PSP Vs DS: Part 1 of 3

    So the two top gaming handhelds out on the market right now are the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the Nintendo Duel Screen (DS). The PSP is made for more multiple uses and is more expensive and the DS is a cheaper handheld but with less functions. Here is my overview of each.

    PSP- The PSP is more then just a gaming handheld, it is able to play movies by putting in a UMD disk (sort of a small DVD) or by loading them from a memory stick.  The videos are full movies as the ones you watch in theatres or on the internet (google video actually has an option to save movies from google video in PSP format). The video quality is amazing, often times much sharper than a TV and also is in widescreen format. This is a great feature if you go on trips and don't want to lug around a larger DVD player which then you also have to bring DVDs. It's much more easy to have a smaller PSP that you can put in your back pocket and then bring a few UMDs which will fit in the palm of your hand each. Even better though is when you just have them on a memory stick, although that can get pricey being that you'll need a large memory stick. So for the Video I give it an A. 

    The PSP is also a MP3 player being able to play Music wherever you go. Music is played via the memory card which is nice beause you can have a ton of music on a 512mb memory card which isn't too expensive (there are larger memory cards as well). This is a nice feature to have because the built in speakers are pretty loud and sound good, and the headphones that come with the PSP have a built in controller to the cord. There are also speakers that can be bought that hook up to the PSP which allow for louder music if you which to just leave it playing on a work bench or counter. Music player i also give it an A. 

Another little feature that the PSP has is that you can view pictures on it. It has in a built in photo viewer if you wish to show of pictures that you may have and want to show off. The Photo viewer isn't the best because most pictures are bigger then the screen and it does an okay job of making it fit but the quality is lost in the resizing. Flipping through each picture is a little confusing at first but in the end you figure it out. Although this feature isn't really amazing, its a nice touch, I give the photoviewer a B.  

Gaming on the PSP looks really good and they have a few really fun games.....that said, they have more bad games then they do good games. Most of the games look really good for a handheld, the PSP definatly does have top notch graphics for a handheld. But graphics don't make a game, gameplay does. It can keep you busy though during those trips or times when you just want to chill somewhere where you can be plugged in. A really nice feature about gaming is that most of the games usually have online multiplayer, it's one thing to play against a programmed computer, but it's another thing to play against friends online. The online features of the PSP allow you to play wirelessly against others sitting next to your, or just over a wireless connection. This is a great feature for gaming because online play is one of the selling factors of most games and consoles. For gaming on the PSP, i give it a B+, I can't give it an A because there still isn't a game that would make me buy one (if i didn't already have one). 

    Moving from online, one feature that usually makes people go "wow," is that you are able to surf the web via a wireless connection. All you need is to be around a wireless connection and the built in wireless card on the PSP will connect and you can look hubpages while you're on the toilet or hiding in the break room at work. The web browser is pretty much fully fuctioning. It lacks being able to stream videos but it does support flash and can go to most sites, it may take a while on pages that have a lot of graphics because it has to all be downloaded to the memory stick but for a handheld, a browser had never been done and this is a very good step.  For web browsing, I give it an A- because it's not fully functional, and also it's hard when you can't type sometimes. 

    My favorite thing of the PSP is homebrews. Homebrews are programs that people make and that you can play on your PSP. Such programs are emulators that allow you to play NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, Atari, N64, and hopefully soon a PS1 emulator. One of the most popular programs is the PSP radio program which allows you to play online music via a wireless connection. There are a bunch of programs out there for pretty much anything you can think of, they have one program that allows you to use your PSP as a remote for your TV. In the end i give Homebrews an A++ because it is just limitless. 

    Well that is my quick review of the PSP, ill be adding another section tomorrow about the Nintendo DS. Here is a link to the PSP site and also the specs on it. Be sure to check back for Part 2, and then the conclusion. If you have comments or questions just leave them and ill answer them. 

http://www.us.playstation.com/Content/Sites/65/Info/ 

PSP Product Specifications

• Product Name: PlayStation Portable (PSP)
• Color: Black
• Dimensions: Approx. 170 mm (L) x 74 mm (W) x 23 mm (D)
• Weight: Approx. 260 g (including battery)
• CPU: PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1~333MHz)
• Main Memory: 32MB
• Embedded DRAM: 4MB
• Display: 4.3 inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD, 480 x 272 pixel (16.77 million colors), Max. 200 cd/m2 (with brightness control)
• Speakers: Built-in stereo speakers
• Main Input/Output: IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi), USB 2.0 (Target), Memory Stick™ PRO Duo, IrDA, IR Remote (SIRCS)
• Disc Drive: UMD Drive (Playback only)
• Profile: PSP Game, UMD Audio, UMD Video
• Main Connectors: DC OUT 5V, Terminals for charging built-in battery, Headphone/Microphone/Control connector
• Keys/Switches: Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)Analog pad, Enter keys (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), Left, Right keys START, SELECT, HOME, POWER On/Hold/Off switch, Brightness control, Sound Mode, Volume +/-, Wireless LAN On/Off switch, UMD Eject
• Power: Built-in lithium-ion battery, AC adaptor
• Access Control: Region Code, Parental Control
• Accessories: Stand, Headphone with remote commander, Headphone with remote commander and microphone, External battery pack, Case, Strap
• E3 Prototype Exhibition: USB Camera for PSP, USB GPS for PSP, USB Keyboard for PSP

UMD Specifications

• Dimensions: Approx. 65 mm (W) x 64 mm (D) x 4.2 mm (H)
• Weight: Approx. 10g
• Disc Diameter: 60 mm
• Maximum Capacity: 1.8GB (Single-sided, dual layer)
• Laser wavelength: 660nm (Red laser)
• Encryption: AES 128bit
• Profile: PSP Game (full function), UMD Audio (codec ATRAC3plus™, PCM, (MPEG4 AVC)), UMD Video (codec MPEG4 AVC, ATRAC3plus™, Caption PNG)