 |
| PSP | |||||||
Playstation Portable RECAPReviewed by Leland Bonaparte
For years, Nintendo had dominated the handheld gaming industry with various styles of the Gameboy. The Gameboy system had a strong lead on the competition for years. Sony recently introduced one of the most powerful and sexiest handheld systems to change the market today. The PlayStation Portable took the world by storm, and challenged Nintendo for handheld market supremacy. While using the PSP you can watch movies, listen to music, and play games on the go. These are just some of the features that set it apart from its predecessor.
Is this system worth $250 a pop? Well, there is the good and the bad. The fact is that it is a powerful system, but only a handful of games are available. Most of the portable games are rehashed versions of PS2 games. SOCOM is the only game title where one would use the headphones for the PSP Where are the other features for the headphones? Where are the voice commands we really love? The lack of selection and the price of games will really make consumers think twice. Gamers will probably be angry with the “load times”. The load times will put you to sleep, and will take your will to play. In future these “load times” will have to disappear or be shortened. There are some redeeming qualities as movie companies have realized the potential of attracting new crowds to their movies. The movie “Stealth” contains a 3 level game and a movie for $34. The WI-FI capability will allow you to do numerous things. First, you will be able to play up to eight players via Ad- Hoc. Those days of link cables are over. However, the distance to link is not satisfactory and the battery life is short. So if you are playing “MVP Baseball” you might want to have your plug-in adapter handy. Infrastructure mode allows the gamer to get online and play other gamers from around the world. This also makes it possible to download special content and surf the web.
|
|||||||
What more can you say about the PSP? This is the Cadillac of handheld games systems. The name of the game is convenience and Sony delivered. Being able to play games, watch movies, and surf the Internet anywhere is what most gamers are looking for. Those days of being somewhere you don't want to be are now over. Just pop out the PSP and the world is at your hands. By going to scea.com gamers can get the latest Internet updates to activate the web browser.
As time changes so does the world of gaming. Today's generation of gamers have the need to play wherever and whenever. Sony took the challenge and addressed the issues head on. I gave the PSP a 9 out of 10 score based on productivity but lack of games. Who is really going to run out and actually pay for Ape Escape or Smart Bomb? There really should be an upgrade on game selection and quality. On the other hand it's like walking around with a PS2 on your hip. They took handheld gaming to a whole another level. With the emergence of the PS3 the possibilities are endless. The PSP will have a bright future ahead of it.