PSP Slim: To Upgrade or Not?
Is the PSP redesign worth the money if you already have the original PSP?
After months and months of rumors circulating that the new PSP2 was coming with a complete redesign, E3 2007 comes around in July with news of a PSP redesign. During the Sony Conference, Kaz reaches in his pocket and out comes the new PSP. At first glance, this new PSP looks like it’s the same exact PSP that was released 2 years ago. I will never forget the outrage from PSP fans on the message boards the night of the Sony Conference that this PSP was just another cash cow by Sony.
Let’s take a look at what has changed with this new PSP.
New PSP Slim Features
This new PSP slim has lost any roundness that the previous system had. It feels flat all around on front and back, and much thinner than the previous model. Sony’s R&D has made many changes to the new PSP Slim to make it feel like it can compete with other smaller handhelds in this same market. Before, the original PSP didn’t even feel like a handheld due to its size and Sony is getting closer and closer to making this as small as possible without sacrificing the screen size.
-Weight: this is very noticeable before you even put the battery pack into the PSP upon opening up the package. The PSP slim weighs 6.7 oz, and this thing feel so light that I thought I got a display dummy model. Once you add the battery, the PSP does get a little bit heavier but not by much.
-UMD: the UMD tray has changed for the better; we don’t have a switch anymore that pops open the tray, now you pull it open with your fingers. I actually like this new way of opening the tray better, as before the spring action could wear out and keep the tray from opening.
-Memory Card Slot: even the memory card slot has received an upgrade, now when you open the slot it has 2 pieces of rubber holding it together to the PSP. It makes it easier opening the cover and inserting/removing the memory card.
-Battery & Battery Cover: the battery cover has also received a redesign, even though many are claiming it’s easier than before to open up I found it a bit of a pain. The cover is rather cheap for the battery, so I recommend being rather careful. I have been reading that people are using the old battery from the original PSP that allows for longer play but the cover won’t close but you can modify it and get up to 10 solid hours of playtime nearly 2x what the included battery provides.
The new battery is much thinner than the previous battery and more efficient with power consumption.
-Increase Memory (Increased to 64MB):The original PSP has 32MB of memory, but the new PSP slim has 64MB of memory so Sony has doubled the amount. What does this mean for PSP slim owners? One big advantage is that this helps decrease load times on many games compared to the original PSP. Gamespot tested a few games and the slim shaved off a good 10-15 seconds of load time on some games. I’m hoping that with newer titles that their designed to take advantage of this memory so that those load times decrease.
-Video Out: One of the main features that Kaz was touting during E3, was the ability to output your games, movies, and photos at 480p to your TV. While this is a nice feature, there is one drawback………….Sony is making you buy a $40-$50 cable to be able to access this feature.
-Colors: Finally, Sony is offering additional colors for the PSP slim that many of us couldn’t wait for since the release of the original. The only way to get your hands on different colors were to buy new casing and make the modification yourself or to buy a Japanese PSP that came in the color that you wanted. We have the Silver and Ceramic White joining the Piano Black here in the United States. Currently, the only way to get the Silver is in the “Daxter PSP Slim bundle” and the Ceramic White “Star Wars PSP Slim bundle” which releases in October.
-Buttons: Yes, I did say buttons. It’s like Sony went into redesign mode also with the buttons on the PSP. Both left and right shoulder buttons feel much tighter than before. The actual D-pad finally feels a bit looser which is a good, since before it just didn’t feel right. The face buttons also feel like they function better and no more issues with the “X” button sticking.
-LCD: Ghosting? Any ghosting that the original PSP had before has somewhat been reduced to a minimum, which is a very good thing in my book. The colors seem to be a little bit more vibrant.
PSP Slim Packages
Currently there are going to be 3 PSP Slim packages, 2 bundles and 1 single package; the bundles will eventually be phased out to sell the colors separately.
Core Pack: The “Core Pack” is only available currently in Piano Black and comes with the AC adaptor and battery. This pack retails at $169.99.
Daxter Bundle Pack: “Daxter” bundle pack comes with an assortment of goodies to get you started with the PSP experience. You get a Silver PSP, 1GB Memory Stick Pro, Daxter, and Family Guy UMD.
Star Wars Bundle Pack: “Star Wars” bundle pack comes with the Ceramic White PSP and Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. You get no 1GB Memory Stick of Family Guy UMD, but you are getting a newly released game in Renegade Squadron.
The Final Word
If you already own a PSP, I highly recommend upgrading to the new PSP unless you are one of the homebrew crowd. I think sooner than later someone will crack the firmware. With a slimmer PSP that is lighter, increased memory for quicker loading, and the new video out feature to name a few upgrades this is a plus in my book.
