Hands-On: Datel 4GB Hard Drive for Sony PSP

[hey69]

199us$! (4gb and batery combo)

go over to LIKSANG.COM for further details and purchase details!

The 4GB Hard Drive is connected with the PSP by means of what Datel calls a flexible Memory Stickâ„¢ adapter that is plugged into the Memory Stickâ„¢ slot on the PSP. Once connected, the body of the HD attaches to the back of the PSP using two location posts which slot into corresponding holes on the back of the PSP. When used in conjunction with the X2 double capacity battery the 4GB HD forms an ergonomic extension to the PSP which follows the neat lines of the handheld.

The PC software is completely optional and advanced users already setup with Memory Stick, video converting software and game saves manager may keep their old setup. If you are completely new to "media management" for your PSP, Datel's software will be good quickstart: it allows you to manage your save files, download more of them from Codejunkies, convert movies, transfer files back and forth and more. The software comes in form of an 8cm CD-ROM. When we installed it, we were asked if we would like to automatically download an update from Codejunkies.com.

You'll also find an installation guide in the box and Datel provides support virtually everywhere in the world through codejunkies.com and their European and American hotlines.

Free Space 3803 MB - Size and Performance

Once in place and the PSP switched on, the hard drive is recognized by the firmware with 3803 MB free space. Because the 4GB Hard Drive is based on Microdrive technology (see here for an illustration), it is tiny and small and therefore doesn't make any noise when it is spinning.

 

[digitalwanderer]

/me drools!

When they make 'em in 80Gb....

 

[Corwin_B]

it is tiny and small and therefore doesn't make any noise when it is spinning.

Actually, Microdrives do make some noise when spinning, although in practice it's hard to hear except in complete silence (the noise from the 4GB Microdrive in my PDA bothers the lady when I try listening to some music in bed, for example).

And CF Microdrives are horrible power hogs. When spinning a lot (music or worse video), the power drain is very, very noticeable when compared with flash-based memory doing the same thing.

Also Microdrives are very, very fragile when compared to flash memory.

Who's the company making the Microdrive for the PSP ? Toshiba and Hitachi make good ones, but the ones from Magicstore are to avoid like plague...

 

[Guden Oden]

Microdrives very very fragile? They're the toughest harddrives you can get; the shorter the read/write head arms are, the harder it is to headcrash the thing, generally speaking. Of course I wouldn't recommend tossing the thing around, especially when it's spinning, but microdrives are as hard as they come when it comes to mechanical data storage.

Anyway, this idea is a bit over the top really. 4G memsticks will come at a reasonable price eventually, I'd rather get one of them.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I hear 4 GB is the limit to PSP anyway (FAT), so anyone wanting an 80 GB microdrive will be in for a disappointment. Don't know if that 's a limit of the MemoryStcik hardware or the PSP reader though. Perhaps the new MiniMemoryStick will work with an adaptor in PSP with a firmware update to allow 32 GBs eventually?

 

[London Geezer]

I'm sorry but there is one thing i'm not understanding......


Where do you plug this thing? Is there like a port or something on PSP?

 

[PC-Engine]

I'm sorry but there is one thing i'm not understanding......


Where do you plug this thing? Is there like a port or something on PSP?

http://image.lik-sang.com/content/psp-4gb-hdd/800x600/DSC00869.jpg

Doesn't look to be a very elegant solution...

 

[London Geezer]

Good lord that looks awful.

 

[hey69]

i would have liked they sold the memory adapter without that batery
or is that batery to compensate for the higher consumtion?

139$ without the batery would be very intresting (the cheapest here in belgium I can find is 115EURO for a 1gig memorystick duo pro)

 

[Ty]

I hear 4 GB is the limit to PSP anyway (FAT), so anyone wanting an 80 GB microdrive will be in for a disappointment. Don't know if that 's a limit of the MemoryStcik hardware or the PSP reader though. Perhaps the new MiniMemoryStick will work with an adaptor in PSP with a firmware update to allow 32 GBs eventually?

What if they used the scheme that was used when HD space routinely was beyond what your PC bios could address?


And yikes! That thing is huge. Might be easier to hold for extended periods of time. I would imagine that the extended battery is pretty necessary because of the extra draw from the drive.

 

[hey69]

update::


Battery Life on Movie Playback

To answer the question if a Microdrive consumes more power than a normal Memory Stick, we have put a couple of PSP's into test and waited until they shut down before running out of power.

• Playing movie with Standard Battery and SanDisk 1G Memory Stick: 4.45 Hours.
• Playing movie with Datel X2 Battery and Datel 4GB Hard Drive: 5.45 Hours.

 

[kraken]

Magicstore microdrive is in it so its quality is questionable (at least).
http://image.lik-sang.com/content/psp-4gb-hdd/250x188/DSC00845.jpg

 

[Guden Oden]

Can it be bought without any storage at all? If so, one could just equip it with a CF flashrom card instead of a questionable quality microdrive (though that is actually a trademark owned by hitachi... )

 

[darkblu]

Can it be bought without any storage at all? If so, one could just equip it with a CF flashrom card instead of a questionable quality microdrive (though that is actually a trademark owned by hitachi... )

dunno about the bundled microdrive, i'm more concerned with the quality of the pcb soldering work - substandard. how about that vendor actually try make it decently? i'm not saying that out of nitpicking but from personal experience with 3rd parties' substandard production quality components for my consoles - they tend not to work, or work only after a disassembly/reassembly.