Buy your Japanese PSP today from Play-Asia.com
If you don't know what the Playstation Portable is and you're looking at this site then I recommend you leave now and Google it. Have you been under a virtual rock for the last few years? Since everybody who cares knows what a PSP is and have probably read the specifications at least ten times over by now I will not go into them, suffice to say it looks good on paper but what you really want to know is how the PSP shapes up in the real world. I was lucky enough to get a PSP from Japan last week in the form of a Value Pack, along with Ridge Racers and Vampire Chronicle: The Chaos Tower.
Let's start off by going through what's included with the “excellent” Value Pack; It contains a sock-like case to keep your PSP clean and scratch-free, however scratching your PSP is no easy task with both the casing and screen cover made from a special resistant polymer. The case is also open ended so dirt and grit could still get in if you are not careful. It would have been much better if Sony included a zip-up case to really keep the PSP clean and protected. Also included with the case is a strap, much like a camera strap, it attaches to the bottom left of the console and can be used to prevent you accidentally dropping the machine, or to put off the opportunistic snatch-and-grab attempt at your shiny new machine. Next up is the in-line remote, being the only remote currently available for the PSP if you want to listen to music on the move then it is a must for all owners! However, it feels a little ‘plasticy’ and cheap. A Sony mini-disc remote might make a good substitute, but I don't know if they work with the PSP and I don't have one to try, they apparently use the same connection. As for the earphones that come with the Value Pack, stay well clear. If you have the money to spare then get yourself some Etymotic ER-6i Isolator Earphones, in my opinion these are the finest in their price range (They can be found for £80 on eBay) and far surpass Sony's. Last but not least is the 32MB Memory Stick Duo, this is used for save files, pictures, music and movies. Obviously 32MB is not a lot and you will soon fill it, though it means you can save out-of-the-box. For more storage I recommend a 512MB Duo Pro, imported from North America at a bargain price (Another eBay purchase), to really make the most of the PSP's features. You could go for a larger 1GB stick but these are very new, rare and expensive (Better to get multiple 512s if you need more space).
Now, what you have all been waiting for (and maybe skipping the paragraphs above for) the PSP itself!
The first time you get your sweaty-with-anticipation hands on one of these beauties you can tell it is going to be something special. The console itself is stunning, a real beauty to look at, and no pictures I have seen do it justice. You really need to see one “in the flesh” to appreciate just how good it looks.
Overall the build quality of the console is excellent, it has a nice weight to it, feels solid and very rigid. There is no flimsy cheap plastic feel to it and I was unable to bend it or twist it in any way. The finish is smooth like glass and has good anti-reflective properties on the screen. I was able to use it outside without being hindered by light reflecting on the screen. The UMD drive door closes with a satisfying click, much like the clunk of a good car door. The overall feel of the console is that it is incredibly robust.
The D-Pad and buttons all have a good quality feel, along with the clear L and R buttons on the top. The Analogue disc is a little small and I find it awkward to use in game. Personally I love racing games and always use a wheel or analogue sticks be it on PC or PS2. I just don't like the restrictive range and motion of the disc, reports of discs breaking off may well be out of frustration from crashing after being unable to properly control a car in Ridge Racers.
After unwrapping the battery and dropping it on the carpet several times before getting it into the console, I booted it up. A few short seconds later and I was greeted by the initial setup screen. To setup you first scroll down to English (very important at this stage, unless you can read Japanese, as you could get stuck with Japanese menus and have great difficulty changing back to English), after selecting the language you are prompted to enter your name, set the date and time and then the main menu loads.
The menu is setup like this:
Settings – Photo – Music – Video – Game
The next step is the gaming so it is time to stick in Ridge Racers and check for flying UMDs (Remember to don safety goggles and a hard hat at this point). After fumbling through the mostly Japanese menus of Ridge Racers and playing a few races I have come to the conclusion that my UMD drive is safe for use. Reports of projectile UMDs being launched from the PSP have spread around the web, but I believe they grew from an isolated case.
Graphics-wise the PSP sits somewhere between the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, giving high-quality graphics which are very pleasing to look at on a handheld. With the resolution close to that of a television but compressed into a small space with very small pixels it really does look good. I have not yet got my hands on a Nintendo DS so I am unable to make a comparison, but obviously the PSP graphics are leagues ahead of the GBA and any of the other previous generation handhelds.
The sound on the console is truly amazing, I don't quite know why but I felt more impressed by the sound than the graphics (Hey, I'm a bit of an audiophile!) The built in speakers blast out sound from the front and bottom of the unit through small portholes. When holding the PSP directly in front of you it gives a kind-of surround sound effect, which is a very immersing and unique experience for a handheld. Suffice to say I play more without headphones to get the audio experience.
Perhaps the biggest question everyone is asking is that of battery life. After a full charge I unplugged the PSP and used it on and off for a full day with plenty of disc access, high brightness and high sound levels. At the end of the day I still had a 1/3rd of a charge remaining. In the settings there is a battery meter which estimates the time remaining based on current brightness level, sound level, and what you are doing with the console at the time. The meter is always changing, however, and does not seem very precise. Unless you intend to be playing Ridge Racers (Which loads from the UMD for every race and plays music from the UMD constantly) for four hours solid I think the battery is more than enough for a good days usage. A spare battery is a mere £30 from Lik-Sang, so if you need more power it is not that expensive to get hold of. I personally don't think I will need to buy an extra one anytime soon.
Another question, and perhaps a more critical one, is the issue of dead pixels. As with all LCDs dead pixels can be a problem. If you want to import a PSP there is not much you can do if you find a dead pixel. Mine has one dead pixel in the very top left corner of the screen that is only visible when looked at closely on a light background. During games it is lost in the graphics and invisible at a normal viewing distance. As with all first revisions of new consoles there is going to be the odd problem and that is the risk you run when getting an import.
Now let's move onto the Wi-Fi. There is a switch on the left side of the console which is used for turning Wi-Fi on and off. When activated you can then go into the settings and set up your network connection. I chose to scan for wireless access points and a few seconds later it had picked up both my router and access point with a 30% signal strength, this is excellent considering that they were the other side of the building through four walls.
The router then assigned the PSP an IP and, after running the connection test again, it said “Internet Ready”. Just to test the connection I went to the auto-update function and a few seconds later it told me I have the latest software version and no update was available. Now I have tested the Wi-Fi capabilities with other hardware I just need someone else with a PSP to test the wireless gaming capabilities. Since I have been unable to test wireless gaming I cannot comment accurately on battery life, but I am sure it will be take a hit due to powering the wireless module.
Some of you may be thinking, “Should I buy an import, or do I wait.” Well the answer to that question is; if you have the money to spare and can get hold of either the standard or value pack then go for it. There have been very few cases of UMDs flying out (and then only when people subjected the console to some force) and very few cases of knobs and other parts falling off, one or two rumours have spread like wildfire over the Internet so everyone has got out their bashing sticks and started using them in forums the Internet over. I am certainly no fanboy, and have a whole range of hardware from different developers, sure I have my preferences but I am not about to bash a new console for isolated problems. By the time the PSP makes it to the UK the hardware and software will almost certainly have received revisions, so only the early adopters will ever experience these problems. If you are going to import you might also want to know a thing or two about the import games that I purchased. The Right Racers menus are all in Japanese but it is not too hard to work out what they mean and get the game going. The voices on the menu and in game are all in English, which is a little strange but definitely good for us importers! Since Ridge Racers is a bit of a no brainer you don't really need to be able to read anything. Just complete races to unlock cars and more races. Simple but hugely satisfying! Moving onto Vampire Chronicle – in this game all the menus are in English, but in-game the voices are in Japanese and the snippets of story shown between stages are also written in Japanese. I have no idea why they have done this, but it makes it easier to get into the game than Ridge Racer.
If you feel you can put up with the Japanese import games whilst you wait for the US release to get hold of some English games, what's stopping you? Nothing much, other than the mass shortage and extremely high price of the PSP I guess. But, hey if you want the latest and greatest hardware and want to be first on the scene with a PSP then that's the price you have to pay. If you can bear the wait then GBAx will almost surely stock the PSP soon at a reasonable price, keep your eyes peeled and watch those import sites for the next month or two – the PSP hype will eventually die down, stock levels will rise, and reasonably priced units will appear soon.
Special thanks to Steve of Play-Asia.com for providing us with a Japanese PSP unit right on time.
Additional media and larger screenshots
Front View & Ridge Racers Box - Power Off
Front View & Ridge Racers Box - Power On
James Pike
Photography by Sam Pike
