picking up a PSP. I've always liked the little thing, despite Sony's terrible ads. Plus, I'm a sucker for FF Tactics, and weird games like Katamari, Patapon, Loco Roco, etc. And a local FYE is selling a pack with the PSP, a game, case, battery and memory card for 169.99.
I travel a lot for my job and I always take my trusty DS with me. Would a PSP be worth the investment? And is there anything I should know right off the bat with owning one (kinks, problems, etc)?
I travel a lot for my job and I always take my trusty DS with me. Would a PSP be worth the investment? And is there anything I should know right off the bat with owning one (kinks, problems, etc)?
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You have more than 3 games you want, so go for it.
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But since you already have a DS you don't need convincing about that side of the coin.
So yeah, they break easily and the DS has a larger library with less wasted time on loading and longer battery life.
No reason to not own one though, to at least get those experiences in.
I guess I just wanted to know if there was some info like 'Sony to discontinue PSP support in 09' or something. Or that they were about to release a new version and I should just wait.
Not likely. 2008 was pretty much the best year yet for the PSP and they just launched the 3000 model in the last month. It will be around a while.
It is also the only place to really play any kind of Monster Hunter game in western markets which makes it must own imo. Do it, I love mine.
They just released the 3000 series with better lcd screens. Downside is they ghost images a somewhat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable_(PSP-3000_series)
And of course, DJ MAX.
Blythe
The US version is supposedly coming out in January.
Jeanne d'Arc
Disgaea
Also awesome:
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank
both Syphon Filter games
Daxter is pretty good
Puzzle Quest if you don't already have it on DS
Final Fantasy 1 with new art (not sure about the art in 2)
Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (make sure to get the regular one, not the Portable Ops + which is multiplayer-only)
It's got great games. I've got one and play it all the time. If you have a PS3 it has some pretty rad interaction functions there as well.
I've had a launch phat, and a new 2000. They've both gotten a ton of use and abuse, been dropped on tile, etc, and I've never had a single problem with either. The phats had a problem with dead pixels, but I've never seen any real widespread problems with the system breaking easily, the load times are overblown, and barely noticeable now, and the battery life is fine, and an extended life battery is available for those of us who around 8 hours of game time is a problem.
Yeah actually. I have had my 2000 over a year now. I carry it to work everyday in my pocket with no case. I have dropped it several times including once where the umd cover popped off. It still works flawlessly. It is probably one of the better pieces of hardware I have purchased.
Also, a great thing I've found is that swarths of awesome games can be had for practically nothing now. I've been completely going to town on Goozex with PSP games.
NintendoID: Nailbunny 3DS: 3909-8796-4685
The PSP library excels in spots where the DS library is a bit lacking, and vice versa; I don't have as many PSP games as DS games but in terms of traditional gaming it scratches itches that the DS doesn't quite hit right. I'll cosign pretty much everything mentioned above (except for Secret Agent Clank, I haven't played it but apparently it's more of a stealth-based game than a typical R&C platformer?). In terms of accessories, look for SanDisk Pro Duo sticks and be sure to buy new and from a reputable source, since there are tons of knock-off counterfeit memory sticks that will crap out on you at the worst possible time.
I'm fairly certain you can still find 2000 models in stores and online, so be cautious of any site that doesn't specify the model.
NintendoID: Nailbunny 3DS: 3909-8796-4685
Also, beat'd soundly by Lunker.
If you want a 2000 for homebrew, you still have to be careful on which you buy as most of the stand alone systems now have the cpu that prevents running of homebrew. Your safest bet is to get one of the 2000 bundle packs, like the blue madden psp, or the red god of war psp. The ratchet & clank one is a 3000.
I actually just looked up the deal FYE has. It's the 'mystic silver' PSP 3000, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, National Treasure 2, 1 GB memory stick and a download for Echocrome. So I guess that settles it.
2000 series are still for sale and are likely to be for some time. With the UMD caching on the 2000s (and 3000s), load times are much less noticeable. With the latest 5.00 Firmware, you can buy and download games directly to your memory stick, connected to just a wireless access point. Patapon and Jeanne D'arc are available there, by the way, and memory stick games load up WAY faster and consume much less battery.
Old 1000 series are still available as well. The local gaming stores typically sell packages at 100 bucks or less, especially with the 3000 series out and all. I use 1000 series exclusively, but I'm heavily into the Custom Firmware and Homebrew scene. The battery lasts longer, but the screen sucks in the sunlight. If you travel a lot in sunny areas, then the 2000 is better and the 3000 is the best (the "ghosting" only appears with special circumstances in darkly lit rooms... in the sunlight, the 3000 works very well).
EDIT: 169 bucks for all that? There are places that sell 2000s with barely anything for that price. That's a good deal.
How can you tell what cpu you have, short of trying to hack it? I've never heard anything like that before. I bought a core 2000 and I'm still waiting for my battery to come in the mail, so I'm starting to worry :P
There're about 15 or so games on it that have peaked my interest, but the future of the system does seems rather dim right now. On the plus side, you can get most of the games you want for a cheap price.
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Damnit, I should have figured by reading the "sell me a psp" thread I'd get sold a psp.
Pray to your god or goddess that you won't ends up with them.
*owns a PSP with stuck pixels
The good:
I like being able to download games straight to my flash card. The web browser is passable if you don't mind going to mobile sites. The disc load times aren't near as bad as I thought they might be and battery life is pretty good. The screen is amazing and the graphics are quite nice.
The neutral:
A lot of the multimedia capabilities seem kind of pointless to me. It's too big to use as an MP3 player and I have no urge to watch movies on it. I did load some of my photos on it and looked at them when I was away from home on business so I guess that was OK.
The bad:
Not much; my biggest complaint would probably be that it's pretty bulky to carry around. I don't feel that safe toting it to work without a case and the case upsizes it from medium to large. It also feels a bit fragile compared to my DS but I haven't had any problems so far.
It's an okay port of my favorite game ever. I'd say best ever, but then people would be all, "blah, blah opinions."
Basically, it's an absurd coming-of-age rhythym game with plenty of style and substance.
Also, in regards to exclusives, Crisis Core was a very fun game, even if the story missions became laughably easy after doing only a few side missions, which make up the core of the game.
FFT and Disgaea are must haves if you haven't played them before. Maybe even if you have played them before, for good measure.
The big draw about this is you can buy cables (around $20, last I remember) that will specifcally connect your PSP to a component connection on a TV. If you get some slick conversion programs, essentially, you can play anything on your PSP using that handy SD card.
Yeah, alright, I used to work at Fry's. :P
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*Sigh* Pretty much. It's useful in long trips if one doesn't have a laptop.
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Other than that though, it's a fantastic piece of hardware and it's amazing how veristile it is. I just wish it was more comfortable to actually use.
I think I heard it had an extra song, but other than that are there any differences from the PS2 Gitaroo Man?
If those casemodding geniuses who stuff occasionally the becomes the popular meme of the week (like that handheld Dreamcast or SNES) could make me an affordable PSP with a custom-fitted casing, a better d-pad and and the nub replaced by a real analog stick, it'd be approachable.
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The Analog Nub is still bad, but don't try any of the custom "hats" to replace it... it has a tendancy to snap off stick portion of the assembly. I personally don't mind the nub, but I know some folks who do.
I'm not sure where the pinky numbness comes into play. The way I hold it, the Pinkies don't even come into the equation. If I had no pinkies, I'd still be playing the PSP the same way. Besides, numbness in the pinky is mostly associated in with the ulnar nerve, which runs through the medial portion of your wrist (which also doesn't come into the equation when I hold a PSP).
From the top of my head:
-Two new songs (They are duet songs, but can be played single player)
-Second stage's lyrics are now in English; they were better in Japanese
-You can pause songs part of the way through without having to restart
-IMO, the PSP is harder to use than a PS2 controller
-Apparently it has some sort of multiplayer?
-Portable, obviously
I'd suggest something like the PSP Grip to give you something to hold onto, plus it extends battery life.
There really is no way to tell until you open the package. If you boot it up and it already has v4.01 firmware or higher on it, chances are good that it's the no-homebrew cpu. Not guaranteed, but chances are good. The only way to know for sure is to use a pandora battery and try to run some homebrew program that I never did get around to figuring out how to use. LIke I said, the safest bet is to get one of the bundles that I mentioned above.
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