Tests on PSP battery

[jvd]

So basically, it's "OK" to thread crap? No mention of the DS was needed (i.e. one could have just said that 2-3 hrs with WiFi is too short and it would have been fine.) There is no need to compare because all you're doing is inviting other superfluous comparisons between them later on - this WILL invite strife here. Is that what you want?

I'm sorry ty , should I lock or delete every thread for every time someone posts something else . Should i lock each cell topic that has mention of the xenon in it ? Should i lock every ds thread that has a psp mention in it ?

Or should i just lock the ones that put sony in a bad light ?

 

[Kalin]

So basically PSP won't be my online-enabled handheld, or MP3 player (another handheld does those better for now). It might be just my gadget to play beautiful offline games and movies

 

[jvd]

So basically PSP won't be my online-enabled handheld, or MP3 player (another handheld does those better for now). It might be just my gadget to play beautiful offline games and movies

actually i look foward to seeing how a movie works on it . So far there are no battery tests for that.

IF they could swing 3 hours it should be good for most movies (except lotrs )

 

[Ty]

I'm sorry ty , should I lock or delete every thread for every time someone posts something else . Should i lock each cell topic that has mention of the xenon in it ? Should i lock every ds thread that has a psp mention in it ?

Or should i just lock the ones that put sony in a bad light ?

Of course not but for someone who is a mod, I guess I expect them to toe a tighter line. If you're OK with people making comparisons (and you'd better be) then that's fine. Just don't bother to lock many threads at all then.

Btw - it's silly of you to consider me a sony fan boy when I own a DC, GCN, & XBox (in that order). No PS1 and no PS2.

 

[Acert93]

Whatever, he can have his opinion and I can have mine. If he wants to bitch about battery life every thread involving PSP, then I'll bitch too.

This is not just any thread though. The title of the thread is: Tests on PSP battery. jvd and others talking about the battery life, in a thread titled battery life, is fair game.

And comparing the PSP battery time to its hand held competitors (GBA, DS), portable DVD players, MP3 players, and other hand held devices (like PDAs) is relevant to the topic. A test in of itself is only half the story. How it compares to the competition in the markets it hopes to squeeze into are viable discussion.

I am not sure why everyone gets so heated over this. Sony has made a very nice handheld. Nintendo has made yet another very nice handheld. Whatever one comes out on top we do not know, but there is no reason to get brand defensive. I have always enjoyed Nintendo products but I can see the attraction to the PSP. The screen is beautiful and the system itself is sleek. And RR looks to be great (although not my cup of tea). Liking one system does not require hating the other; and liking a system or game does not mean you cannot point out short comings in a product. I know Nintendo and Sony seek to find weak areas in the product so they can make the next one better (or steer customer attention away from those areas!), so we should not be afraid to admit that even our favorite hardware and software could be better.

 

[jvd]

I'm sorry ty , should I lock or delete every thread for every time someone posts something else . Should i lock each cell topic that has mention of the xenon in it ? Should i lock every ds thread that has a psp mention in it ?

Or should i just lock the ones that put sony in a bad light ?

Of course not but for someone who is a mod, I guess I expect them to toe a tighter line. If you're OK with people making comparisons (and you'd better be) then that's fine. Just don't bother to lock many threads at all then.

Btw - it's silly of you to consider me a sony fan boy when I own a DC, GCN, & XBox (in that order). No PS1 and no PS2.

as the poster under you summed it up (So much better than i can) this is a thread about battery life , in a console forum , why wouldn't other protables be talked about . I see no problem in comparing its battery life to the ds battery life .

 

[Phil]

Anyway 2-3 hours with wifi is alot less than the 8 hours i can get playing mario ds on well my ds .

It is comparing - but is it fair and justified comparing PSP wifi battery length with a handheld a generation behind? These aren't two handhelds with the same technical capabilities - one is obviously a bit more sophisticated and therefore (surprise!) the battery life will take a backstep as well. It's like comparing two laptops - one with way more performance and features than the other and then whining about its shortcomings in battery life.

Lets recap:

We KNOW that DS has superiour battery life.

Who cares how long Mario DS can play with Wifi enabled? Certainly not those interested in buying a PSP and not the DS. The day DS is pushing graphics equivilant to what is found on PSP with superiour battery life - then it would be something different. Until then though, all this nonsense about comparing battery life is just embarrasing. Just give it a rest.

 

[Readykilowatt]

The "damage control" in this thread is hilarious. Please keep it up.

 

[Acert93]

It is comparing - but is it fair and justified comparing PSP wifi battery length with a handheld a generation behind? These aren't two handhelds with the same technical capabilities - one is obviously a bit more sophisticated and therefore (surprise!) the battery life will take a backstep as well. It's like comparing two laptops - one with way more performance and features than the other and then whining about its shortcomings in battery life.

This arguement, to me, is invalid. While the technology may different, they have a very large overlap in intended use--the PSP and DS are primarily portable game playing devices. Technology is irrelevant in many respects due to the very nature of the product. Portable devices needed to be used on the go and the longevity of the battery is vital to the market. What is the point of technology if it is utterly useless for its purpose? Wow, great graphics... and 1hr play time! Woo hoo! That being said, I am *personally* impressed with the 5hr play time for RR. BUT, some (many?) portable users are looking for something more in the 8-12hr range. Therefore, when looking at portable game playing devices it more than fair to look at the consumer needs and compare the products in this respect.

On the flip side, the above arguement has not halted fans of the PSP from comparing the graphics, LCD screen, general design quality/visual appeal, and so forth of the two systems. Why is it fair compare these items but not the battery life? And whether Sony/PSP fans want to acknowledge it or not, Nintendo is the world wide leader in portable gaming. Sony is trying to break in on Nintendo turf--there is no avoiding comparing a new product that is challenging the entrenched leader. And new technology vs old technology is a mute point, because they are competitors. There are many examples of newer technology being unable to unseat older technology.

The basic idea I keep hearing from people when they hear something unpleasant about a system they advocate is "shut up".

We KNOW that DS has superiour battery life.

Who cares how long Mario DS can play with Wifi enabled? Certainly not those interested in buying a PSP and not the DS. The day DS is pushing graphics equivilant to what is found on PSP with superiour battery life - then it would be something different. Until then though, all this nonsense about comparing battery life is just embarrasing. Just give it a rest.

You are correct that those interested in buying the PSP and not the DS could give a hoot about DS battery life--but I think this is where you are going off tangent also. For the consumer who already decided they wanted a PSP everything about the DS is irrelevant. But there are a lot of undecided consumers who want a portable gaming device weighing the benefits of the DS and PSP. I was shocked last month to see a mom being drug into Walmart by her two sons and telling her all about the new Nintendo DS--totally shocked. I was surprised someone was all worked up over it. This goes back to your two two laptop examples. Some laptop users want desktop replacements, other users want long battery life. Obviously for these two type of users they already know what type of laptop they want--so the debate is a mute point to them. But then there is a large spectrum of users between the two, who want great software, but want to take it on the road. And for them COMPARING the two extremes is not academic but relevant.

So this may be embarassing to you, but the reality is for the intended market battery life is a concern. If it is not an issue for you, you could just post "Battery life is irrelevant to me" instead of telling everyone why they are wrong for even comparing them. Every consumer is different; respecting their needs is very relevant and something worth discussing imo.

 

[-tkf-]

So, lowest with WIFI 2-3 hrs, highest is MP3 playback @ 10+ hrs. Looks ok by me, and the battery life will only improve with time (better batteries, perhaps better manufacturing with time...)

Last longer than an iPOD for MP3 playback
Every test with max brightness.

Next test with min/ds brightness please...

 

[Kalin]

So, lowest with WIFI 2-3 hrs, highest is MP3 playback @ 10+ hrs. Looks ok by me, and the battery life will only improve with time (better batteries, perhaps better manufacturing with time...)

Last longer than an iPOD for MP3 playback
Every test with max brightness.

Next test with min/ds brightness please...

mp3 playback was with the screen turned off. BTW can it be set to automatically switch off?

 

[Guden Oden]

Those that worry about PSP battery life, just get the external battery pack mmkay? Or better yet perhaps: DON'T BUY ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Nobody's forcing you to even touch a PSP, much less spend money on one.

 

[darkblu]

Those that worry about PSP battery life, just get the external battery pack mmkay? Or better yet perhaps: DON'T BUY ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Nobody's forcing you to even touch a PSP, much less spend money on one.

perhaps some of those worrying about psp's battery life are considering purchasing it?

 

[Farid]

IF they could swing 3 hours it should be good for most movies (except lotrs )

From the latest reports, it's 4H for movie playback from the UMD drive, and obviously more if you use the Memory Stick.

 

[Guden Oden]

perhaps some of those worrying about psp's battery life are considering purchasing it?

So buy the battery pack then, FFS...

 

[darkblu]

perhaps some of those worrying about psp's battery life are considering purchasing it?

So buy the battery pack then, FFS...

perhaps not everybody feels comfortable swaying aroung a battery pack on a cable?

 

[-tkf-]

perhaps some of those worrying about psp's battery life are considering purchasing it?

So buy the battery pack then, FFS...

perhaps not everybody feels comfortable swaying aroung a battery pack on a cable?

I can't imagine how many times in real life the average person could actually play the PSP for 4 hours a day.

 

[Acert93]

I can't imagine how many times in real life the average person could actually play the PSP for 4 hours a day.

Traveling. Getting in a taxi, catching a few connecting flights, getting another taxi to a hotel. Also, kids on trips or when away from home :cough::school::cough:. Long car pools and taking a bus into work could also put a good dent into 4 hours depending on your commuting situation. I am sure there are other examples, but those are some I know of

And considering the PSP is not just for games, but for music, movies, wifi, and more, I can see where battery life could be a question to many consumers. e.g. I have no clue why someone would need a MP3 player with a long battery life, because frankly I listen to very little music. But my friends who have MP3 players want the long battery life. 10hrs for the PSP is pretty good in my book btw, but I am not the target user either since I don't listen to much music. It all boils down to how you use it. Some have more down time than others and will use it for different purposes.

It would be very interesting to see studies on HOW people use these devices. BUT, and this is a big but, the reality is Nintendo, MS, Sony, ATI, Nvidia, and so on, frequently sell on features, even if scarcely used. That is why they build hype. Get the hype, release a couple killer apps and viola! Not saying that is the case here (I think battery life is relevant for a portable gaming system), but it is a common trend. I wish an unnamed company would catch onto the fact that hype is good for stirring up interest... most of us want to cut through the hype, but a good buzz before a launch helps.

Before anyone jumps on me I am not trying to be negative--I think the PSP is a very neat device. Quality Music and console quality games are great--especially on that beatiful screen! Man alive is that thing pretty!! But like any game device we will have to see what killer apps come out, but I am sure they will come. The question will they come out fast enough to compete with Nin--we will see! I am not too sold on the movies though... not that I would not like to be, but after paying $20 for a DVD I do not feel like paying another $20 for another copy which I may watch once or twice. WiFi is interesting... I just want to see more uses before I make a judgement. No comment on the Sony memory sticks. Anyone notice you can get a 1GB SD disk for less than $50?

Overall I think the PSP is a great device. I wont be getting one right away because there is no software I am interested in. It is also a little expensive right now and first version console releases tend to have problems. But if the PSP can build up a nice software lineup I could be interested. Nothing against the PSP (and its great hardware), but it is about the games. When it stops being a great technical device and starts becoming a great gaming platform I will take another look

 

[cthellis42]

IF they could swing 3 hours it should be good for most movies (except lotrs )

From the latest reports, it's 4H for movie playback from the UMD drive, and obviously more if you use the Memory Stick.

I was wondering why they didn't include a UMD movie watching test in there, but I guess they wanted to satisfy other non-tested directions first (UMD spinning in a game) since UMD-movie tests have been done before, and to my knowledge have all come out around 5 hours, which about lines up with the constant-UMD-use-in-a-game test IGN did. (Which makes sense I guess, as using the device for low-demand gaming would probably line up near the same chipset drain for playing UMD's from disk.)

 

[DemoCoder]

I fly frequently on long transoceanic flights, and I take my GBA with me. I've *NEVER* played for more than 4 hours. Eyestrain, neck strain, etc

The PSP actually gets battery life on par with my laptop, and I *do* use my laptop for more than 4 hours doing work on flights sometimes. (extra batteries, or if I'm lucky, power connector in business class)

This battery power argument is just a way for people to boost a technically inferior handheld. I'll probably own both a DS and PSP, but the PSP looks superior to me in everyregard that matters: brightness and contrast ratio in presence of ambient light, graphics, sound, movie playback, and future software title availability.

There are some people who talk ceaselessly on their cell phones, for whom, a 2-4 hour "talk time" battery life isn't good enough. For the vast majority of people however, 2-4 hours is good enough, and they will look for better signal quality, ergonomics, and features.

Ditto for DS. The battery life for the PSP isn't a deal breaker. Most people own devices with similar continuous usage battery life (iPOD, mobile phone, etc) The f4nb0ys just want to find some feature or excuse with which they can justify bashing the PSP.

The only thing missing from the PSP is a CDMA/GSM "card". Then I'd just carry it around all the time.