PSP Impressions

PC-Engine · Dec 12, 2004

Mulciber · Dec 12, 2004

PC-Engine said:

this is so absurd. thats nothing a sleeve wouldn't fix. the psp IS smaller than the ds. also we'll see how long those touch screens last with the constant wear on them.
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What are you talking about? If it's wider then it's wider. In fact it's wider by a whole inch. That CAN make a difference in whether or not it's pocketable whether you agree or not. As a matter of fact NDS is barely pocketable even with it's short width. And regarding the screen I already explained the issue with that, no need to repeat what I just posted.
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its not wider by an inch

Farid · Dec 12, 2004

wazoo said:

Vysez said:

OK, with Medievil, WRC and Wipeout Pure (If it's better than Fusion), SCEE will gain a huge chunk of my respect back.
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because they are porting ports of ps1 games ??
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According to SCEE, neither Medievil, nor Wipeout Pure are PSone ports.

PC-Engine · Dec 12, 2004

its not wider by an inch
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You're right 22mm is not 10/10ths of an inch it's 9/10ths of an inch or 0.9 inches..close enough.

marconelly! · Dec 12, 2004

IGN reports from the PSP launch (1200+ people lines and Kutaragi selling PSPs himself)
http://psp.ign.com/articles/572/572543p1.html

A Fair screen comparision with DS (both at maximum brightness):

In medium light conditions:

In bright light conditions:

During no light conditions

Impressions from the editor blog at 1up.com

Yep, thanks to the sterling folks at Lik-Sang I am now in possession of one (1) PlayStation Portable. Sadly, thanks to a snafu I'd rather not explain I don't have any games yet. Still, the PSP's the all-singing-all-dancing-music-playing-movie-watching uberportable, right? So I should be OK until tomorrow just fiddling around with it.

I have to say though: This is one sexy piece of kit. I'm going to start from the beginning here, so forgive me if I repeat what you've heard already (and this is my first time with a real PSP, so I can't tell you whether it's the same/better/worse than the earlier demos at TGS and E3). The front is made of one solid piece of plastic -- there isn't a seperate bit covering the LCD, it's all one shiny piece. It attracts fingerprints much like the back of an iPod does, though I don't find myself constantly wiping it like I would with the iPod, possibly because being plastic it doesn't attract scratches or dirt like the iPod's metal backing ("YOU SCRATCHED MY iPOD! YOU WILL DIE!" etc). The back plate is a simple piece of black plastic that doesn't feel as smooth as a new Dual Shock but gives good grip. The two halves are held together by a ring of painted silver plastic (think GBA SP/DS here).

There are a couple of REALLY nice design touches here. One is on the UMD drive plate: There's a metal ring with the PSP logo inside it (real metal, oooh, aaah). The other is that all the buttons are actually transparent, which is most apparent on the triggers. More than one person has picked it up, clicked the triggers almost accidentally and gone "WOW, those are buttons too?"

Size-wise... well, the pictures tell the story here. It's somewhat awkward since it's pretty damned long (don't even think about sticking this in your pocket), but it's also smaller than I thought it'd be and certainly more slick than the cumbersome DS. There's little in the way of wasted space on the PSP; the screen dominates the front and leaves just enough space for the buttons to comfortably fit, while the battery and UMD drive take up over two-thirds of the back side. It's worth talking about the battery, actually: It's massive. It isn't heavy, thankfully, but if you take it out of the unit you'll notice that the battery bay leaves no room for errant circuits on that side of the PSP. (I imagine the legendary Sony water-bucket test was applied several times to the PSP)

It feels great in your hands, though. Of course, some hardcore game playing might change my opinion, but the d-pad, shoulders and main buttons are positioned really nicely, and since the two ends (either side of the UMD drive cover) bulge slightly you get a really good grip on the unit. But here I have some gripes: Some of the buttons don't really feel very good. The triggers have a nice click to them, but they feel both loose and somehow too tight, like they're snagging something on the way in. And while the X, O and Triangle buttons feel fine (a little more clicky than the Dual Shocks but not overly so -- nice!), my Square button feels slightly off-centre; you have to push it more to the right as you're hitting it, because it seems to be leaning to the left (and pushing it in like that makes it less clicky and more mushy). I'm hoping it's just temporarily stuck and will unstick with a bit of work (like the stuck B buttons on GameCube controllers), because in terms of size they're great -- certainly better than the undersized buttons on the DS. Actually, I think they're as big as the original Game Boy's buttons, though I can't find mine to compare.

The jury is still out on the little analog stick, though. Actually, it's less stick than "disc" -- instead of a mini-joystick, this sort of slides around the surface of the PSP. It's pretty cool really, though it feels like it needs more "give" to it, since there isn't much room to move it around. The biggest problem with it though is that it's too far down the PSP: Unlike the Dual Shock, it's not down and to the side (allowing your thumb to rotate towards it, still keeping the same length extended), just directly down, so you have to totally adjust your grip.

Of course those aren't the only buttons on the PSP -- this thing is absolutely overflowing with them. The start/select/home/volume/etc buttons are basic and don't really have a nice click to them, but I don't particularly care since I doubt I'll be trying to smack them in gameplay or anything (I hope not, anyway). Then there's the UMD drive release (feels like a MiniDisc, satisfying click included), the Wi-Fi switch (is this really necessary?), and the Power/Hold switch. The latter is typical Sony: Slide up to switch it on and it'll power the unit and spring back to "neutral". You can then either slide it up again to switch it off or slide it down to put the PSP on "Hold" (think MP3 players). You know, I have this same control with my Clie and I STILL think it's horribly unintuitive. I keep pushing it down to switch it off!

This leaves just one thing to talk about: The screen. Dear lord, it's gorgeous. I've been running my pictures through it, and it looks great. It's absolutely friggin' huge for a start (as you can see, the screen alone is roughly the size of an iPod!), very bright, and very colourful. Of course, without actual games there isn't much to say about it. The little PSP interface is neat, though. Lots of options, easy to navigate (you can select English!), and the picture/music options are pretty simple. I can't get movies to work, sadly, since Sony hasn't yet posted that Image Converter 2 software they were supposed to. Oh, and it appears that it's online out of the box via Wi-Fi -- I've already set up a profile for it to access my home network (which again was quick and painless). Though without a game, all this allowed me to do was check for a system update (predictably, my PSP is up to date)...

Bottom line is you have to wait for the games to really tell how good PSP is or is not. But on pure gadget terms, the PSP really scores on the cool factor. Hell, I FEEL cooler owning it (even though I feel like a bit of a douche owning it without any games -- damnit, where's my Ridge Racers). And though it's really impractical as an MP3 player, being able to watch a few movies would be neat too, especially seeing as this screen blows away even those Microsoft Portable Media Centres.

Now... where are my damn games?
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gleemax · Dec 12, 2004

PC-Engine said:

its not wider by an inch
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You're right 22mm is not 10/10ths of an inch it's 9/10ths of an inch or 0.9 inches..close enough.
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The DS is wider and deeper. The PSP is only longer.

I couldn't find DS dimensions in mm. After converting:

PSP is about: 170 mm (L) x 74 mm (W) x 23 mm (D)
DS is about: 147 mm (L) x 84 mm (W) x 28 mm (D)

This whole thing is pretty stupid. They are about the same size. I could probably fit a PSP and a DS in one of my pockets. (I'm not saying it would be comfortable, but they would fit.) I think only little kids would have trouble pocketing these things, or maybe women in tight jeans. Luckily, women do not play video games.

wco81 · Dec 12, 2004

They're both pretty long to slip into a pocket. You wouldn't want them in your pocket when you sit. Or for that matter, in your hip pocket in some crowded area (talk about a field day for pickpockets).

You would probably throw it in a backpack or some other kind of bag. Or there could be skins or cases with belt clips, kind of like the way people carry their Treos and other smart phones.

So the idea of throwing it in your pocket with keys is absurd. Do people put their Gameboys in pants pockets?

one · Dec 12, 2004

The launch event with Ken Kutaragi in Yodobashi Camera @ Shinjuku, Tokyo.
1000(!) people (according Famitsu it's over 1500) lined at the launch at 6:00 am.
The countdown movie
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/pspsin.htm
http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2004/12/12/103,1102807951,34408,0,0.html
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/gsnews/0412/12/news01.html

The launch event in TSUTAYA @ Shibuya, Tokyo. Ken Kutaragi arrived there after Shinjyuku at the 7:00 am launch. 300 people lined
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/gsnews/0412/12/news03.html
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/shibuya.htm

Akihabara & Ikebukuro. Each with 500 / 1000 people lined
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/games/gsnews/0412/12/news02.html
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20041212/ike.htm

All in all, it seems much bigger launch craze than the NDS, helped by the reported shortage of the PSP. 512MB Memory Stick Duo Pro is also reportedly sold well at Amazon.co.jp.

PC-Engine · Dec 12, 2004

So the idea of throwing it in your pocket with keys is absurd. Do people put their Gameboys in pants pockets?
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Do people carry backpacks around? If you plan on playing with this, you don't bring a bag with you let alone a backpack. Sounds pretty absurd indeed. Don't know where you've been, but yes people DO carry portables in their pockets, like PPCs, GBA SPs, etc. PSP is very long for a normal pants pocket. Ask any GBA SP owner how they carry their portable. They're not going to say a bag or backpack.

Size-wise... well, the pictures tell the story here. It's somewhat awkward since it's pretty damned long (don't even think about sticking this in your pocket)
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That's coming from someone who has it not some armchair expert who's comparing millimeters. I'm sure it's nice and everything and I'll probably get one when it drops to $100, but I sure won't be carrying it around in my pocket, bag, or backpack. I'll probably just get the sleeve and carry it around with my hand which makes it not too portable for use beyond once or twice a week.

Anyhow I'm really interested in the battery life with screen at max brightness, volume at 50%, while playing RR. I'm also interested in whether or not the the viewing angle improvement compromised LCD response times like Ty has mentioned.

Mulciber · Dec 12, 2004

PC-Engine said:

its not wider by an inch
Click to expand...

You're right 22mm is not 10/10ths of an inch it's 9/10ths of an inch or 0.9 inches..close enough.
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i think you dont know the difference between WIDER and LONGER

PC-Engine · Dec 12, 2004

I go by Width, Height, and Depth the standard way of measuring these types of devices. I don't use L x W x D. Regardless it's about 1 " wider or longer if you prefer which is what's important. We can argue about the defintions of L or W all day long, but It's pointless without understanding the point.

wco81 · Dec 12, 2004

Oh school children don't carry backpacks these days?

They would only carry a handheld game player?

No notebooks, textbooks or the rest?

Mulciber · Dec 12, 2004

PC-Engine said:

I go by Width, Height, and Depth the standard way of measuring these types of devices. I don't use L x W x D. Regardless it's about 1 " wider or longer if you prefer which is what's important. We can argue about the defintions of L or W all day long, but It's pointless without understanding the point.
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http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=length

The measurement of the extent of something along its greatest dimension

its pretty straight forward.

marconelly! · Dec 12, 2004

Another, more detailed impressions from IGN:

http://psp.ign.com/articles/572/572548p1.html

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And the screen is indeed bright and good looking, regardless of battery or AC. We can't stress enough how good looking the screen is. We notice it every time we play the system, and we wouldn't be surprised if it's the first thing the general public will notice as well when looking at the PSP for the first time. Using the PSP in public is going to get some serious looks, and maybe even sell the system on some people. Being able to see such high quality visuals, in games or movies, is even more alarming given the price and compact size of the system.

We've already commented on some of the games from our playtests earlier in the week. We'll repeat ourselves here, with some added emphasis given our extra playtime: if you absolutely don't want to buy the PSP, don't look at Ridge Racers. The game is so gorgeous, so far ahead visually of everything you've ever seen on a portable system, that it'll bring out the graphics freak in you. The other games that we've managed to try out have made equally good use of the PSP's screen for clear visuals, even if not being the most complex. 2D fans will see their eyes bleed at the clarity of the artwork in Vampire Chronicle. Gameplay in the titles is something that we'll have to comment on only once we've played more (although Ridge Racers is great -- great!).
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Playback of MP3 files is great on the PSP. We tried a number of files, from classical violin solos to some of Utada Hikaru's smoother tracks, and the sound quality seemed to be at top level when heard through our Nude EX headphones. The sound is deep and with just the right amount of bass, resembling Sony's MD playback, and even matching the playback of the more critically acclaimed MP3 hard disk devices such as the iRiver. If you have a large-enough Memory Stick (and even our 512MB stick may be cutting it close), the PSP could make for a cool music device.

Despite all our praise, we have had a few issues with the system so far. The PSP has awesome visual clarity, but we have noticed some image bleeding problems with the color red and vertical chopping of fast-moving images. This was notable in the Rally X mini game for Ridge Racers, and becomes even more clear in the faster sequences from the UMD movie clips. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in software.

A particularly strange quirk is in the noisiness of the system's D-pad. We're sure you remember the cute little clicky sounds the Neo Geo Pocket made whenever you pressed its buttons. With the PSP, the d-pad makes an obvious squeaking sound, particularly noticeable when pressing the buttons intensely, as with a fighting game. We'll hope that this is just a case of our new system settling in.

Finally, although the system isn't necessarily at fault, we're a bit annoyed by some of the load times we've encountered so far in the games. Ridge Racers doesn't give us any problem; even though the load times are in line with the numbers we posted earlier in the week, those numbers actually aren't that bad in practice. We haven't found ourselves caring one bit about the game loading up the next track. Vampire Chronicle, on the other hand, brings back load times to the PlayStation days, with a wait of between fourteen and nineteen seconds prior to your first fight and no fast character select option. We'll save further comment for in-depth impressions stories later on in the day.

We're definitely impressed with the PSP so far. Of course, we've got a whole lot more to do with the device, from trying out Memory Stick movies to charging the battery. We'll even try and get some game time in as we continue our coverage of the PSP launch from Japan.
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PC-Engine · Dec 12, 2004

its pretty straight forward.
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Do you even get the point I made about being 1" wider? Since you like to argue semantics how about this definition:

width - The measurement of the extent of something from side to side

You telling me gamers hold PSP vertically?

You see how utterly usedless this is? Have you grasped the concept of PSP being wider or longer by an 1"? Or do you want to start counting in tenths of millimeters?

marconelly! · Dec 12, 2004

PSP is wider than DS, but it's shorter, thinner and lighter (slightly). Also, less voluminous, and has a lot less frontal surface than DS in it's opened state. What's so difficult to understand about this? (talking to both sides arguing about what's width and what's height)

PC-Engine · Dec 12, 2004

marconelly! said:

PSP is wider than DS, but it's shorter, thinner and lighter (slightly). Also, less voluminous, and has a lot less frontal surface than DS in it's opened state. What's so difficult to understand about this? (talking to both sides arguing about what's width and what's height)
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Agreed, however, like I said being 1" wider makes it less pocketable. Why somebody would not aknowledge this is baffling. The guy who wrote that 1up blog has one and he said don't even think about putting it into your pocket. Now if someone here has one please speak up.

wco81 · Dec 12, 2004

He must have been turned down for a job with Sony.

Or is shorting their stock.

phat · Dec 12, 2004

PC-Engine said:

Size-wise... well, the pictures tell the story here. It's somewhat awkward since it's pretty damned long (don't even think about sticking this in your pocket)
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That's coming from someone who has it not some armchair expert who's comparing millimeters.
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Nice selective quoting to try to prove a shaky point. The full quote isn't so kind to your PSP vs DS size argument:

Size-wise... well, the pictures tell the story here. It's somewhat awkward since it's pretty damned long (don't even think about sticking this in your pocket), but it's also smaller than I thought it'd be and certainly more slick than the cumbersome DS.
Click to expand...

Mulciber · Dec 12, 2004

marconelly! said:

PSP is wider than DS, but it's shorter, thinner and lighter (slightly). Also, less voluminous, and has a lot less frontal surface than DS in it's opened state. What's so difficult to understand about this? (talking to both sides arguing about what's width and what's height)
Click to expand...

i was just posting that for his information. i dont understand how someone can argue about the dimensions of something when he cant tell the difference between length and width.

pc-engine. if you know the lengh of something, which HAS to be the greater dimension, then you dont AGAIN measure that dimension for width.

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