Different PSP Models
AnteCantelope
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm looking at getting a PSP in the immediate future, but last time I started looking there were about three different models. Now, I can figure out which one is meant to be the best by their prices, but I was wondering if people generally feel the better models are worth the extra cash. Also, I'd never buy, say, a 360 preowned. Is there much risk like that in buying a preowned PSP? A preowned lite is nearly half the price of a new 3000, which I think is a pretty good deal, assuming that PSPs are tough enough to withstand whatever previous owner they have.
Thanks.
Thanks.
AnteCantelope on
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No idea how well the things age (my release Lite is still fine), I'd say as long as nothing is mechanically broken a used one should work just fine.
The 1000 series:
This is the launch series; it's the original PSP.
From Wikipedia:
The 2000 series:
The redesigned PSP is 33% lighter and 19% thinner than the original PSP. The redesign also features composite TV output, supports charging via USB, double the onboard RAM (32 MB to 64 MB), and has a brighter screen. It also caches UMD data in memory to decrease game loading times.
The 3000 series:
The PSP-3000 features an improved LCD screen, a built-in microphone, oval shaped start and select buttons and an expanded video-out. The LCD screen features a higher contrast ratio, shorter response time, and wider color gamut, as well as anti-reflective technology for improved visibility in well-lit environments. Expanded video-out capability allows gameplay video to be output in interlaced format.
A few differences Wikipedia doesn't mention:
The 3000 series is harder to crack,
An extended life battery is available that increases the battery life of a 1000 by 20% but a 2000/3000 by almost 100%,
Some don't like the 3000 screen because it has visible horizontal lines.
Also, a fourth model will be out soon (The PSP Go). It has NO UMD drive (only plays downloaded game), and it is significantly smaller and lighter. It does NOT replace the 3000, which will still be offered.
I don't intend to use homebrew, and if I ever decide to it'll probably be far enough into the future that any model will have been cracked, so I don't think that's a big deal.
It sounds like the 3000 has a significantly better screen, and anti-reflective would be good when playing in sunlight, so I guess I'll go for that.
It's good to know that old ones tend to be reliable, so I can at least consider buying a preowned one.
Thanks for all the help guys.
You can still get new 2000's if you get the right bundle. If you are in the US, keep an eye out on some deal sites. I was able to pick up my PSP for 25% off of retail with some coupons.
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
I will also second a 2000 purchase for CFW even if you never touch homebrew. The convenience of having several (or dozens with a bigger stick) games booting off a memory stick with HUGELY improved loading times (sometimes as much as 5 times faster than UMD) and better battery life puts the Portable in PSP.
The one thing I have against the 1000 is that the stock D-pad is completely terrible, and needs to be modded for better control. It does seem to be more sturdily built than the later models, though. The 2000 has a great D-pad (well, as good as Sony's weird, segmented D-pad can be, anyway :P ), and I think the 3000 has that D-pad, too.
Its also the easiest to flash, and when loaded with homebrew stuff its a fantastic handheld.
I have a 2000, which battery should i pick? Is there an "official" Sony one?
How about prices, what range should i aim for in battery pack?
Here's the official Sony one (I have this one). It costs $40. Note that it's bigger than the regular 2000 battery, so you have to replace your battery door with a bulgier one. The kit comes with a silver door and a black door, so if your PSP is a different color you're going to have some mismatch going on. (My red PSP now has a silver battery door).
http://www.amazon.com/PSP-Battery-Kit-Sony/dp/B00101UWWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1248459192&sr=8-1
But buying a new PSP 2000 that's easily crackable is hard, so you should compare the screens live (to see if the whole "horizontal lines" thing in the 3000 bothers you) and get whichever one has the prettier screen.
Kudos to the restraint of all involved, where nobody has yet tried to convince OP that 'PSP has no gaem, get DS instead- better RPGs and everything! etc.'
Keeping an old firmware version will prevent you from accessing the PSN store at all, so you don't really have to worry about that.
Get as big of a memory stick as you can. I think even the 16GB ones are affordable now. Again, stay away from the cheap knock-offs (and ebay) if you want good performance.
As for firmware, just make sure you aren't above 5.03. I got CFW on my 1000 without a pandora's battery thanks to that.
Also, memory sticks: I highly recommend a Photofast with two microSDHCs in it. Cheapest way to have high capacity.
MPEG-4
Video
Resolution: 368x209 (Also: 320 x 240)
Frame rate: 29.97fps
Bitrate: 900kbps
Encoder: Xvid (Also: H264)
Audio
Sample Rate: 44100 hz
Channel: 2 channels
Bit Rate: 64kbps
Encoder: AAC
Anyone has good results with other settings?
your going to want(and I think have to) to convert the size of the video anyway, and the software that does that will convert it to a codec that the psp can play anyway. I used to use pspvideo something, but that was a long time ago, haven't used my psp for video in a while.
Have you looked in an actual store or just online? I found mine at Kmart.
Use Handbrake for video conversion. there's a preset for psp videos. You could use the default settings, or you could up the resolution to the PSP's native res (480x272). I haven't noticed much of a size difference between the mpeg and the h.264 video codecs (but h.264 takes about twice as long to transcode).
I play Blazblue, Soul Calibur 4, Street Fighter 4 and soon Tekken 6... yeah... so add me if you want to play any of those.
How much slower are the micro SD cards? This sounds like a good idea, but if they are significantly slower its not worth it imo.
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
It's the installation of a custom (fan-made) firmware (the Operating System that runs the PSP). That allows you to rip your games from the slow, battery-eating UMD to your Memory Stick, which is a great thing.
It also allows you to run homebrew software like fan made games and many other Apps, utilities, custom new interfaces for the PSP, it lets you overclock the CPU, a hell lot of things.
There are many simple video converting programs for the PSP, so you can play pretty much any videos as long as you convert it once
And there is a homebrew program that lets you use youtube on the PSP (with a wifi connection, of course), and many other video sites (about 70% of them dedicated to pr0n).
I've never seen one in person (UK) and all the ones online are knock offs.
it's not that it doesn't support any good codecs, I know it does h.264, and mpeg, I think xvid as well now. it's that the vidoes themselves need to be at a max of 768kbs, 480x272 at most, and have an odd naming scheme. All video files and thumbnails need to be stored in a folder called: /MP_ROOT/100MNV01. than each video in this folder is represented by an data file and a thumbnail file called: M4V00001.MP4 and M4V00001.THM. The 00001 component of the file name is incremented for multiple videos. with the actual video's name in the header of the file. so while you can just stick video onto the psp if it meets the codec/size/bit rate limitations, the naming system is bothersome and it's easier to just use a program to do it all for you
Oh sweet as hell. Thanks for answering me on that. I didnt think anyone would. Im also thinking of buying a PSP next week and was wondering certain things you guys were talking about so figured Id ask. Thanks
See, this is why I use CFW. There's a folder in the root of the memory stick that's called "video" or "videos", and I just put them in there. I can name them anything I want too.