PSP - It's a beautiful thing (1 Viewer)

Man, talk about styling. UMD looks like MiniDisc.

Sneak Peek from Play-Asia.

Edit: Looks like GameSpot got their hands on one too.

IGN has Pricing specs.

Whiile on the subject check this out:

http://www.photodump.com/direct/EvX/psp01.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/EvX/psp02.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/EvX/psp03.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/EvX/psp04.jpg

The real thing is smaller than I thought. About the size of a DS.

LOL, OMG, that's huge. Where can I order one of those?

Here is a tentative list of the PSP games that will be available on February 23, 2005:

AC Formula Front
Ape Escape
Armored Core
ATV Offroad Fury
BBG
Combat Over Europe
Darkstalkers 3
Dynasty Warriors
Frogger PSP
Gran Turismo 4 Mobile
Hot Shots Golf
MediEvil
Metal Gear Acid
NBA Street
NFL Street
Project S
PSP Racing
Puyo Pop Fever
Ridge Racer
Spider-Man PSP
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Twisted Metal
Wipeout Pure

Hot Shots Golf, NFL Street and Tiger Woods will be my first acquisitions.

My first titles will be Wipeout and MediEvil. Probably one of the golf games. I'll probably get Darkstalkers down the road when the price gets cut; I'm still wary of six-button fighters when there are only four face buttons.

Regarding the system itself; I'm back on the fence. I'm wary of launch-day Sony hardware as it is often less than reliable. I might wait a few months for some of the kinks to get worked out. We'll see.

CJ

I would hope Sony learns about some of the system flaws from the Japanese launch so this will limit the number of defective units here in the states. You will never see a launch where every system is perfect. It's a new piece of electronics so it's to be expected. I would hope the number of defective systems would be only a fraction of a percent. Personally, I bought one of the very first PS2's and I have never had any problems with it in the several years that I own it.

Where are you getting the Feb 23, 2005 date for the release of those games? I don't think the official US street date for the system has even been announced..or the US price. Hopefully this information will be announced soon. IGN has speculated it will be announced sometime in early January. As soon as pre-orders are available I will be first in line. I'm sure it won't be a perfect system but what it can do excites the heck out of me.

Brian

I've had mine since Wednesday. The DS is a nice system, but right off the bat PSP is so much slicker. Ridge Racers is absolutely killer. Vampire Chronicle is almost Saturn perfect save for the load times. Everybody's Golf is just as good as the PS2 versions. I love this thing and I don't care that I got gouged on the price.

I wonder when Best Buy will sue Sony for use of the acronym "PSP".

I really think the PSP will send a major wave through the handheld market and start to change peoples perception of what a handheld should do. You will have the people who love Pokemon and what the DS has to offer. I think it's a great little handheld for many reasons. It's just not the same multi-media experience as the PSP will be....and it's not meant to be. In the end I think Sony will reap great rewards from the PSP and we will see PSP2, PSP3, etc. for years down the road. In the end we as consumers get a great benefit as the companies push the technology envelope in the handheld market. I for one am extremely excited about the PSP. I just wish they would go ahead and announce a launch date and price point for the USA.

Brian

I've been checking out the gamespot coverage on this thing, and I have to say that it looks really damn cool so far. That screen looks huge, and I'm glad that they went with the removeable battery-hopefully they start selling spares with an external charger alongside the system.

I know that the ps2 sold a pile of units because it worked as a DVD player-I wonder if this will do the same thing but as a portable media centre?

Scott

Changed your image links to URL tags - pictures are too big for the bandwidth challenged.

This PSP is piquing my interest even though I'm not into mobile gaming (yet). May be just the thing for when I'm on the road.

http://forums.maxima.org/images/smilies/lol.gif

Well I got my PSP this past Monday from Play-Asia. It came with Ridge Racers. Now this is how a handheld should sound and look. Loading times aren't too dreadful. The screen is absolutely gorgeous - widescreen. Setup is easy - menu can be put in English. The expense will come in acquiring a Memory Stick Pro/Duo. The 512MB run any where from $65 to $135 (between internet shopping and B&M stores). Folks are waiting for the 1GB sticks to come down in price - Sandisk announced 'game memory sticks' that peg the 1GB at around $159, which is a good thing because current pricing is about double. I've watched movies like Empire Strikes Back on the PSP and it's too sweet - especially the Hoth battle scenes. Battery life isn't too bad - anywhere between 3-6 hours depending on what you're doing.

With the widescreen, you really get into the game. Throw on some ear phones and enjoy the sound.

Now for the neat-freaks, the screen is a fingerprint magnet. I've used a microfiber cloth to try to keep it clean. There are 3rd party clear vinyl screen protectors (similar to what is out in the PDA market) to help minimize the fingerprint mess. Also it looks like Sony may release a protective visor/filter as there are notches on the front and screw mounts on top.

Connectivity comes in the form of IR, WiFi (802.11b) with a built-in scanner utility (Netstumbler for the PSP), and USB 2.0 for easy file transfers.

All in all a great attempt so far by Sony.

Leo,

Did you get the value pack? If so, how's the headphones and remote features? After reading about it of the Japan released, the accessories that are included are not worth the extra $$. I will probably get the unit alone once it gets to the US.

I must say I was disappointed in Sony's lack of solid release information at this CES. Maybe they don't know yet because they are in the process of negotiating with another manufacturer for the PSP's LCD display (cheaper price/quality?) and/or haven't worked out the resolution of the PSPs flaws and so don't have a set release date/price. It sounded to me, from what the Sony president said, that they just didn't know.

It's a sharp system and I WILL be buying it as long as it's not more than $200 and the games don't exceed $40. I can't wait to put my short films on it!

I think they already have a good idea of what the price will be. Personally I think they have already established it internally but are trying to "stir the pot" and get people talking and speculating. I think it will be below $200, probably $199. With the word today of a grand theft auto game made specifically for the PSP and available close to launch I'm sure the anticipation is getting even hotter.

Brian