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Sony PSP
Price: £179 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Darren Lock

This review updated: 01/09/2005
Featured in magazine:
Issue 117
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Sony
Web Address: www.sony.co.uk


Ever since Sony introduced the original PlayStation to an unsuspecting public back in 1995, there have been rumours aplenty about the electronics giant producing a handheld version. It might have taken a decade, but the rumours are now made flesh in the form of the PlayStation Portable – PSP to its friends.

Features
As with the iPod, the design of the PSP is one of its most appealing attributes. It's weighty but well-balanced in your hands with two sets of controls left and right of the screen, aping the PlayStation's joypad. It can play games, movies (purchased on discs or any MPEG-4 file), music (MP3 or ATRAC) and display photographs, and even comes with a built-in Wi-Fi connection.

When it comes to games, the PSP certainly holds its own against the Nintendo DS with a raft of great titles including portable versions of Ridge Racer and Metal Gear Acid. But our favourite two launch titles are WipeOut Pure, which is an updated version of the classic sci-fi racer; and sleeper-hit-in-waiting Everybody's Golf, a game that is so addictive we think you'll be playing it for months.

Performance
The most outstanding thing about the PSP is its display, a 4.3-inch widescreen LCD that is bright and clear. In low-light conditions, the backlit screen is superb. However, like most portable games consoles, the screen is almost useless outdoors. The console's stereo speakers are decidedly underwhelming but the supplied headphones make up for it. The battery lasts just five hours on a two-hour charge. But you can forgive it everything when you turn it on and start playing the games.

Ease of use
It's as easy to use as opening the box and switching it on. Whether you're playing games or movies from disc, or playing music or viewing photos from MemorySticks, it couldn't be more simple.

Value for money
At £179 for a portable machine it is expensive, though we'd argue that it's worth every penny. What really grates, however, is that our US and Japanese cousins only pay the equivalent of around £135 for their PSPs, although this is a situation that will be familiar to most UK consumer electronics fans by now.

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