Sony PSPgo Console - Black

When I received this in the post I was... disappointed but, it has grown on me as time has gone on. Here are a few of my thoughts on the new pspgo

1. When compared to the first psp it felt cheap (in my opinion this is something each psp has suffered with since the original). I can appreciate wanting to reduce weight and costs, but in my mind the first psp feels like quality, the pspgo (whilst I am sure would withstand use) feels like I am going to snap it in half.

2. The buttons. They don't feel like buttons, they are responsive and they do the job, but for me it doesn't feel like I am pushing anything.

3. Still no second analogue stick and opting to put the select and start buttons where the second stick should be; which whilst symmetrical just looks awful and if you have an adult sized thumb impossible to press (well difficult at least).

4. The sliding screen which whilst making the device smaller just feels like a gimmick. The ps button doesn't look right being on that part of the device and in my opinion should have been with the other buttons where it could have been concealed.

5. Non standard usb connection. This was something I thought Sony did well in both the ps3 and the UMD psp's. They used industry standard parts; unlike Microsoft and the Xbox. So no special hard drives or unique fitting usb cables or adapters.

So why then did Sony drop this for the PSPgo and create that entirely new cable/fitting???

6. M2 memory card only slot. I don't have a gripe about the type; just it would have been nice not to have to buy yet another type of memory card. Also it means you can't use the mem stick duo from other PSP's, so it's another thing you have to buy.

However, despite the above the pspgo has grown on me, mostly because of

7. The comfortable hand position, for some reason the UMD PSP's really gave my hand cramp after prolonged use.

8. The fact that its light and so portable, the first psp seems very much like a brick in comparison

9. the screen; yes it's a slightly smaller screen (I don't quite understand why they wanted to reduce the size since visually it looks like the UMD psp screen would have fitted in the same space - but I am sure they have their reasons), it is nice and clear. The 2nd and 3rd generations of the PSP I thought suffered from slight delays/ghosting but that's only my opinion

10. Movies/video - still limited to just mp4 which is annoying (but not totally unsurprising), but they do play well.

Things I want to avoid using on it

11. The wifi - it simply sucks. It just seems so slow to me. Yes files are getting bigger, but there is little to no point in having wifi on the PSPgo if it's that slow. Downloading games on the device itself I would avoid as download rates are limited because of the low rates available.

12. Sony's PC media software - why why why? It looks almost exactly like I-tunes (and I hate that software). It's completely unnecessary in my opinion, and in itself not that fast when transferring media downloaded on the PC to the pspgo

So most of that seems negative (probably because I still really love my first psp) however, the shining grace of the PSPgo has to be that they ditched the UMD (ahem mini disc) format, opting for digital/downloadable/non physical media.

It might be annoying that we might have games/films in UMD format that we can't use on the pspgo - but this really is the way things are going.

If you don't have a PSP then this is a good first device. If you do well unless you want something smaller I honestly wouldn't bother upgrading (since there is very little to no difference functionality wise).

Wait for when Sony actually release a PSP 2.
(thats my 2 pennies worth).

Just received my black PSP Go, first impression is the build quaility, it is excellent, much much better than my wifes Nintendo DS (the hinge broke within a week). Have just registered for the 10 free games and downloaded a couple of free demo's to keep me busy. Onto the fact that you can't use UMD's is the reason why I bought this version, when I'm travelling I don't need the extra space and weight of carrying a shed load of discs, the prices of the games on the PSN also are not that bad at all either. All in all I am very happy with this purchase.

Edit: How to get your free 10 Games

I see that a lot of people are having trouble getting the 10 free games, so here is a simple how to:

1) Open up and register on PSN network (this can be done on the PSP or on your normal PC/Mac) - I can't put the address down on this review as it won't let me, there is a leaflet in the box though with the address on it)

2) Once you've done this enter your PSN login details on your PSP Go, this will then allow you entry to all the downloadable content. What you are looking for is the catergory labelled - Latest
Then find the theme that's called PSP Go Theme

That's it, an email will be sent to the email address that you input to your newly created PSN Network ID, I did mine on Friday night and got the code on the following Monday morning.

Once you receive the code you can then either input the code onto your PSP Go and download the games direct to the machine which is the slow way as it's roughly 10GB worth of freebies, what I did was to use the disc that came with the PSP Go and install MediaGo onto my PC, then I logged into my PSN via that and downloaded onto my PC (much much faster, still took overnight though!) and then transferred over to my PSP Go that way.

Hope this helps people

Like it or not folks, digital downloading is the future of portable gaming and that's the truth of it. The Nintendo DS has shown that cartridges are long since past the point where they can produce games to keep in step with current technology and the original PSP's UMD drive has proven to be fairly cumbersome at times, with loading screens and excessive battery drainage. The PSPGo is an experimental console that gives us a look at how ALL handhelds will soon operate.

Ditching UMDs to use download only games, the PSPGo has boldly become the first dedicated gaming machine to make the inevitable leap to online distribution and it does so in spectacular fashion.

Feeling a lot smaller in the hands than old PSPs, the feel takes much getting used to, and the shiny finish will smudge to hell in a matter of minutes sadly. Plus, you'd be WELL advised to pick up an accessory pack with a screen protector and a wrist strap for safety purposes, becuase this machine feels a lot less durable than the old PSP ever did. It's design isn't perfect, but it's functionality more than makes up for it.

As of today, there are literally hundreds of downloadable games on offer for the PSPGo. From revamped favourite bite sized games from the iPod like Hero of Sparta, Fieldrunners and Tetris being available for less than 4 quid a piece to classic PS1 titles like Final Fantasy VII, G-Police and the Command and Conquer trilogy from about 3.50 each to full blown PSP titles like the recent marvels Gran Turismo and Motorstorm Arctic Edge to handheld masterpieces like God of War. It caters to some many tastes it is obscene, and the pricing is, for the most part, very reasonable, with a special offer giving you a free download of the full game of Gran Turismo PSP if you buy the PSP Go before 10/10/09, and a further deal giving you three more free titles on top of that if you already have(Or at least temporarily have access to) an older PSP, which runs for at least 3 or 4 months I think. Top this off with soon arriving online stores for downloading movies, TV shows and comic books and you've got a wealth of choice in one tiny little machine.

Obviously the price is EXTREMELY off putting, and I personally wouldn't have been so keen if I didn't get it at a massive discount, but trust me, this will see a price drop very quickly and when that happens you'd be a fool not to give it a try. It really is a fantastic piece of kit, and one that you'll get countless hours of fun out of.

Sony has really pulled out all the stops with the new PSP Go, they have removed a large chunk of functionality from the PSP 3000 to make it so small and cute.

Sony has removed the UMD drive and chosen to distribute its games EXCLUSIVELY via their Playstation store, so you can say goodbye to getting cheap second hand games and you can never sell on the games you buy,

Sony has also removed the mini USB connector and replaced it with a proprietary cable connection, meaning that you can no longer use a generic cable and have to buy them from Sony.

Other oversights in the PSP Go's design include the lack of a removable battery and smaller screen. But the major bugbear for me is that the latest Sony gadget is still using B rather G wireless, this means that this download only platform has taken a short cut that means you will be stuck downloading files for longer, not only that but you cannot do anything else while downloading a file/game, you are stuck looking at a percentage bar sometimes for and hour or more at a time.

What does the PSP Go have going for it then? Well, it has bluetooth so you can tether the PSP to your phone and browse the internet, though I can't really see the point in the current technological climate where there are better browsers on many phones. And personally I don't see anyone doing very well in a game of Wipeout online over a high latency 3G network. The Go also has 16GB of built in memory, albeit only 14GB is usable to us.

All in all the PSP Go has taken away so much from not only the consumer but the retailers too. With the PSP Go we have no choice where we get our games from and are left to wait whilst these games download for hours at a time. The price of every game we buy is dictated and standard to anyone, no hunting around for the best deal.

Not only that but it seems to me that Sony have deliberately designed the PSP to squeeze as much money out of the user as possible, if you buy a PSP Go it is by far the most expensive handheld on the market, even more expensive than an xbox 360. You will then have to spend more on games as you can get none second hand, you have to buy cables from sony and not use the ones you already have, if you want to use accessories like the camera or GPS you have to buy an adaptor. You can see where this is going, everything about the Go from its MSRP to the plethora of extra charges are needlessly expensive.

If you like shiny gadgets you will probably buy one of these, they look sleek and feel smooth, but unless you're really hell bent on getting the smallest PSP you can get I would suggest any of the other PSP models over this one, they have features and flexibility in their droves over the PSP Go.

Having to download new titles from playstation store means you are at the mercy of Sony and not able to buy at amazing Play.com prices. Downloads can also fail on occassion which is frustrating.