Little Ripper New Sony PSP2. First Review

After three long years, Sony has finally launched the second generation of PSP, calling it PSP Slim and Lite. And as you’d all expect, this PSP has a thinner profile, has more connectivity options, and even loads games faster.

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This new PSP still has that 4.3-inch wide screen high resolution LCD screen we love from the old PSP, but this multimedia device now only weighs 189g and is only 18.6mm thick. For the sake of comparison, this new eye-candy is 33 percent lighter (compared to 280g) and 19 percent slimmer (the first PSP is 23mm thick), making it even easier to bring around.

But what’s good about the new PSP is its ability to play photos and videos on TV sets at home, thanks to its new video-out port. Now, users may be able to watch their UMD (Universal Media Disc) videos, look at pictures and view stored movies from the Memory Stick Duo, and even play games in a bigger screen.

By accessing the Connected Display Settings menu item, users may be able to switch between the PSP and the connected output. One can also adjust the aspect ratio of your display to 16:9 widescreen or 4:3 aspect ratio by accessing the TV Type option. One can also choose between progressive or interlace output by choosing the Component / D-Terminal output.

Another feature that instantly caught our eye is the fact that this new PSP loads games faster. By enabling the UMD Cache function in the System Settings Menu, users will be able to reduce the frequency the unit reads from the UMD. We have enabled this function and loaded several games to find out for ourselves whether loading times will be faster. To our delight, we have found that the games we put in our PSP did indeed load faster, with subsequent reloads faster compared to our old PSP.

The PSP also sports a simplified UMD loading tray (open the disc cover just by simply placing your finger in the indentation on top of the system, and pulling it back), an additional 32MB of system memory, a smaller battery, and can now be charged via any USB port. Not to mention, Sony also promises to provide connectivity between its PlayStation 3 and PSP, resulting to better features and services in the near future.

Conclusion:

Overall, the new Sony PSP Slim and Lite was able to address the problems of the first PSP and was able to improve on its overall look, feel, and performance. This new console is definitely thinner, lighter, and performs even faster. Add its video output function to the equation, and you have one of the best handheld consoles to date.

If you are planning to purchase a PSP, the perfect time is now.

PlayStation Portable Slim and Lite | $279.95 |  | www.sony.com.au

For: Slim profile; Lightweight; Faster loading times; Video output
Against: Fingerprint magnet
Overall: PSP owners will not see the point of purchasing this new PSP, but those planning to do so will be very pleased.