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Regarding the purchase of a PSP...
Baka_Shade
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I recall seeing a thread here a while back along similar lines, but I've been completely unable to find it, so...
For a while, I've been thinking about getting a PSP. I've only recently had the extra money available to actually buy it, and in looking it up, I've seen a lot of talk about things one should buy in conjunction with the PSP. I'd like to avoid getting sub-par stuff, so can anyone advise me on what the various packages provide, and what extra gear I should be looking at? (I'm led to believe that the quality of the memory stick is rather variable, for example?)
For a while, I've been thinking about getting a PSP. I've only recently had the extra money available to actually buy it, and in looking it up, I've seen a lot of talk about things one should buy in conjunction with the PSP. I'd like to avoid getting sub-par stuff, so can anyone advise me on what the various packages provide, and what extra gear I should be looking at? (I'm led to believe that the quality of the memory stick is rather variable, for example?)
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I'm no fan of the game and UMD it includes(Daxter and some Family Guy episodes), but the silver color is nice, and it comes with a 1 GB card.
I've already used it to save the data for four different games and a handful of MP3s, and it's barely used a quarter of the allotted space.
As for gear, I have a case that holds two games and includes a snap-on screen protector that someone sold me for $5(I think it retails for $20).
I use the USB cable that came with a digital camera I own. That's only necessary if you want to do things like customize the wallpaper, transfer MP3s/images, etc.
You'll really, really want a screen protector as soon as possible, and maybe even a rubber grip that goes over the unit so that it doesn't get smudged with fingerprints. After a lengthy period of handling, my PSP looks pretty sad afterwards. Fortunately, those rubber grips at Gamestop come with cheap screen protectors, for about $10. Logitech makes similar gear that usually retails for around $10-15 too, so there you go.
That's it for right now. Patapon looks to be another but it's not out yet. There's other good games as well but those will have to depend on your interest genres.
Also, I love my Hori screen protector. A little pricier than what you find at Gamestops, may have to order it online, but it is definitely worth it.
Wipeout Pure
Lumines
Hot Shots Golf
Mega Man Powered Up
Mega Man Maverik Hunter X
Killzone: Liberation
Ratchet and Clank
Daxter
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Powerstone Collection
Castlevania
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Acid 1 and 2
LocoRoco
Disgaea
Jeanne Dr Arc
Final Fantasy Tactics
There really is a ton more. I'm super happy about my purchase.
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As CJ Iwakura said, I think in terms of what you get the Daxter pack is the best bundle (comes with 1GB memory stick and Daxter), though since I had a memory stick from my PSP Phats I bought the Star Wars bundle solely for the sexy white color.
Keep an eye out for SanDisk or Sony Pro Duo sticks -- the SanDisks are typically cheaper. I have a Lexar 4GB stick that was dirt cheap at the time but I notice while loading pics and movies that it's a tad slower than my SanDisk was. For gaming purposes a 512MB or 1GB stick is fine; save files are tiny, and the only real games I remember that have DLC are Wipeout Pure and Killzone Liberation.
Even though I got my PSP about a year or two into its cycle, the launch titles (Lumines, Wipeout Pure, Hot Shots Golf Open Tee) are still some of my favorites, plus they're dirt cheap in most places. At least, I think the homebrew demand for Lumines has died down. I'd also suggest rhythm gamers check out DJ Max Portable 2, an amazing Beatmania clone. For SRPGs, FFT War of the Lions and Jeanne D'Arc are excellent, and you can't go wrong with Dracula X Chronicles. I'm also still looking for a good excuse to buy Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters because it was awesome when I rented it.
Other gamers really love the Syphon Filter games and the abovementioned Killzone Liberation. Not my bag, but I've played K:L and SF: Dark Mirror and I thought they were very well done. As far as upcoming games, the stuff on my radar for this year:
Patapon
Echochrome
God of War: Chains of Olympus
FF7: Crisis Core
Which all look and sound freaking amazing. Here's a pretty well-done post about a bunch of '08 PSP games.
Okay, so the talk about the importance of what kind of memory stick you buy is mainly for people planning on using it as an MP3/Video player in addition to for games? That's definitely reassuring.
Is there any quality difference worth speaking of between the Sony and SanDisk sticks?
Hehe, looking at those, I realized I could probably buy nothing but Square-Enix games and be completely satisfied with a PSP. A bit sad, perhaps, but it's the truth. XD
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Not that I know of, with the caveat that there are apparently some bootleg Pro Duo sticks on eBay and such. I wouldn't buy any from a non-retail source. I think the SanDisks are just as good as the Sonys, they just go on sale a lot more often.
Oh, and you should check out the Playstation PC Store. It's still very sparse for PSP-only owners, but there are some PSN games, trailers and such you can buy/get for free and then transfer straight to your PSP, no PS3 required. (Though no Mac client for the store, as maximumzero is understandably irked by!) Beats is an awesome way to spend 5 bucks, and I also picked up the original Wild ARMs for $6, and it sits on my memory stick waiting for me.
And the PS1 games are all preatty darn cool if you ask me.
Yep, that's Beats -- great stuff. It's not the most sophisticated rhythm game ever, and you can't really lose or fail out of a song, so it's more of an interactive visualizer that you can replay for high score but I love it nonetheless. It's these tiny downloadable bites that I think can really add to the PSP's library, since that's one huge avenue that's mostly unexplored.
Lunker mentioned it earlier, but I must repeat since it is so good: You should really consider the Syphon Filter games. I picked up the second one, Logan's Shadow just today, and I've been playing it nonstop; it's got a great story and the gameplay mechanics are designed with the psp in mind, so it plays beautifully.
Also have to shout out Beats as well, it's only 5 dollars and it's worth it just for the fact that you can use any song you have to play it, so the replay value is literally neverending.
Heh, I installed XP under Virtual PC just so I could download Beats last night.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
It's a good way to have a decent selection of games at hand and only have one UMD to worry about. I'd definitely reccomend the Genesis Collection. It's pure awesome.
On memory sticks: Don't ever buy a memory stick from Ebay. It's a fake. If you ever do uy a used memory stick, put it in your PSP and select it in the XMB (doesn't matter if it's in photo, video, music, or game). Hit Triangle and then select Information. Hit X and it will show you something that should look like this (with your space values being different, this is my 2GB card):
...............................................
...User Capacity....1950MB......
.......Free Space....1529MB......
......MagicGate™....Supported..
...............................................
If the MagicGate line doesn't say "supported", you have a "fake" (knockoff or extremely old) memory stick. Sandisk and Sony both codeveloped the Memory Stick technology, so their respective sticks are nearly identical in everything except for price. Lexar sticks have been rumored to have slower transfer speeds and a few other problems, I would reccomend avoiding them. The Sandisk sticks are the best bet, since they're virtually identical to the Sony sticks, are a tiny bit faster on some models, and are usually around $10 cheaper.
The Daxter Bundle is a pretty decent deal, for only $30 more than the core you get a 1GB stick, a copy of Daxter, and a Family Guy: Freakin' Sweet UMD. Just know that Daxter and the Freakin' Sweet UMD both come in cardboard sleeves. Also, a 1GB SanDisk memory stick will run you $20 in a brick and mortar, and Daxter is on the Freatest Hits list, so you can get a brand new copy with a case for $20. A 2GB Sandisk will run you $40 in a store, and cheaper online.
You could pick up a core, a copy of Daxter, and a 1GB Sandisk memory stick for $10 more than the Daxter pack will run you. This way you would get a black PSP instead of that horrible (YMMV) silver color.
The White Star Wars PSP bundle is just a White PSP with a picture of Darth Vader's head screened on the back battery cover, and a copy of Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, which has been getting decent reviews (Gamerankings has it at 72%), but no memory stick. Darth Vader is cool and all, but if you want to get rid of his head, I've heard that some rubbing alcohol and a little elbow grease does the trick. The Star Wars bundle is probably the worst of the three, but it's the only way to get a white PSP.
If you want to use it to listen to MP3s, the remote and headphones are pretty rad. The headphones are your standard earbud with decent sound, but the inline remote is awesome. You can have your PSP in your pocket or backpack, and use the remote to switch tracks. The remote and the headphones separate, so you can use your own. The only downside to it is the pricetag on them is $29.99, which is pretty damned steep.
Hope that helped a little.
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