Sony's thinner, lighter PSP first hands-on

We got to check out Sony's new PSP, and what can we say? It's certainly a bit thinner and lighter, but it's not really blowing our minds without any significant hardware changes. Still, we want one. Go figure.

Gallery: Sony's thinner, lighter PSP hands-on

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[Trace The Hedgehog @ Jul 11th 2007 4:43PM]

meh, looks okay. Still not a buy until more good games come out.

[Einhanderkiller @ Jul 12th 2007 12:45PM]

I don't understand why people keep saying that. There are PLENTY of good games for the PSP.

[Trace The Hedgehog @ Jul 12th 2007 2:36PM]

Not enough. The DS has much more. Sure less features, but I could care less. I just want it for the games.

[chris @ Jul 13th 2007 9:14AM]

So I guess you own a DS then.

[Trace The Hedgehog @ Jul 14th 2007 3:40PM]

Nope. Used to. But at the moment I dont have any current consoles or handhelds.

[ManiacFive @ Jul 17th 2007 7:30PM]

I own both, And were i going on a long trip and wanted both videos and games on limited space, i'd take the PSP, but preferabbly, I'll take both. I got Solio adapters fer em all so it doesn't matter ;-)

And they both got great games. In fact i play completely different games on each system. They each got strengths.

[Roman Baturin @ Aug 4th 2007 10:00PM]

man, your crazy!

Personaly i dont even like DS. Im not the "Mario Bros" kind of guy.

I like some serious games. Like Carbon, Medal Of Honor, or othe games of this kind. Since the new console will play the UMDs of the older Brother, Im reeeaaallyyy Happy, and i think so should you be as well.

[sirnoobius @ Jul 11th 2007 4:44PM]

looks very similar to the old one. I mean if you have the old one you're unlikely to buy this one to replace it. the change isn't too huge.

[Alan Partridge @ Jul 11th 2007 5:29PM]

You know you can get video out on the current psp through the usb + homebrew. A little more complicated but still...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW3yl_hg4sQ

[Jon @ Jul 11th 2007 4:46PM]

still only one stick

[Mike @ Jul 11th 2007 4:47PM]

Looks like the only reason this is thinner is by removing the curved hand grips on the back.

[Chris @ Jul 11th 2007 4:47PM]

Remember how the DS lite replaced the phat, and people actually WANTED to buy it...?

[Dean Gray @ Jul 11th 2007 4:49PM]

just look at those thumbs. OH DEAR GOD.

[daedalus @ Jul 11th 2007 4:50PM]

He's got BlogBerry Thumb!

[Jesse @ Jul 12th 2007 2:19AM]

Brachyonychia?

/shudder

[Jesse @ Jul 11th 2007 4:49PM]

Will there be a white edition that doesn't have Darth Vader on the back?

[El Payo @ Jul 11th 2007 5:55PM]

No, just the white/Star Wars edition, silver and piano black.

[Ris @ Jul 11th 2007 4:51PM]

So...dont see the memory card slot O_o

[js @ Jul 11th 2007 4:50PM]

No IR port? Nice!!!

[Covarr @ Jul 11th 2007 4:51PM]

Forget smaller and thinner, I want a flap that closes over the screen so that I can put it in my pocket without worrying about scratches.

[Scabies @ Jul 11th 2007 10:04PM]

and the speakers moved up to the middle of the face? weird
Probably "faster" thanks to that 333mhz thing, combined with board layout changes (speculation) leading to better cooling. Might explain the better battery life thing too.
My question is, will it blend? erm, hack?
(actually, was that really sd/hd output mentioned in the Sony E3 presentation? would this point to the device itself having a higher resolution screen?)

[Ris @ Jul 11th 2007 5:00PM]

Fold form factor ftw

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Jul 11th 2007 5:12PM]

What's a "Fold form factor"?

Anyway, I'd like to see this new PSP compared against the older PSP to see the real difference.

Btw, thanks for the pics, Engadget.. as always! ;)

[Zeus the God @ Jul 11th 2007 5:43PM]

Liquid... There is no "real" difference. All they did is remove the little hand grips that were on the back and change the color.

[Ris @ Jul 11th 2007 5:05PM]

Im fairly certain i heard sony say its getting DLNA...which would allow it to stream between DLNA enabled devices (like the PS3) without the need for any cables

It does seem a bit weak to call that video out though given not all TVs support it

[Alan Partridge @ Jul 11th 2007 5:06PM]

If the Playstation home thing is on mobiles phones now then why isnt it on the psp?

[anon @ Jul 11th 2007 5:11PM]

PSP(1) almost died due to Sony's anal retentiveness about the UMD format (or at least it's one of the main factors). If they had open up the format, lower the licensing fee for content producers and actually let people record their own stuff on there, they could have really made PSP more popular.

Considering that the manufacturing of a piece of film-coated plastic disc is generally much cheaper than silicon memory, they really could have pushed UMD as a form of floppy disc replacement. Whether it could successfully compete with USB memory, (re)writeable DVDs and simple network transfer, all depends on how cheap and how ubiquitous they push the format.

As it is, even content providers (movie makers) have stopped making UMD films and nobody was interested in buying them, since they were even more expensive than DVDs (totally stupid move). UMD is going the way of digital tapes and mini-discs. Mini-discs also had the potential and market time-frame to make it as the floppy disc successor, but they screwed up on that and only released data-holding mini-discs when nobody was interested in them anymore.

Sony's obsession with proprietary format has bitten their arses many times, just when are they going to learn?

I say, make writable UMD media available to public, sell them at $1 a disc or something, provide software that can easily convert movies to PSP format, then they could really have a winner.

sorry for the long post.

[tekdroid @ Jul 11th 2007 5:40PM]

I say, make writable UMD media available to public, sell them at $1 a disc or something, provide software that can easily convert movies to PSP format, then they could really have a winner.
-----------
Easier said than done. UMD was chosen coz it gives Sony a relatively high-speed format for low cost, for cheap replication of content. Recording is a whole 'nother deal, particularly at the PSP's pricepoint (the thing ain't expensive). Sony don't want you recording stuff on cheap media, at least not in the PSP's price range. Please buy our expensive memory sticks.

Which is why the device is so limited. Let's not even get into TV-Out, etc.

BTW, Sony tried no less than 2 times (MD Data, MD Data2) in the early days, to turn MiniDisc into a "floppy replacement", all of which failed for various reasons, not the least of which was speed, cost, compatibility with regular MD audio. Hi-MD finally gets the pieces pretty much right, but speed is still nothing to write home about - nor is the cost. Higher speed, lower costs (to reach PSP's pricepoint) and smaller size would be needed for PSP. It's too easy to discount the failings as simply not licensing the format. IMO, there were far more variables than that. They could charge several dollars more per piece (and likely would) as long as they had a recording format fast and cheap (and reliable) enough to fit into the PSP. But they don't. Hence UMD and playback-only - and the nice cash cow that is proprietary memory sticks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc

[ItsTheOMGShow @ Jul 11th 2007 7:03PM]

Don't be sorry because your post is long, be sorry because it's idiotic. What, I want to carry around more large bulky discs with me? Gimme a break.

What they should have done is packed it with a 30gb HD for video/multimedia and kick-start the downloadable game era.

Sad day. Guess I'm still not getting one.

[tekdroid @ Jul 11th 2007 8:08PM]

ItsTheOMGShow @ Jul 11th 2007 7:03PM sez:
What they should have done is packed it with a 30gb HD for video/multimedia and kick-start the downloadable game era.
--------
PSP was released years ago. IMO, you are over-estimating the financial importance of downloads. Sure, they are nice, but don't account for the bulk of sales.

Even today, I doubt PSP would be making half the money if it were a download-only device. Tbat means the thing still needs an optical drive. Unless Sony wants to get with releasing content on memory sticks, which will still hurt them financially, versus the cheapness of UMD.

UMD isn't too different from DVD technology, and in it Sony has a cheap platform to sell their wares. The bulk of the market buys their content on optical discs. I don't see that changing in 5 years, even. Downlaods are nice but will never make the bulk of their sales.

Hard drives fail. What happens when it does and all your content is on there? No optical discs where you can say "ok, i paid for this and it's safe". HD gone = all content gone.

(unless it's backed up to another device)
Somehow I can see lots of warranty claims to Sony and angry parents/ kids/ big kids when a hard drive is added to the mix. I think power consumption would suffer, too.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ Jul 11th 2007 8:10PM]

or a hard drive.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ Jul 11th 2007 8:10PM]

or a hard drive.

[anon @ Jul 11th 2007 8:13PM]

"ItsTheOMGShow"

hey dumbfuck,

cheap discs are the best/easiest way to distribute and swap contents. That's why CDs and DVDs are still around even with the cheap harddrives and USB/flash media.

If Sony can pull their heads out of their arses and make UMD cheaper and accessible then people would be able to swap UMDs like they used to swap cassettes, except now it can also hold data and still have the ability to run the content on a handheld device.


============================
"tekdroid"

"Easier said than done. UMD was chosen coz it gives Sony a relatively high-speed format for low cost, for cheap replication of content. Recording is a whole 'nother deal, particularly at the PSP's pricepoint (the thing ain't expensive). Sony don't want you recording stuff on cheap media, at least not in the PSP's price range. Please buy our expensive memory sticks."

That was my point, Sony should give up on the proprietary formats, or at least open up UMD. At the moment, they are not moving many UMD discs other than game discs. If they can open up the format, make a cheap UMD writer..., so many if's, _then_ they still make money from the game/movie discs, but people will also want to use the discs for their own contents. Have camcorders that record to UMD! Get rid of the MD-recorders and make UMD-recorders! then PSP becomes a handheld platform for viewing and listening to these things. Live up to the name "Universal Media Disc"!

People already do this with DVD's and 8cm DVDs, but UMD has a nice (multi-function?) handheld device that is the PSP! and that's the only edge UMD would have over 8cm DVDs at the moment, but Sony is pushing PSP already, so why not widen the front?

[FSK1138 @ Jul 11th 2007 5:13PM]

pointless upgrade- were is the video out ??
do i have to buy another $45 cable ? again!!!


drop the umd !!!
add HD mini disk recorder + line/mic in :)
add multi card reader

and i will wait in line

[trancer @ Jul 11th 2007 5:18PM]

^^good point. any word on price?

[engadget @ Jul 11th 2007 5:22PM]

Umm Looking at the photos I'm seeing 2 things.

1) The USB Port is reversed from the original PSP. How will this effect the Camera adapter ?
2) Did the IR Port vanish ?

[Taylor @ Jul 12th 2007 12:02AM]

My PSP (rev 1) has the same USB style as the picture above: thicker end on the screen's side.

[tobin92 @ Jul 11th 2007 11:35PM]

Couldn't the normal PSP be upgrade via firmware with the video output....I mean it has the SAME USB port.

[Ris @ Jul 11th 2007 5:22PM]

What is fold form factor? Think GBSP

[mool @ Jul 11th 2007 5:24PM]

its just a regular ds sans love handles. why would you video out a handheld?

[Mr. B @ Jul 11th 2007 5:35PM]

...so you can use the handheld as a simple controller and play on a bigger screen, namely a television. The GP2X does this... very cool.

[cduran01 @ Jul 11th 2007 8:00PM]

Same reason Video iPods have video out....Lets say your on vacation or business travel, you can take some movies along and watch them in the hotels TV (most if not all hotel TVs have video inputs on the front)

[harpreet @ Jul 11th 2007 5:34PM]

looks more or less the same its only white in color this time,and speakers replaced......it would've have been better of they could've worked with the processor to improve the graphics.psp is not as good as ps2 in gaming(which they claimed)

[Darksbane @ Jul 11th 2007 5:38PM]

Wow, and I thought they were actually going to try and make the PSP competative.
Guess I was wrong. I mean whooo hooo, they still use UMD, a horrible dead format.
And it doesn't seem to have any more internal memory and likely still uses overpriced Memory stick duo instead of a SD card. Video out I could care less about, I mean UMD movies
are pretty much gone and if I had a movie on my memory stick why wouldnt I jsut stream it to my tv from my computer.

[ManiacFive @ Jul 17th 2007 8:04PM]

It all comes down to what a man can do, and what a man can't do.

Either you can accept that Sony/SonyEricsson will force you to use memory stick or its successors, or you cant.

Sony uses memory Stick, not SD, If you don;t like it, then don't buy it. I bought a 1GB Sony M2 memory stick for my new phone for £8.21, the Sandisk 4gb memory Stick for my PSP was £29.99. So what memory stick might be more expensive. At the above prices what does it matter.

Use the technology and accept the conditions, or don't. It's a choice not a right.

[Ris @ Jul 11th 2007 5:38PM]

Without digging out my psp, the usb looks as normal to me

Did no one else notice the lack of memory stick slot or am I just going crazy???

Also notice how the umd door has a recess along the top of the drawer as if the spring has been removed and you must now pull it open manually? Yet clearly the open latch is still there so I wonder what feature it could possibly serve....

[Mike @ Jul 11th 2007 5:42PM]

I won't buy one largely because the analog "stick" is still in a hand-crampingly bad location.

The analog stick should be larger and towards the top, with the D-Pad smaller and offset, kinda like the xbox360 controller.

[IrishGandalf @ Jul 11th 2007 6:16PM]

eh no! ppl used to the ps2/3 controller hate the 360 controller. It just feels unnatural to have one thumb higher then the other. Out of respect to the 360 bots, ur used to a differet controller but we don't tell u that microsoft should change all their controllers just coz we're used to something different.

[Mike @ Jul 11th 2007 7:51PM]

But I'm not comparing the 360 controller vs the PS2/3 controller. I'm simply using the 360 controller as an example of how Sony SHOULD have designed the controls for the PSP.

I sold my PSP because certain games (sports in particular) were clunky with the D-Pad and difficult to play for extended periods of time with the analog "stick" due to the poor location.

Analog should have been the primary control or they should have come up with a more innovative analog/d-pad hybrid. One thing Sony is NOT is innovative.

[Nate @ Jul 11th 2007 5:48PM]

It doesn't look slimmer/smaller at all...