[uraflit]

I'm going to go on a 3 week trip to Asia and I want something to keep me busy with the long@$$ flight and for some potential downtime in the villages. I'll still have access to electricity though.

One of my friends already bought a modded PSP to keep him busy, he got it fully modded and with a 2gb memory stick for like $90 on craiglist O_O

anyways, any other gadgets out there i should be aware of? the psp seems to be the cheapest thing i can buy for $150 or less that i can easily carry around and keep me entertained.

thanks!

 

[thedauntlessone]

You can choose between Nintendo DS or the PSP. Just look over which has more games you like and purchase that system. There are flash carts for DS to download games.

 

[Meta-Fi]

As mentioned in the post above the Nintendo DS is also valid choice for great hand-held games, and I think I should mention that because of the fact that its sales are currently much much greater then the psp's the game library is a bit more extensive.
If you know the genre of games you like I will be glad to elaborate.
Also you should know that any sort of modification completely voids the warranty on the PSP. And Bricking it is a possibility if you aren't careful.

 

[Bonta]

aye I have a modded psp. I can play PS1 games PSP roms SNES roms, and i can watch movies and listen to music. 8gig stick for a modded psp is a must have. you can get one off new egg for like 60-70 shipped (the stick that is). Battery life is something to consider however.

 

[uraflit]

hmm, i like almost all genres of games, but i do enjoy playing side scrollers and adventure games more often than not. rpg's are nice too, but i've finished most of the older RPG series.

hows the battery life comparing DS to PSP? with the psp having options to watch movies and play music is a nice incentive as well i must say.

 

[Audio-Fi]

You shouldn't compare Nintendo DS to PSP. Everything DS does PSP does way more. It plays PS1 and old Nintendo classics for free if you mod it which is relatively easy. As far as being media player, it is one of the best especially the 16:9 ratio screen. I haven't spend a lot of time with DS to judge the battery but PSP has plenty enough so you can watch three 2 hour movie back to back. Hell you can get all whatever PSP plays for free but I don't support that. Just be sure to bring extra battery pack with you.

 

[asmd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif You shouldn't compare Nintendo DS to PSP. Everything DS does PSP does way more. It plays PS1 and old Nintendo classics for free if you mod it which is relatively easy. As far as being media player, it is one of the best especially the 16:9 ratio screen. I haven't spend a lot of time with DS to judge the battery but PSP has plenty enough so you can watch three 2 hour movie back to back. Hell you can get all whatever PSP plays for free but I don't support that. Just be sure to bring extra battery pack with you.

Agreed, better screen real estate. i use mine primarily to keep the kids entertained as a portable media player. built in speakers are terrible, you will need a decent pair of phones. 2 and the half movies on a full charge, make sure you carry a spare.

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif You shouldn't compare Nintendo DS to PSP. Everything DS does PSP does way more. It plays PS1 and old Nintendo classics for free if you mod it which is relatively easy. As far as being media player, it is one of the best especially the 16:9 ratio screen. I haven't spend a lot of time with DS to judge the battery but PSP has plenty enough so you can watch three 2 hour movie back to back. Hell you can get all whatever PSP plays for free but I don't support that. Just be sure to bring extra battery pack with you.

If we are strictly talking about something to keep him entertained, which is what the thread specified, I personally consider the DS to be a valid option over the PSP. Especially If we are strictly speaking in terms of a gaming machine not a PMP.
I own 2 psp's, (a 1st generation and a slim), as well as a DS lite and I have to say that the DS has a much better game catalog and better support from third party developers. As far as real PSP games go there aren't very many that are even worth their 40 dollar price tag.
On the positive side the PSP has mp3 playback, and a great screen for watching movies as well as mod-ability which easily can counter the lack of real games If you don't mind playing old ROMs that in my experience don't always run as smoothely as the original cartridges or even a good PC EMU. And PSONE emulation is no where near the level it should be.
When it comes to battery life the DS easily trumps the PSP in this area as well. But I think that's to be expected considering the fact that the PSP's LCD screen is so much larger and power consuming then the DS's screens. As well as the fact that the DS runs on Carts and the PSP runs on UMD's which require more power to read from. Also I've noticed that the PSP can be annoying when loading from a disc, it produces a grating sound. Nothing too major, but significant enough to receive a mention.
Summary:
If you are basing this purchase off of available retail games, and battery life the DS easily wins. I would also say the DS lite beats the PSP on portability.
And backwards compatibility with Gameboy Advance titles is a nice touch as well broadening the game catalog further.
The PSP however is the clear winner on additional features. Somewhat poor battery life can be be fixed with a spare battery(at additional cost of course)
Don't expect as wide a catalog of retail games though.
Also if you do get a PSP definitely invest in either a case or a screen protector because its a real scratch/finger print magnet.
Good luck

 

[uraflit]

dang, the psp sounds like the winner i guess.

any1 know where i can get one for cheap? lol

 

[Audio-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meta-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif -snip-

The keyword there is entertained, not games. Either way for most of the people (16+) everywhere be it NYC, LA, or Chicago where I usually travel a lot they play PSP games. Rarely you see a person with DS unless you are either in Japan or a kid in US who really love their Nintendogs. But I really don't want to argue about that since it's a no brainer that PSP by far has the largest capability here. Playing classic NES, SNES, PS1 games alone is way better what the DS can offer in my opinion. Oh, and for the OP the "soundstage" (referring to location of matrixed sound image) on the PSP is greatly done when watching movies. Be aware that you rarely need to use UMD if you have a big Memory Stick Duo with you. It saves you battery and less moving parts so longer life span. I hope that helps you with your purchase.

 

[uraflit]

thanks for the info people, i'll try and get a used PSP (slim?) and get an 8gb memory stick. thats probably all i'll need!

 

[Bonta]

just know that its hard to mod a slim psp without a pandora battery. Fat psp is easier to mod if firmware is less than 3.7ish i think, not too sure what exact version.

 

[Audio-Fi]

Slim is the easiest way to mod a PSP. All you need is a sharp knife and a pencil. That's it. Step-by-step instructions on how to mod a Slim

 

[uraflit]

wow thanks for the link!