I was looking for a trip companion since I travel a lot. My options were between an IPOD video (80 gb) and Sony PSP to provide multiple media and entertainment on the go.

Pros of PSP over IPOD

1) Gaming is great.
2) Screen is big enough to watch a movie.
3) WiFi browsing is decent for airport/hotel hotspots.
4) Doesn’t tie you up with any specific media manager.

Downsides of PSP over IPOD

1) Battery could last longer. I am getting a 4-5 hr. battery life. Good that many planes are coming with 110V power supply.
2) No HDD with the unit, but With a 8 GB memory stick is possible to upload all media you need for a trip and if you are always close to your notebook (my case) it’s possible to update memory contents.
3) Music playback software is very, very basic.
4) Unit is bulky.

At the end, PSP was the winner mainly for screen size and gaming features. So far (2 weeks) I am very pleased with the product. Some suggested add ons : 8 Gb memory stick (dual pro), hard carring case, soft headsets (did not like sony’s original ones).

Pros:

+A Very Powerful Handheld Device
+Plays music, movies, and allows you to look at photos
+Browsing online is fun
+A lot of accessories available
+Now has a good library of games
+Easy interface and control
+Very detailed screen and large

Cons:

-Online browsing isn’t that much fun
-Can’t organize a music library and UMDs aren’t all that fun to watch, even on road trips
-The battery life isn’t long lasting
-The screen is easily damaged

When the original PSP launched back in 2005, it eventually became subjected to heavy criticism. Not necessarily the console itself, but mostly that much of what it did, people didn’t see the use for in a handheld system, and the fact that its library of games wasn’t incredible. Nevertheless, the PSP has still shown itself to be a powerhouse of a console.

First and foremost, this review is not here to talk about the Nintendo DS. If you would like a review or comparison to the Nintendo DS, I highly suggest you look for reviews under the Nintendo DS or use the forums. Most people on the amazon community will be very helpful in helping you decide on which handheld is the best for you.

The new PSP is much better than the original. It’s slimmer, lighter, and a slightly bigger screen that actually makes some of the picture look a bit more crisp. Some games also run a little faster, and that more than helps the PSP out.

What the PSP has best been known for (and criticized the most for) is being a handheld entertainment center. It can do more than just play games. It can play music, go online, play movies, and you can look at photos. This is all built into the system and doesn’t require you to purchase any extra peripherals to use. While these are all good and well, they come with slight hitches. You can’t organize a playlist when it comes to the music, and while going online is great, it’s pretty sluggish when you have to input addresses and such via a keypad function similar to that of a cell phone. Movies are great too, but a UMD on the PSP’s small screen isn’t enough to replace a DVD or Blu-Ray disc.

Luckily, however, the PSP isn’t a home entertainment center and is a gaming console. In that respect it gets the job done. The Slim PSP works because the interface is very user friendly. You can select several things from the main menu to do. Whether it be to play music, browse photos or just start a game. When playing a game you can return to the home menu at any time. The system even sleeps if you suddenly have to put it down. The UMDs are also a great gaming format. There’s plenty of space, which makes some games live up to their potential in length, and also pushes how powerful the PSP is. In terms of graphics, it’s like walking around with a Playstation 2 in your pocket.

The PSP does suffer from a couple of setbacks. The battery is still pretty short in length. It lasts much longer in the slim PSP than the original, but it still isn’t that long lasting. At least you can always check how much battery is left, and when it gets low it’ll let you know. Even better for the PSP is that even if the battery dies in the middle of a game, you can just charge it and resume right from where you left off since the console will merely go to sleep.

The other setback with the PSP is that the screen can be damaged pretty easily. In order to protect it you’ll need to spend more money on accessories such as a case to protect it. It’s also not the most durable system you can buy. You have to be a bit more delicate with it because it’s a bit more fragile than most other consoles out there. Luckily, most of you probably won’t drop it purposefully, but in case a parent is looking at giving it to a child, you may want to watch to make sure they don’t drop it on a concrete or hard surface.

For a couple of years, the PSP has suffered the most from having a fairly tight library. Most of its more notable games were either ported from the Playstation 2 or ported TO the Playstation 2. With the PS2 no longer being the focal point, it has certainly allowed the PSP to grow much more. We’re now seeing much better games and much more expanded games. The library is still fairly short on fantastic games, but at least now it’s growing as a gaming system. If you’re interested in a PSP, now is not a bad time to grab one as there are better games being released and it’s been built to last.

The PSP is a good handheld device. With a volley of games to choose from all across the spectrum, the PSP really does serve as a good gaming choice for everyone.

Enough good things have been said about this PSP2001 (aka PSP slim and lite)
Just to emphasize
Pros:
- Top notch screen
- Playing Madden on this and my xbox felt the same
- Extremely easy controls (well built buttons)
- Light weight (won’t feel the weight when playing for long hours)
- Battery hardly used when on sleep mode, I have put this on sleep for days and then continued my game from where I left!
- Well designed
- Video quality is amazing
- Video podcast download over the wireless is a GREAT add-on. I watch CNN highlights on this.
- Updating firmware was easier than eating a muffin !

Cons:
- None that I know of !
- A slight disappointment, if I may, I bought the component cable to connect to my 51″ TV. The video quality of the podcasts was unbelievably clear. Now, I knew that the game won’t use the entire TV screen (for those who don’t know, the game will use about 60-70% of your TV screen). But the quality of the game video was bad, in fact Madden looked terrible on the TV! That is something I did not expect from PSP.

All-in-all, money well spent on the console. I recommend this to anyone, any age, who would like have mobility but still be able to play their Madden etc. as well as get bit more out of the console with video podcast downloads over the air or a music player or a ‘OK’ web browser or location free client or whatever