Launched last Thrusday, The PSPgo is the latest addition to Sony’s hardware family (the fourth generation PSP), but how much better is the PSPgo than its predecessor? From the looks of it, not that much better.
The design: size matters!
lets take a closer look at the newly redesigned PSP.
Its sleek, its small, its shiny… and the buttons are uncomfortably too close or too small or too soft.
the PSPgo boasts a 3.8-in screen, compared to the original’s 4.3-in. Albeit smaller, the screen is still the same resolution 480×272.
It’s about 43% lighter, and still only has one analog stick [a second analog has been in the wish-list for many gamers], it easily and securely slides open and close. There are mixed reviews across the net on the new design, but the bottom line is, Sony squeezed and squeezed the controls so tightly that it gets painfully uncomfortable after playing for just fifteen minutes. Making the psp smaller and lighter is a great move on Sony’s part, but they should have thought a little more on the user interface and input. As devices get smaller, designers need to find better ways to accommodate for user input [ à la Nintendo DS ]
Hardware/Software: upgrades? downgrades?
The new PSP comes loaded with a whopping 16gb of flash storage, and is even more expandable with an additional Memory Stick Micro (M2) slot.
The UMD (Universal Media Disc) drive is no more. That means if you go out and buy the psp go, you will not be able to play your old psp games on it! Future games will be sold only via the Playstation store, downloaded via the PSP’s Wi-Fi connection (802.1b). Sony has 225 PSPgo games that will be downloadable over PC or Wi-fi at launch. The processor speed remains unchanged from the PSP-3000, System clock frequency 1-333 MHz, Main memory 64MB.
The PSPgo supports all the same media type and formats as the old PSP. Movies and TV Shows can be downloaded directly on the PSP over Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is now fully supported ( wireless headphones anyone? ).
The battery life is superb, powered by a Lithium-Ion rechargeable internal battery pack, the PSPgo runs about 5 hours on maximum. This is great news for people on long trips, you can easily watch 2 movies and put in 2 hours of gaming and relax to your favorite tunes.
Put away your old accessories because the device uses all new ports, so any old accessories, memory sticks, usb cables will need to be replaced.
The price: 3 easy payments of $19.99!! no, not really
The PSPgo is selling for $250.00 while the PSP-3000 is only $169.00 .
The verdict: I want it but I don’t need it…
Lets recap, its 40% lighter, 50% smaller, long battery life, bluetooth, no UMD, clunky button layout, an awful web browser, you have to buy all new accessories (the USB on the PSPgo is new and proprietary to Sony) and its almost $100 more. Its not much of an upgrade to be honest, in fact considering you cant play your old games, buy used games for the cheaper price, only16gb of space (most people have 8-10gb of music on their mp3 player, that doesn’t leave much room for the games), the PSPgo is more of a downgrade. its eye-catching, but thats about it.
If you already own a PSP, then the PSPgo is not worth the “upgrade”, this is just a more expensive PSP.
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