Sony launched the PSP go on the 1st October 2009. Here at ExperienceLab we like to think of ourselves as intrepid researchers, so I volunteered to take a look at the new device (well, someone had to!).
In this article I summarise my initial impressions of the new PSP and the setup process. Despite having owned the original for several years my experience with the new product was not entirely positive.
I have concerns about the physical design of the device, as well as a few gripes regarding the setup process and associated Sony PlayStation websites. For further details read on.Physical design
The new PSP is significantly smaller and lighter than the original. Perhaps too small. The left and right shoulder buttons are awkward to reach behind the sliding screen and are now closer together, while the buttons under the screen are less prominent with less ‘travel’ due to their recessed nature. This may be fine for children but I worry that adults will suffer cramp after extended play sessions. I will do some long-term play testing and report back.
Speaking of the new screen mechanism, the action is smooth but once fully extended the screen wobbles and rattles. It just doesn’t feel as solid as the original. The visibility of industrial looking screws and metallic casing on the back does not suggest quality components either.
Worryingly, I found myself having to fumble around the back of the screen in an attempt to adjust the brightness and the volume. The sliding mechanism makes it impossible to see these important controls during actual gameplay, despite the fact that I needed them in a hurry to silence some loud explosions on a train ride home.
Getting started / registration
The PSP go comes with a nice small manual (which I didn’t read). I was paying attention however, to the offer of a free game upon registering the PSP go and downloading a Gran Turismo theme. Registration itself was simple, however on the launch day the theme did not appear to be available and the icon looked ‘broken’.
Being a daring sort I thought I would try my luck and attempt to download the freebie anyway. Selecting the Gran Turismo offer from the store
unfortunately resulted in that enemy of consumer
friendliness - the error message (with random number sequence to boot).
As an aside I have a confession to make - I am a Mac user, and the owner of an iPod and iPhone. I also play games on these devices. From what I can tell the Apple app store is selling a lot of games and as such is a competitor to Sony and Nintendo’s handheld gaming business. Allowing a PSP to integrate with Macs could be a way for Sony to fight that threat, so why is the included PSP Media Go software limited to PC users?
The PlayStation Store
Given how new the PSP go is the PSP side of the PlayStation Store is clearly a work in progress which will no doubt improve over time. Indeed lessons could be learnt from the increasing
number of App stores being offered by phone providers. Unfortunately on the launch day (at least in the UK) the store lacked content, links were broken, and the movies area held a poor selection of trailers to movies that have long since finished their cinema runs and are probably being discounted in supermarkets.
On the plus side the potential to buy mini games and apps via the PlayStation Store is great, but we need to see screenshots and get a feel for a game before buying. Currently that does not seem to be possible, as only a small icon is shown with lots of text and no screenshots of gameplay.
Conclusions
The new PSP go is an interesting device with potential. The physical design of the device may not be suited to larger hands and the placement of controls for volume and screen brightness is bizarre to say the least. The PlayStation Store also needs to catch up with the depth and quality of rival app stores. Having said all of the above I’m not giving the PSP go back. I like the games too much!
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