It's been I dunno how many months now since the official launch of the Sony PSP, and until now I have had to go without. In my single days, I would have been first in line to get this, but alas - being married with a kid, the wife can put the kibosh on my so-called "frivolous purchases" these days. However, never underestimate the power of knowing the right people in the right places. Thanks to my good buddy Abe, I got the hookup on a brand spankin new PSP for my personal entertainment pleasure.
After having this beast for the better part of the week, I have come to the conclusion that this little thing absolutely KICKS ASS. The video quality is stunning. Pictures, wallpapers and videos look amazing. I have to admit, I don't really use it that much for music (not at all to be exact), mainly because the iPod just can't be beat when it comes to that. I have been really jonsing for a video iPod, but after getting this PSP, the video iPod just isn't that compelling for me anymore. This little device does all that, AND plays some pretty wicked video games to boot. I currently have 2 games, SOCOM 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. I have got to tell you that these 2 games are just incredible. The online game-play and use of the headset and mic in SOCOM is awesome. I am still in disbelief at the quality of the graphics on such a small device. Don't get me wrong, a PSP is not going to stand up to an XBOX 360, but for a portable gaming platform, it is amazing.
Other features which are insane is the WiFi and built-in web browser. I just can't believe how well this little browser renders just about anything I come across. The best is those PSP formatted websites and portals. People have done some great work squeezing a lot of information into a small area and making it usable. It has inspired me to actually roll out a dedicated PSP section of my business website (when I finally finish updating it). I can think of an insane amount of things to do with this device and I am amazed more folks have not developed apps and sites centered around the PSP. Looks like a solid market just ripe for the picking.
With all that being said, the PSP is not without it's downsides. The WiFi should have been 802.11g instead of (b). That was a huge mistake. The lack of a built-in hard drive is just about the most stupid mistake I can think of on this device. For something that is geared to play video, there is just something wrong with expecting people to buy a bunch of Memory Sticks to store their media on. Ohhhh yeah.......wait a second. Isn't SONY the manufacturer of those proprietary little things? Yeah, I thought so. That kind of crap just really pisses me off. And what is up with this UMD format? Stupid, just plain old STUPID. Again, Sony with their proprietary strangle on the market. Hasn't Sony learned their lesson yet? Apparently not. How they can think I am going to spend MORE on a UMD disc than an actual DVD, and be stuck with a disc that only works on my PSP is utter stupidity at it's finest. They can expect ZERO UMD Movie sales from this PSP owner. I will buy the games and nothing else. I also think the games are WAY overpriced. Again, this is a portable device that can't stand up to the full-blown big brother PS2 or an Xbox. For most of these games, I would rather own the console version.
All-in-all, I still give this thing a solid review. For a tech junkie, I would say it's a must have. I can only hope that future generations of the PSP take my gripes into consideration, because that is about the only way I will spend my hard-earned cash to upgrade to the next gen PSP. I am adding a PSP category to the blog and will add the PSP to the list of things I cover. Within the next few days, I hope to put up a list of some of the best PSP sites out there and some useful resources for PSP owners, especially those on a Mac. For now, back to PSPeeeing in bed. :-)
Sony is almost starting to see the light here. I think they are right on target with this service, unfortunately, they are on some serious crack if they expect to charge the same as a video download from the iTunes music store, but have it expire 2 weeks later. Wrong answer. You want me to pay for content? I better damn well be able to keep it and archive it for future viewing at my convenience. Get with the program Sony!
