Black Sony PSP Console Base Unit

Well this may not be a popular review but I thought I'd give my opinion after I found my dusty PSP at the back of a drawer.
After being caught up in the huge initial advertising and trying a PSP in the shop I got one when they came out in late 2005.
Since then it's had very little use as I find it very frustrating. I find that even though the screen is far larger than that of the DS I don't agree that it is easier to see. Even on the brightest setting I still find myself having to turn the lights off to see it properly at home. If you're outside or anywhere brightly lit then it's very hard to see at all. Just in case this was a fault I had it exchanged and found the replacement to be the same.

This analogue control is in a very awkward place and I found my thumb to be getting very sore after less than an hour's use each time.
Of the control buttons on the right, why do Sony see it necessary to use them for different functions to on the PS2? 'Select' on the PS2 control is 'back' on the PSP which means any PS2 user will keep de-selecting any options as the buttons are different.

While the sound through headphones is good quality (speakers are poor) it doesn't allow any decent volume to be achieved. This isn't so bad on games but for music or films in busy places it can mean not being able to hear very well, especially on quiet spoken parts of films where even full volume isn't nearly enough.

When watching films, again the screen brightness can be a problem, but additionally, having the chapter skipping operated by the corner control buttons means you often knock them and have to rewind back to your original place several times per film.

While it works well as a music player, albeit a very quiet one, it's a lot bigger than any ipod, and the limited battery life means you'll want to save your power for when you need the screen for games or films.

What else? Well even if you're careful, the screen sctratches VERY easily meaning you'll need additional protection, and with a lot of the aftermarket options being poor then you might have to buy several types before you find one you're happy with (I've tried four types of protectors/covers at around a tenner a go).

People seem happy with the browsing on the PSP. I've not tried that yet but I'd be interested to see how easy it is to use with no keyboard.

As for gameplay? Well here is where the PSP makes up for some of its' shortcomings. Games are certainly graphically impressive and very smooth. Sadly I can't comment on the playability as I find the controls too uncomfortable. Also with the dim screen and quiet sound the best place to play is at home, but if you already have a PS2 at home then why have a PSP at all?

Sorry that this is such a negative review but after such high expectations I feel very let down by what was delivered!
Sort the screen, sort the sound volume, give it bluetooth and a built in camera and maybe I'll be impressed, but until then it's not what I hope for.

It's undeniably a very cool looking toy, but now it just gathers dust next to last year's mobile.

This is a great gadget to have if you travel a lot as you can play games, listen to music or watch movies.

This mini console looks good and lives up to its expection.

The battery life only lasts a few hours but if you can get a conectable charge kit your laughing!!!

Great product and well worth the money!!!

Firstly, I want to talk about the others who reviewed this PSP. I remember somebody only gave the PSP a low rating because "there are no good games out on the PSP". Sorry, but that isn't rating the PSP, that's rating the quality of the games, and therefore doesn't count.
Another silly reviewer rated the PSP as only 1 star because "the controls were rediculously had to use". Despite misspelling "hard", the review is also irrelevant because it isn't the PSP that makes the controls "had to use", but the game itself. That reviewer was rating a game that didn't use the PSP to its full potential, and not the PSP itself... fool.
Anyway, now to give my own opinion. The PSP is a beautiful machine, so the fantastic feeling begins even before you switch the machine on! The battery charger that comes with this console unit also charges incredibly fast- I could fully charge my PSP in under two hours, and play Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories at a respectable sound and brightness level for four hours. Basically, for every minute you charge it, you get at least two minutes of gameplay. And with the ability to play games while charging, there's no excuse to not play!
The PSP isn't just a games console either- you can easily transfer files from your computer to your PSP, including .mp3 music and pictures in most formats, and even .mp4 video clips!
Unfortunately, the cable needed to connect the PSP to the computer is not included in the PSP Console base unit, so I had to buy the right cable seperately. But when I did get the cable, it was amazing just how fast I could transfer large files and watch them- practically immediately!
The picture viewing is great- you can set up a slideshow easily and with three different speeds. You can flick through them fast manually, too. You can also rotate your pictures and zoom in and out, or move the picture around. basically, there isn't much you can't do.
The music playing doesn't let the PSP down either... you can quickly and easily select from a collection of songs and listen to them on the move (you can lock the keys to stop accidently pausing the music, too).
The iPod video (80GB) has come out recently. The PSP can do everything the iPod can, but with potentially unlimited space. You see, the PSP doesn't have an internal hard drive, but you can have as many memory sticks (pro Duo) as you like, so when the 32GB memory stick comes out at the end of the year, you can get as many as you like and never run out of space. Though the iPod has an internal hardrive, you cannot exceed its limit. This may or may not be an advantage.
I recommend you get a PSP in a pack which has the right USB cable, and something to clean the screen, as the screen is suseptable to dust and fingerprints if you're not careful. The console itself, however, is more than worthy of 5 stars, and with its price dropping all the time, you'd be mad to miss out on the opportunity. ~chrisx999

PSP is good when you know how to use it, not adviseable to people who's got no patients and that is why there is nurdy and brainless in this world.i love my psp and i've got 2.but there's only 1 thing i'm sure of; psp is got everything like mp3,video,internet and lot more! ''if'' if you only know how to upgrade and everything..unlike DS,it's just a game!! and sum1 who says that if you want to watch a movie buy a cheap dvd player!! yuh! right...bring your dvd player,your pc,your mp3 player,with your games and dvd movies and yeah!!! dont 4get to use a cheap masking tape or stick bit and stick them 2gether and put it to your big pocket or use a shopping bag while you're traveling...get it!

I got a PSP a few months after they came out and was really excited to get one. After playing for a few months I started playing less and less. I kept looking for new games to buy but there wasn't really anything out there that I liked the look of. It sat in my drawer for months until I decided to get rid of it. The PSP is fantastic the problem is that there really are very few decent games out there for it. The ones that are any good are just copies of PS2 games which I already own. Until new and original games are made for the PSP, it's going to continue to fail and lose to the Nintendo DS which I'm now thinking about getting. It may not be as powerful but it certainly has a much wider range of games that is contiunally growing. It's a dissapointment and a shock that the PSP is failing because it could have done so much. I for one never thought that the Nintendo's DS would beat Sony but it has!