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PSP | Action | PSP

Boxart for PSP
PSP 6 screen shots
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.1
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE n/a

Feature: Updated Impressions: PSP

Feature by FUNKYZEALOT | 12/22/2004 | 18:21:14 PM PST

Logging in more hours, some early warning signs have flashed on our radar--but it's still ultra cool.

After sitting in our offices for almost two weeks, the handheld still hasn't lost it's "wow factor," largely eclipsing interest in the Nintendo DS.

The main draw of the handheld is its graphical prowess. Forget Zodiacs, N-Gages, GBAs and any other pocket game platform--the PSP blows others out of the water with an LCD that shows almost no pixilation, and unprecedented 3D graphics. Screenshots don't do the console justice. For those that stayed away from handhelds because of mediocre graphics, this may be the first to pique your interest.

The PSP isn't without flaws or concerns however--one being the UMD drive. Already we've experienced a couple long loading times and freezes where you can hear the motor whirring, trying hard to read the discs. The issues are reminiscent of MD Walkman's giving out after a year's worth of use (disc-based Walkmans in general seem to have a relatively shorter lifespan recently), and these minor hiccups revive such concerns. However, it hasn't faced any serious hang-ups, such as discs bursting from the tray as some news sites have reported, and has overall been pretty reliable.

Another drawback are the controls, both directional keypad and analog stick. The d-pad is a lot more mushy and vague in feel than the PlayStation 2 controller, and there lacks a concrete transition between diagonals, and ups, downs, and so on. The issue surfaces playing Vampire Chronicles--most may find it difficult to execute even the simpler quarter circle fireball moves. The problems in executing moves may be either a software or hardware problem, so there still isn't enough to go on to make definitive conclusions--but Capcom has never been one to skimp on controls for fighting games.

The analog stick seems to face the same issues as the PlayStation 2 did--dead zones and/or dull thresholds. Moving the analog stick slightly in Ridge Racers has no effect, making steering vague (the game still controls well overall, however). While again, there still aren't enough titles to back the finding, it may potentially mean that the console is ill-suited toward first-person shooters, which require pinpoint accuracy to play.

Batteries, despite the pre-release noise generated for low battery life, has been exactly what Sony stated--lasting 4-6 hours.

While the console itself has surpassed expectations, the lack of compelling launch titles means we have yet to see whether or not Sony's PSP will overrun Nintendo's DS as the lead handheld platform. With Nintendo having an already significant user base of 2 million, it won't be an easy fight.


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