PSP slim modded for dual analog sticks

Been longing for a second analog stick on your PSP? Modder LordNico's got you covered with the Razor X (seriously, where do these guys come up with their names?), a user-installable analog stick that appears to mimic the functions of your standard four button pad. (In other words, getting the games to take advantage of the controls is another matter entirely.) Apparently details of the mod will be released soon enough for those brave enough to consider relocating their power switch to the start button -- yikes.

[mushrooshi @ Mar 30th 2008 10:40PM]

Why not put the power switch on some other area?

[Aguiluz @ Mar 30th 2008 10:50PM]

Like... The "open" lever of the UMD? I think you will ditch the UMD for a mem stick anyway.

[BigD145 @ Mar 30th 2008 11:04PM]

Make it into a reed switch and you're set.

[Blackstar @ Mar 31st 2008 7:17AM]

Why not put in something useful, like a Tazer™. That way little kids can fend off potential thieves and keep their PSP's from being stolen?

[OneLove @ Mar 31st 2008 2:31PM]

somebody CSI that thumb print and run it through interpol.

[atomicthumbs @ Mar 30th 2008 10:49PM]

I think I'll wait for the Pandora for my dual analog sticks.

http://openpandora.org

[Abuzar @ Mar 30th 2008 11:07PM]

Ok, so you carry that ugly thing around. Others have a sense of Style and aesthetics.

[bot @ Mar 30th 2008 11:24PM]

atomicthumbs: Man I hope the Pandora delivers everything it promises! It will kick so much ass.

Abuzar: Okay, you can keep your stylish and aesthetically pleasing machine while us future Pandora users have a fully functional computer with gaming controls in the size of a slightly larger DS :)

[MikeG @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:18PM]

Says the guy with a Zune avatar

[JohnTitor @ Mar 30th 2008 11:54PM]

it'll be the most powerful handheld ever made, and hopefully there will be some developers willing to make the most of that rather than just porting emulators

[atomicthumbs @ Mar 31st 2008 12:12AM]

@JohnTitor: The first units (Mark 0.1, no case) are going to developers. They'll find any hardware bugs, and write a beginning suite of software (porting web browsiers, writing OS, libraries, etc).

[Abuzar @ Mar 31st 2008 12:16AM]

Hey man, I'm all for Function over Style. That's why I use a Windows Mobile phone instead of an iPhone, but still that's taking it to a limit.

They should move the controls down and the keyboard up. It looks uncomfortable to use.

[atomicthumbs @ Mar 31st 2008 12:52AM]

@Abuzar:

Here's a mockup of the bottom half (the half that matters for your hands, ignoring the touchscreen).

It won't be uncomfortable at all.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=alP_l62wPsU

[JohnTitor @ Mar 31st 2008 2:12AM]

I think the design is as good as it gets for the hardware. Game controls will probably will probably be more used than the keyboard so it should be on the top as it gives more room for the hands. PSP's nub should have been above the D-pad

[Kurian @ Mar 31st 2008 5:24AM]

What a waste of all that power. In the end, its just one of those idealistic open source failures that will never see the light of a good game like God of War or Tekken 5.

Quality gaming comes from commercialized milked for money sources. Fact.
No "gamer" will ever buy a Pandora. The only people who will buy it are those characters who are proud of installing 200000 homebrew applications on their handheld so that they can boast that it can do this and that and will never ever play a game on it.

[Das @ Mar 30th 2008 11:04PM]

I don't know what sony was thinking when they went with one analog stick, especially when they stuck it on the same side as the D pad, guaranteeing that it was impossible to use both at the same time.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 30th 2008 11:15PM]

I've pondered that same question (as most of us have) but keep in mind: not only did they drop the right analog stick (which doomed future FPS games) but they dropped L2 and R2 as well as the click action analog buttons L3 and R3.

I think the only reason Sony hasn't remodeled thePSP with a R.analog is because if they did, newer games would be nearly unplayable on older PSP's which would anger the PSP community.

I really wish they would throw in the Right analog stick. Then they could basically emulate any PS2 game. Perhaps they could cut the L and R buttons in half and make them two buttons. Then the PSP would be complete.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 30th 2008 11:44PM]

"then the PSP will be complete"

Don't forget the rumbling!


http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/26/mod-adds-rumble-to-psp/

[Carl Vitullo @ Mar 30th 2008 11:09PM]

That seems pretty useless.
unless some developer is like "hey! lets make a game that uses TWO analogue sticks for controls and blocks out 99.93% of PSP owners!"

[ray @ Mar 30th 2008 11:32PM]

i doubt he can really hold the psp while using both analogs, those sticks are way to low shawty.

[Flashpoint @ Mar 30th 2008 11:41PM]

You are right.

I think Sony actually claimed they wouldn't have 2 analog sticks because it would make the PSP hard to hold.

I think sony should have put dual sticks flanking the LCD screen near its centereline. This way you'd be holding the PSP like a controller and using your index fingers for actions while your thumbs controlled movement and aiming.

The PSP really wasn't a good design for 3d gaming. Its better for using the DPAD and the 4 face buttons.

Analog sticks are something no portable console has really had to deal with since older games were 2D. Sony took a good shot but got it wrong considering they were trying to produce PS2 quality games. Hopefully the next redesign of the PSP will get it all right.

[BradVT @ Mar 31st 2008 12:01AM]

@Flashpoint
I agree, I think that the analog stick on the psp is too low to use comfortably. I would much rather have it closer to the top where my thumb falls naturally.

[why not the LS2/LS7? @ Mar 30th 2008 11:38PM]

How can it be analog if it mimics the action of 4 digital buttons?

[l0rdnic0 @ Apr 9th 2008 11:04AM]

Your 100 Percent right! Its not an Analog Nub, its digital Nub ON or OFF -VS- a Variable Rate.

AcidMods already has a working unreleased POC that converts the digital to analog wich we will release in the near future.
Also there are a number of SONY PSP FPS games that make use of this digital configuration as it stands today. The one used in the video is a good example. The Video can be found here = http://www.acidmods.com/forum/index.php?topic=17041.msg129796

As far as the ability to hold the PSP, it does take some getting used to (The Nub) at first but that only took me an hour or so.

[iphwne @ Mar 31st 2008 1:02AM]

This would work GREAT for the Syphon Filter games!

[gabe @ Mar 31st 2008 1:47AM]

meh - people have too much time.

[x3qt0r @ Mar 31st 2008 2:12AM]

If he can do it.. why cant sony?!

my apologies, it would be like asking sony to support homebrew
which sony loves so much that it keeps it for itself.

[Fruition @ Mar 31st 2008 3:52AM]

Can it play blend?
Will it Doom?

Am I doing this right?

[Reader @ Mar 31st 2008 5:46AM]

Not really... By adding "Am I doing this right?" to the end it makes your comment, at the least, slightly humorous, which is not the observed effect of doom/blending comments.

[linusk01 @ Mar 31st 2008 12:08PM]

now this is a good idea. after controllers wtih 2 analog sticks started to come out (ps1 dualshock) n64 felt wack (and psp felt wacker being that it came out way later).

[mphayvanh @ Mar 31st 2008 3:21PM]

Nice! But I wondered why the Big M$ isn't taking this opportunity to out do the PSP with a handheld of their own, complete with everything the PSP is lacking (2nd analog stick and a copy of Halo 1 and 2).

I love my Slim but I would ditch it for a dual-analog platform that plays orignal xbox games (downloadable or copied to mem card plus it's own).

[Guest @ May 25th 2008 11:10AM]

Hah! Microsoft doesn't do small and light...