Gaming noob questions about psp 1000

[codezer0]

I ordered a psp 1000 maybe 1001 off ebay. in the mean time i'd like to know is it mandatory for i to have a pandora battery? the seller told me the psp has the latest firmware (haven't received psp yet still in mail and can't confirm what firmware is on psp).
do i need a magic stick - or can i use the usb cord and the *sd* stick it comes with?
after installing a custom firmware can i still hook the psp up to the tv to play games and movies?

Is it mandatory to have a Pandora battery? Heck no. Especially currently with how strong the existing PSP CFW is made. The Pandora battery simply kicks the thing into factory service mode so you could always recover from a bricking situation.

Standard PSP's (basically, not the Go) all use a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot. That said, at least it is possible to get an adapter that can accept at least one (some even two) microSD cards in them to get storage on the cheap that way. And unlike the M2, it's still possible to get a genuine Pro Duo card in stores, though selection is ultra-limited as hell.

The original 1000 series could not do video out without a hardware modification. The functionality was added in later from the PSP 2000's and onward as an official feature.

The good thing is the girth of the 1k series allows for some good sized batteries to keep it running longer. And the fact that it does have an IR port allows you to take advantage of some specialized homebrew for it. The downside is that because it has the least amount of RAM, some of the emulators out there meant for more... intensive systems to emulate are probably not going to work. If that bugs you, I'd just say get yourself a 2000 or 3000 series afterward to cover those gaps... you could even just swap the Pro Duo card(s) back and forth there.

 

[xist]

....

Just want to address some points raised here...

Dependent on the pedigree of your 1000 a Pandora battery may be your best bet at restoring it so that it'll work properly with the hacks of today - there were a lot of crazy things done to 1000's to implement CFW and clearing them out to update can be a challenge sometimes. More often than not you won't need a Pandora, but there's no surety that you won't if you're getting an older fully flashable PSP.

If you're opting for an adapter remember that these can completely mess up your attempts to install firmwares (custom or otherwise) and can create issues with some plugins. It's ALWAYS wise to at least have access to a genuine Pro Duo...Sandisk preferably.

The 1000 didn't have video out so output via the component/composite cable to USB isn't possible...however, you CAN have video out via Remotejoy (or RJLite) to your PC and can even record from that feed. Rydian wrote a tutorial about this.

The added RAM is near enough pointless as a buying consideration unless you have a SPECIFIC requirement for it. There are a handful (if that) of things that are optimised to use all the extra slim RAM, and of those things that try to use it (like Daedaulus) they're not that functional to start with. It's nice, may speed up your loading screens a bit, but it's not something you'll find yourself hankering after. Also, the PSP 1000's fat battery is more or less equivalent to the PSP 2000's (or 3000's) slim battery (which are both better than the Go's built in battery). Your best bet for optimal charge time is one of the Sony extended life battery packs BUT if you use a 1000 battery in a Slim console you get the best battery life of all (although you need a different battery compartment cover). My PSP slims all use PSP 1000 batteries.

The PSP 1000 is also aesthetically the nicest. It feels solid and has a springloaded UMD door and metal in it's frame. It might not have the best Dpad but it has metal in it's frame. METAL!!!

 

[Rydian]

And if you got a 2000 you could always stick a 1000-sized battery in it with one of those extended battery covers designed to hold the bigger ones.

EDIT: Submitted before Xist's post.