Got a PSP for a pressie - to keep or not to keep

Kashkai

I got a new PSP yesterday as a pressie. Now I'm not an ungrateful git or anything, I was surprised and thanked the wife and all, but I'm mainly a PC gamer (I'm also a former PS2 head). Now I'll admit I know nothing about the PSP apart from what I've read on the box.

Is it worth keeping as I know it cost her almost 200 yo yos. Are the games any good or are they like the kiddie nintendo 2D games. I'm mostly into war games, Call of Duty and the like.

Should I bring it back and trade it in for a PS3 which I've been tempted to buy but the price was putting me off. However, now I have 200 yo yos in the form of a brand new PSP which I could return to Smyths and get a PS3 for 430 or so.

OR

Is the PSP full of pleasant surprises and should I give it a chance.

Opinions appreciated.

Zapp Brannigan

I had one and hated it. Never used it at all cos there just wasnt the games for it. Pretty much the same can be said for the PS3 at the moment. Have a look on review sites and see what games are knocking about and see if you'd be interested in them.

unreggd

PSP games are mainly GTA style, and some COD / MOH games too


the DS is wayyyy better, so if you dont like the DS, u prob wont like the PSP [which is nowhere near as good as the NDS IMO]

I have a DS and bought a PSP 3 weeks ago, but the PSP was so crap I sold it last week, and they're gone down in price due to crappy sales

g/luck

anto1208

The PSP is basically a PS2 in your pocket , If you do a lot of travelling flights etc its brilliant as you can sit waiting for your plane and keep gaming , you can put your TV shows and sit and watch your fav shows or stick on your mp3's .


I had one i used to go to england every 2 weeks to see the missus which ment 4 or 5 hours on my own travelling each fortnight so it was brilliant to have . Ive since stopped travelling over and the PSP fell into dissuse , as its too big to use as just an mp3 player and if you have a ps2( or xbox and PS3 in my case) sitting at home you may aswell play that .

My house was broken into in feb and my PSP was stolen i havent missed it or replaced it , but i havent done any travelling .

So basically if you are doing lots of travelling or goign on hols then keep it , if no tthen trade it in , but you ll only get 100 euro for it so i say keep it , if only to keep the missus sweet

Retr0gamer

The PSP isn't exactly devoid of good games it's just that the DS has far more and far better games on it.

However if you can downgrade the PSP and start running homebrew on it like emulators and such it's well worth hanging on to.

steviec

The PSP has some absolutely great games, but if you say you're into Call of Duty and the like then you'd be better off with a PS3 or 360. The PSP has lots of games of this type and is perfectly capable of handling them, but the problem is that it only has one analogue stick which makes them very hard to control, particularly when the game is generally designed for PS2 and the PSP version is an after-thought. There are a few third person shooter games that are specifically designed for the PSP and are meant to work really well though, I've heard great things about Syphon Filter and I've enjoyed what I played of Killzone(completely different game to the PS2 Killzone), but personally I'm not a big fan of those game types.

It does have a vast catalogue of other fantastic games, with perfect versions of most PS2 favourites like GTA, Pro Evo Soccer, Prince of Persia and the like and a growing library of games unique to the PSP but they mainly come under the genres of platform and puzzle type games which you may not be into. They're very different to the sort of 'kiddie' games you mention from Nintendo though. There's a wide variety of different styles and most games are 3D with PS2 standard graphics, but at the same time some of the very best games on the machine are 2D.

I'd be inclined to give it a chance, but if you're really only into first person shooters then it's the wrong machine for it. It's pretty much the only genre the PSP doesn't do well.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories are great games for the PSP, but I'd trade in for the PS3.

Kashkai

I played it for a while last night (I was playing Medal of Honor - Heroes). While the graphics were better than I expected, only having the one analogue stick was annoying as it was hard to take aim. I also found the screen was too small for my aging eyes and I ended up with a headache from eyestrain - I'm used to a 26in pc monitor!!! Maybe thats why my eyes are knackered:D

I'm very tempted to trade it in against a PS3 but the price (and the lack of decent games) is still putting me off. Maybe I should pick up a cheap PS2 and get reacquainted with some of the games I used to love, Freedom Fighters, Castle Wolfenstein, GTA3 etc.

anto1208

Prosperous Dave wrote:

I played it for a while last night (I was playing Medal of Honor - Heroes). While the graphics were better than I expected, only having the one analogue stick was annoying as it was hard to take aim. I also found the screen was too small for my aging eyes and I ended up with a headache from eyestrain - I'm used to a 26in pc monitor!!! Maybe thats why my eyes are knackered:D

I'm very tempted to trade it in against a PS3 but the price (and the lack of decent games) is still putting me off. Maybe I should pick up a cheap PS2 and get reacquainted with some of the games I used to love, Freedom Fighters, Castle Wolfenstein, GTA3 etc.

But the PS3 is worth every penny dont bother getting a PS2 most of the PS2 game s now play on ps3 anyway so you still have the games of a ps2 but the power of a PS3 ,when your half way through resistance you won t regret it!!

Its blown me away anyway and i only have 2 games .

JoeJC

Keep it.
The PSP is great for videos and music(once you have a decent memory stick which you can buy off Ebay for real cheap)

It has a fully functional Web browser if you have wireless and the games are good; GTA vice city stories, GTA liberty city stories, MGS portable ops, PES, FIFA, Call of Duty, MOH, Virtua Tennis etc...

Graphics are deadly and the screen is SO good! The console itself looks slick and reasonably compact in size.

Keep it dude...(and plus, your wife wouldnt be the happiest camper if you went and flogged her pressie!)

Good luck
And oh, the DS is garbage-dont get one.

scooochie4

Hack it and install custom firmware. Then it will be a true psp and is totally worth keeping. If you're not willing to do that then its not worth keeping!

Kashkai

Everyone has a different opinion on this gadget. I have it on my desk now ready to bring it back at lunchtime but am having second thoughts about it. This happens to me sometimes when I get rid of something, my PS2 for instance and then regret it.

The Medal of Honor game I bought for it, while good, doesn't compare to my PC based Call of Duty. Are the GTA games for the PSP any better, i.e. on a par with the PS2 versions or are they dumbed down to work on the PSP?

Anyway, I can't see myself using this much apart from on the train into work (40 minutes) so is it worth keeping for just 2 forty minute trips a day when I could get my money back and put it towards a PS3. The wife says she has no probs with me returning it but what women say and what they mean are 2 different things

Zapp Brannigan

Prosperous Dave wrote:

Everyone has a different opinion on this gadget. I have it on my desk now ready to bring it back at lunchtime but am having second thoughts about it. This happens to me sometimes when I get rid of something, my PS2 for instance and then regret it.

The Medal of Honor game I bought for it, while good, doesn't compare to my PC based Call of Duty. Are the GTA games for the PSP any better, i.e. on a par with the PS2 versions or are they dumbed down to work on the PSP?

Anyway, I can't see myself using this much apart from on the train into work (40 minutes) so is it worth keeping for just 2 forty minute trips a day when I could get my money back and put it towards a PS3. The wife says she has no probs with me returning it but what women say and what they mean are 2 different things

I say get rid of it, get a DS. If you're only playing it for 40 mins or so the DS is perfect. Great selection of fun games. PSP bored me, despite the fantastic graphics and screen.
Oh and the GTA games are dumbed down, only played GTA: LCS so can't say for certain about VCS.

Conor108

Well I like the games but aside from them, the web browser is very handy and you can download videos directly onto the PSP if you do it via RSS. Its compatible with the ps3 for music and games And obviously its not going to compare to a PC because it was designed for portability. Still though you might be better off waiting for some decent PS3 games to come out (MGS4!) and the PS3 is probably gonna come out in the silver and white colours soon enough so if you'd prefer that its probably best to wait. I actually got pretty bored of my PSP before I installed custom firmware, you can use it as a TV remote!:eek:

steviec

Prosperous Dave wrote:

The Medal of Honor game I bought for it, while good, doesn't compare to my PC based Call of Duty. Are the GTA games for the PSP any better, i.e. on a par with the PS2 versions or are they dumbed down to work on the PSP?

In terms of the size of the game, the graphics, the physics, they really aren't dumbed down, there's some pop up issues and the graphics aren't quite as detailed but nothing too noticeable.

The problem, though, lies in the controls. Once again the lack of a right analogue stick causes issues and makes the game a lot less enjoyable than on PS2.

However, if you know other people with the game (sadly the chances are that you don't since your asking on here), it easily becomes the definitive version of GTA because of the wireless multiplayer mode. The entertainment to be had playing deathmatch, capture the limo or even doing races in golf carts if you want more than make up for the control niggles.

For one player though, the PS2 versions are far better. It's the lack of a right analogue stick that's the PSP's biggest weakness. Games that don't need it, or games that are better designed with that in mind, fare far better.

Gran Hermano

I'd say bring it back.

I've one but only use it for long flights or train journeys and for this
it is excellent. Converting videos to a PSP friendly format for your daily
commute will turn into a chore. (It's not too bad having to convert videos
if you're only going to watch videos on it for long and occasional journeys).

The games are nothing special.

Return it in and get yourself an XBOX 360. I have both the 360 and PS3
and based on the games you mentioned enjoying you will seriously get much
better value for your money (or wifey's money )

Pick up a 360 and GRAW 2, Rainbow 6 Vegas and similar games and you'll
have hours of fun. I'm not getting into a 360 vs PS3 debate but at the
moment the 360 offers a greater game catalogue and you can get the
most games region free for about 40 US dollars online. There's great value
on 360 bundles at the moment. Get yourself the premium pack should be
around 400 euro.