Design:
This device is very well designed. Its just gorgeous to look at. The sleek black look, the rounded shape, clear L and R buttons. The analog pad. And that large screen Just beautiful. The controls are well laid out, easy to use and hold. The analog pad will take some getting use to, I know my hand was hurting after a long playing jag as using muscles or something that normally don't use because of the different angle. I also like that the memory is based on the duo even though a normal memory stick would have been better mainly because of the price. But if you have a DS, the duo is the same size. If you plan on using the multimedia functions of the system, definitly want to upgrade the size as 32megs isn't good for much. As for the battery, its not too bad, it hold about 6 hours per charge. Additional there is a switch to cut of wireless access which is good BUT this does not stop the PSP from always hunting for a signal which is bad. It should have it its switched off, all wireless activity and attempts to find a network signal end to save on the battery. Also of note, sleeping the PSP is easy, and seems to work pretty well. Just be aware that sleep doesn't work nearly with the efficiency it does with the DS.
Menu:
The menu options are very well laid out, according to function. Its intuitive and easy to use. Didn't really need the instruction book except to look for extra goodies. By the way, the screen color is based on month of the year. So march is green, april is pink, and so on. On thing I wouldn't mind seeing is an ability to save default settings on the system or the memory stick. For instance, with music, you have to set up wether to shuffle and repeat everytime. It doesn't save that setting once and have you cut it off when the mood strikes. Or if can't do that, give option to map certain functions to buttons on the PSP so can at least do it quickly. Another change needs to be the ability to check the battery left. There is a bar in the top right which is great but as a menu option shows, there is a way to estimate the % left and time left. Being able to alter the bar between those three estimates would be fantastic. So really, what I am saying Sony is give us some custimize options.
Video/ Movies:
Gorgeous. Thats it. With that big screen, its simply gorgeous. No other word for it. Easy to use also. The main thing is have to use either the UMD or convert files to .mp4 (MPEG-4) format. Currently I am using 3GP Converter recommended by Engadget. They also have instructions on converting and moving the movies to the PSP. Another recommended program is PSP Video 9, which I haven't used yet. Any case, your only limitation to watching a movie on the PSP at this point is the memory size of your stick. Which can get expensive. Very expensive. So hope the prices begin to drop.
Oh and the including Spider-Man 2 disc. Fantastic. Great clarity, no blurring, even during the train/doc ock sequence.
Music:
The music is great through the provided headphones (with need little remote). The PSP speakers on the otherhand are just adequate. More from background noise really. So if you just have to have great sounding music, stick with an iPod or at least the headphones. As for transfering the music, its easy. Make sure the format the memory stick via the PSP menu, then just drop the .mp3 into the appropriate Music folder. Just be aware that if you drop a folder in the Music, that is called a "group" by the PSP which is almost like a playlist. Also you can't have a subfolder within that folder. So in memory stick your hiarchy at most can be \\PSP\Music\folder\
Games:
Again, wonder. Clear picture, fantastic graphics. The graphics are superior to the DS and very close but not quote to the PS2 range. So far, using Twisted Metal, i have only tested the Infrastructure mode, which allows online play. Its works like a charm. Able to easily connect and join a game with almost no lag. Nice thing about requiring online play is that means not dealing with dial-up players. The down side though is if you may have to alter your wireless security settings to allow a connection as it doesn't seem the PSP handles WEP encryption. It does however have a MAC address so can use that to limit access. Hopefully though, the price point of the games will take a drop in the DS range of 20-35 rather then the 40-50 it is currently at.
Pictures:
Once again, great. Thanks to the LCD screen not complaints. Keep it mind it only handles the .jpg format so may have to use mspaint or something to convert .bmp and other formats. The PSP also has slideshow, rotate, crop and few other basic pic viewing functions.
So overall, this is a must buy for any gamer and playstation fan. Now many are probably thinking "i am waiting till the price drops." Well don't hold your breath on that happening this year. I suspect this price point will hold to the end of the Christmas season for no other reason then because it can. The device is that good and will remain popular as word of mouth spreads. Oh and invest in a good case, the one that comes with is very lacking in protection qualities.
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