[tk3]

Hi,

I got a little more free time in the summer, and got a vacation trip coming up, and I was thinking of spicing it up a bit with a handheld console.
Haven't bought one for some years (last one was a GBA), I'm wondering what people think about them.

Is it still worth buying, or are there any hints that a smaller/lighter successor is already hinted at? (like GBA, then GBA smaller ver., DS, DS lite, etc)
Any games out there that make the console "worth" buying IYO?
Also, I read that it only has a battery life of around 5 hours average when playing games, is that really true?
I would accept that if it was playing movies, but 5 hours seems excessively short and not very portable without some battery supplement.

 

[Kirosia]

There have been rumors of the a new PSP re-design...

Do you really need to play games portably? I has a DS and PSP, and honestly, I almost never use them outside the house. Just buy a book or some CDs or something.

If you need a system to play at home, you can spend the money on a PS2, Xbox, Wii, etc... you'll have mo re fun.

 

[fraseyboy]

I find my PSP very useful for when my mum drags me to places I don't want to go. There aren't that many good games, but if you get one with firmware 3.3 or below (and buy GTA:LCS) then you can also downgrade it and use the community made homebrew.

These homebrew apps range from SNES/NES/Genesis/N64/PS1 emulators to ISO Loaders to notepads and heaps of other ports from old games + some original titles.

At the moment though, its probably best to wait what Sony says about the new and improved PSP which is rumoured.

 

[Duggeh]

Sony should realise that they can catch more flies with honey and just open up the PSP totally.

You can do all the emulation stuff on the DS now anyway and its screen isnt nearly as crap.

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif You can do all the emulation stuff on the DS now anyway and its screen isnt nearly as crap.

Actually, the *very* low resolution of the DS makes it pretty crappy for certain things, like video. (IMO harder to watch than on the PSP, even with the latter's blur/color issues) It's also heavily lacking in power, so if you plan on playing emulated genesis/snes/etc games, you're better off with the PSP. Battery life and weight definitely go to the DS lite though.

 

[PYROphonez]

Actually, a downgrader was released for firmware 3.50 the other day. I would suggest a custom firmware (3.40 OE-A) if you do get a PSP.
If you enjoy homebrew, emulation and some good titles, it's a great route to go. I love Socom (1 and 2) on the PSP, mainly because I love the multiplayer games. It gives you something to do in a hotel room with free wi-fi.

 

[uofmtiger]

I have a recent review of it on my website. However, I believe it is really just related to what your needs are.

 

[xlEnt]

why would you ruin a perfect vacation opportunity with a PSP? i understand listening/playing on the plane ride to and from, but i'd try to think of better things to do wherever location you arrive at.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sony should realise that they can catch more flies with honey and just open up the PSP totally. You can do all the emulation stuff on the DS now anyway and its screen isnt nearly as crap.

If you want to "do all the emulation stuff," but you want a good screen as well, then you get a GP2X.

 

[J-Pak]

I wasn't particularly fond of mine when I had one. The optical media and poor battery life was really annoying.

After the novelty of playing SNES games wore off I sold it.

It could basically do everything my laptop did...except much worse.

 

[ooheadsoo]

It's not a great portable, top honors goes to the DS for that, but I assume it would be great for doing stuff while lying in bed or sitting on the c*n. Any other place where you can sit down in front of a desk, a laptop will do better. It's just not that portable. You pretty much have to LOVE the psp games to make one worth it.

 

[GendoIkari]

This thread just sold me on a DS Lite

I was torn because the PSP has the Metal Gear titles, but the DS has the Castlevanias...

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GendoIkari but the DS has the Castlevanias...

They get can boring, since the Castlevania's are all pretty much the same as the gba titles. Dawn of Sorrow was alright, but Portrait of Ruin was bleh.

 

[tk3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xlEnt /img/forum/go_quote.gif why would you ruin a perfect vacation opportunity with a PSP? i understand listening/playing on the plane ride to and from, but i'd try to think of better things to do wherever location you arrive at.

I do intend to use it on flights + car, that was the main reason I was thinking of buying one.

But the 5 hr battery life puts me off if that's really true, that's terrible imo.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

I can't recommend the PSP strongly, because of the idiocracy of the UMD media and the battery life. There are a few games that do look good on it, and you won't get the same or even close to that experience on a DS. This is especailly true with racing games, which rivals a PS2 experience. And the other media features are nice, but grossly overrated because you need to buy more memory for it, which is capped at ~4-8 gb. Definately not much for music+movies+photos. Give the DS a try, because all-in-all it's a "funner" device for extended periods of time.