So, my first hardware review. Before I start, just gonna outline my modified standard review outline for hardware reviews...
Build Quality: Is it built well? This means do buttons work well, is it sturdy, does it have a good physical lifespan, and basically anything else relating to buttons and build.
Functionality: What can it do? Can it play music, watch movies, make toast, whatever. Also, does it have a good, easy to navigate interface?
Graphics: While graphics differ from game to game, how is the overall capabilities of the graphics for the system? This is usually in comparison with its current gen brothers.
Library: How good is the game library? Is it large enough, have enough good games, is it diverse enough, etc.
Anyway, review!
The PSP 1000 marked Sony's entry into the handheld market. It was their first portable ever, and with every other portable being crushed by Nintendo's monopoly in the market, it was a risky move. However, to this date, it's the most successful non-Nintendo handheld made. And with good reason, as it is a worthy competitor to the best selling handheld and probably eventually the best selling console of all time, the Nintendo DS.
As you can see from the picture above, the PSP comprises of 8 face buttons, two shoulder buttons, an analog nub, and a bunch of other miscellaneous buttons. The face buttons work well, although I found them not as easily "clickable" as say the DS Phat buttons. The shoulder buttons are also very defined out of the system and thus click more than your standard buttons. However, all the buttons work fine and within a few minutes, you'll find all these minor problems to be exactly that: minor. The big thing with the PSP though is the analog nub, as it implements an analog stick control like on many console controllers on a handheld. However, instead of it jutting out of the controller, they made it flat, no longer making it a "stick". It's a wise move to keep it portable, as an analog stick would look, erm, "awkward" sticking out from your pocket. While the nub may feel a little off at first, you'll get used to it and in the end it's a great move that allows many great games to exist for the handheld. The nub does come with one annoyance I found, which is hand cramps. Most games use both shoulder buttons, and for me, since I put the tip of my thumb on top of the analog nub instead of joint or whatever, I get small cramps now and then. Maybe I just have large hands, who knows. Still, the cramps aren't nearly as severe as ones I get on my DS Phat using both shoulder buttons, so it's not a big issue. The buttons at the bottom of the screen adjust volume, screen brightness, and also have the Start/Select buttons as well as the Home button, which lets you return to the PSP menu from a game instead of having to power off the system. All these buttons make life easier, and having adjustable brightness is one of my favorite features, since its competitor, the DS Phat, lacks it. A minor annoyance though is the lack of being able to mute the system without powering it on and turning the volume off. So, say for example you cranked up the volume on your PSP at home playing Parappa the Rapper (only music-ish game I could think of) and then brought it into school to play in math class. You turn on the system and you'll hear the sound booming out as you desperately mash the sound button. By the time you can bring your system to silence, you've got a pissy math teacher standing over you. Just a small annoyance. The overall build of the system is pretty solid. It's held together with screws and everything inside seems held in place. The system may, in the end, sound like it's filled with small holes build wise, they actually really just boil down once you get a feel for it.
I'll go ahead and say the PSP is the most feature-filled handheld to date. This thing is like a pseudo Swiss army knife here. It can of course play games, but it can do a lot more. You can play movies, whether it be from a UMD you bought or from your memory stick. You can play music (MP3 and AAC files supported). You can browse the web. Hell, you can even connect a camera to it. It's got a lot of functionality right out of the box, and I love it. Sure, it's not exactly an iPod in terms of functions, but for being a primarily gaming device, it's a nice bit of extras. Of course, the music and videos mostly rely on the memory stick, so odds are you'll need a large one to make good use of it. And as a standard nowadays, the system was Wi-Fi and online capabilities for gaming as well as ad hoc, both of which work well. Not much else I can really say about the matter except that the PSP comes with a lot of great features.
The PSP is also the most graphically powerful handheld to date. While the DS is comparable, graphics wise, to the N64 although a little higher (not Gamecube, though), the PSP is easily comparable to the PS2. Some games even give PS2 games a run for their money. You get simply gorgeous games like God of War and Assassin's Creed, all on a nice, wide screen. The only problem with the PSP 1000 is the motion blur you get as a trade off. For some games it's really not too noticeable, but for others it's glaring. While the blur won't make you feel drunk or push you to the brink of projectile vomiting, it's still a nuisance. Games are still perfectly playable with it though and after a while you won't really notice it.
And last but not least, the game library. While the DS is clearly aimed at a broad audience, ranging from kiddies to old farts, the PSP is much more focused on the hardcore gamers. And with the capabilities with the system, you get a lot of games that seem built for a home console, not a handheld. That's a double edged sword. On one hand, you get some great, lengthy, high production games that will satisfy your hardcore gaming needs. On the other hand, you don't get a lot of fun, small, portable games that have pick-up-and-play value. Anyway, Sony has a great library of exclusive titles that make appearances on the PSP, and most of the time with great success. You get God of War: Chains of Olympus, a great game that boasts the best graphics for the system. You get Jak and Daxter in Daxter or The Lost Frontier. You get Ratchet and Clank in Size Matters. You also get newer franchises like Resistance in the form of Resistance: Retribution and Assassin's Creed in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. There's also other great, mostly Sony-leaning titles like Metal Gear Solid, whose gone all out on the system with Portable Ops, Acid 1 and 2, and 2 digital novels, as well as the upcoming and very hyped Peace Walker. The system also gets some nice downloadable games on top of its retail games, with Pixeljunk Monsters, Fieldrunners, Tetris, and other Minis, as well as PSOne Classics like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon. It also gets a lot of remakes or ports for it, with PSX titles like Valkyrie Profile and Persona headlining. The main issue though is that the library is still relatively small compared to the DS one. And while the DS boasts atrocious amounts of shovelware, it also has a great deal of great games.
Overall, if a little rushed (I have to go in like a few minutes), the PSP is a great handheld and something not to be missed on.
I'll add summaries later, here's the scores for now.
Build Quality: 8/10
Functionality: 9.8/10
Graphics:9.5/10
Library: 8.5/10
Overall: 9/10
Build Quality: Is it built well? This means do buttons work well, is it sturdy, does it have a good physical lifespan, and basically anything else relating to buttons and build.
Functionality: What can it do? Can it play music, watch movies, make toast, whatever. Also, does it have a good, easy to navigate interface?
Graphics: While graphics differ from game to game, how is the overall capabilities of the graphics for the system? This is usually in comparison with its current gen brothers.
Library: How good is the game library? Is it large enough, have enough good games, is it diverse enough, etc.
Anyway, review!
The PSP 1000 marked Sony's entry into the handheld market. It was their first portable ever, and with every other portable being crushed by Nintendo's monopoly in the market, it was a risky move. However, to this date, it's the most successful non-Nintendo handheld made. And with good reason, as it is a worthy competitor to the best selling handheld and probably eventually the best selling console of all time, the Nintendo DS.
As you can see from the picture above, the PSP comprises of 8 face buttons, two shoulder buttons, an analog nub, and a bunch of other miscellaneous buttons. The face buttons work well, although I found them not as easily "clickable" as say the DS Phat buttons. The shoulder buttons are also very defined out of the system and thus click more than your standard buttons. However, all the buttons work fine and within a few minutes, you'll find all these minor problems to be exactly that: minor. The big thing with the PSP though is the analog nub, as it implements an analog stick control like on many console controllers on a handheld. However, instead of it jutting out of the controller, they made it flat, no longer making it a "stick". It's a wise move to keep it portable, as an analog stick would look, erm, "awkward" sticking out from your pocket. While the nub may feel a little off at first, you'll get used to it and in the end it's a great move that allows many great games to exist for the handheld. The nub does come with one annoyance I found, which is hand cramps. Most games use both shoulder buttons, and for me, since I put the tip of my thumb on top of the analog nub instead of joint or whatever, I get small cramps now and then. Maybe I just have large hands, who knows. Still, the cramps aren't nearly as severe as ones I get on my DS Phat using both shoulder buttons, so it's not a big issue. The buttons at the bottom of the screen adjust volume, screen brightness, and also have the Start/Select buttons as well as the Home button, which lets you return to the PSP menu from a game instead of having to power off the system. All these buttons make life easier, and having adjustable brightness is one of my favorite features, since its competitor, the DS Phat, lacks it. A minor annoyance though is the lack of being able to mute the system without powering it on and turning the volume off. So, say for example you cranked up the volume on your PSP at home playing Parappa the Rapper (only music-ish game I could think of) and then brought it into school to play in math class. You turn on the system and you'll hear the sound booming out as you desperately mash the sound button. By the time you can bring your system to silence, you've got a pissy math teacher standing over you. Just a small annoyance. The overall build of the system is pretty solid. It's held together with screws and everything inside seems held in place. The system may, in the end, sound like it's filled with small holes build wise, they actually really just boil down once you get a feel for it.
I'll go ahead and say the PSP is the most feature-filled handheld to date. This thing is like a pseudo Swiss army knife here. It can of course play games, but it can do a lot more. You can play movies, whether it be from a UMD you bought or from your memory stick. You can play music (MP3 and AAC files supported). You can browse the web. Hell, you can even connect a camera to it. It's got a lot of functionality right out of the box, and I love it. Sure, it's not exactly an iPod in terms of functions, but for being a primarily gaming device, it's a nice bit of extras. Of course, the music and videos mostly rely on the memory stick, so odds are you'll need a large one to make good use of it. And as a standard nowadays, the system was Wi-Fi and online capabilities for gaming as well as ad hoc, both of which work well. Not much else I can really say about the matter except that the PSP comes with a lot of great features.
The PSP is also the most graphically powerful handheld to date. While the DS is comparable, graphics wise, to the N64 although a little higher (not Gamecube, though), the PSP is easily comparable to the PS2. Some games even give PS2 games a run for their money. You get simply gorgeous games like God of War and Assassin's Creed, all on a nice, wide screen. The only problem with the PSP 1000 is the motion blur you get as a trade off. For some games it's really not too noticeable, but for others it's glaring. While the blur won't make you feel drunk or push you to the brink of projectile vomiting, it's still a nuisance. Games are still perfectly playable with it though and after a while you won't really notice it.
And last but not least, the game library. While the DS is clearly aimed at a broad audience, ranging from kiddies to old farts, the PSP is much more focused on the hardcore gamers. And with the capabilities with the system, you get a lot of games that seem built for a home console, not a handheld. That's a double edged sword. On one hand, you get some great, lengthy, high production games that will satisfy your hardcore gaming needs. On the other hand, you don't get a lot of fun, small, portable games that have pick-up-and-play value. Anyway, Sony has a great library of exclusive titles that make appearances on the PSP, and most of the time with great success. You get God of War: Chains of Olympus, a great game that boasts the best graphics for the system. You get Jak and Daxter in Daxter or The Lost Frontier. You get Ratchet and Clank in Size Matters. You also get newer franchises like Resistance in the form of Resistance: Retribution and Assassin's Creed in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. There's also other great, mostly Sony-leaning titles like Metal Gear Solid, whose gone all out on the system with Portable Ops, Acid 1 and 2, and 2 digital novels, as well as the upcoming and very hyped Peace Walker. The system also gets some nice downloadable games on top of its retail games, with Pixeljunk Monsters, Fieldrunners, Tetris, and other Minis, as well as PSOne Classics like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon. It also gets a lot of remakes or ports for it, with PSX titles like Valkyrie Profile and Persona headlining. The main issue though is that the library is still relatively small compared to the DS one. And while the DS boasts atrocious amounts of shovelware, it also has a great deal of great games.
Overall, if a little rushed (I have to go in like a few minutes), the PSP is a great handheld and something not to be missed on.
I'll add summaries later, here's the scores for now.
Build Quality: 8/10
Functionality: 9.8/10
Graphics:9.5/10
Library: 8.5/10
Overall: 9/10
