PSP worth it?

Soldato
Joined
14 Jul 2004
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Was looking into getting something for a bit of casual gaming. I thought a PSP would be nice because you can take it anywhere.

I have a couple of concerns tho -

1) What is the general quality of the games? I've looked at a few reviews, and I must say I've been a little underwhelmed. Am I wrong?
2)Whats the battery time like?
3)Are load times long?
4)The games seem a little pricy. Is there value for money here?
5)Would I be better off with a 360?
6)I have a very high end PC. Should I just stick with that for gaming?

Opinions welcome :) No flaming!
 
1) Not many AAA titles.
2) about 2 hours or something
3) longer than a cart, but not unbearable
4) Not really, multiplayer doesn't really exist, replayability factor isnt really there.
5) Yes.
6) Not a whole lot of games coming for the PC atm, I myself have a X2 4200+ and 7900gtx but game mostly on my 360.
 
bfar said:
Was looking into getting something for a bit of casual gaming. I thought a PSP would be nice because you can take it anywhere.

I have a couple of concerns tho -

1) What is the general quality of the games? I've looked at a few reviews, and I must say I've been a little underwhelmed. Am I wrong?

Depends, if you have a PS2 then a lot of the games are direct ports, personally i don't have one so am enjoying games like everybodys golf that i've missed out on through the years.

2)Whats the battery time like?

About 5 hours, not too bad, not too great either

3)Are load times long?

Some games are ok, some are absolutely horrendous, depends on how lazy the coders were, i can't say it doesn't annoy me though.

4)The games seem a little pricy. Is there value for money here?

Shop around and there is, i buy most of my games imported from the US, i wouldn't pay more than £20-25 for a game.

5)Would I be better off with a 360?

Entirely depends if you wants a portable PS2 or a home gaming machine, my advice is to decide what games you would enjoy the most and get that machine.

6)I have a very high end PC. Should I just stick with that for gaming?

Again, depends on games, i enjoy PC gaming for strategy and FPS's but not for racing and sports.

Opinions welcome :) No flaming!

Also don't forget that the PSP is a very handy movie/tv machine as well, but don't buy the machine entirely on that, the 360 has very good media capabilities too.
 
^^ worst font colour ever :/

I personally wouldn't buy a PSP, played on one before and found it extremely uncomfortable.

Plus if it's a choice between that and a 360, the 360 wins everytime IMO.
 
Teletraan-82 said:
^^ worst font colour ever :/

I personally wouldn't buy a PSP, played on one before and found it extremely uncomfortable.

Plus if it's a choice between that and a 360, the 360 wins everytime IMO.


I could've made it much worse ;)

I don't really think you can compare the PSP to a 360, totally different games and markets, if you travel a lot then a PSP is great, if you sit at home and play games then the 360 is the better choice.
 
If you are looking for a handheld console then I would choose a DS Lite over a PSP. I have both and use my DS Lite far more than the PSP.

The games are just so much more enjoyable on the DS than the PSP. Granted, the PSP has a few killer apps like Liberty City Stories and Pro Evo but the fun with the DS overrides the PSP.
 
bfar said:
Was looking into getting something for a bit of casual gaming. I thought a PSP would be nice because you can take it anywhere.

I have a couple of concerns tho -

1) What is the general quality of the games? I've looked at a few reviews, and I must say I've been a little underwhelmed. Am I wrong?
2)Whats the battery time like?
3)Are load times long?
4)The games seem a little pricy. Is there value for money here?
5)Would I be better off with a 360?
6)I have a very high end PC. Should I just stick with that for gaming?

Opinions welcome :) No flaming!

1. The PSP got off to a slow start but now the quality is great, games like MGS: PO, Ratchet and clank: Size Matters, Killzone Liberation, Lumines, Lumines 2, the 2 GTA's, SOCOM. There is something for everyone. Some folk also adore LocoRoco, not my cup of tea, but i only played that japanese demo tbh.
2. Depends on how you use it, tends to be about 4-5 hour mark, maybe a bit lower than 4 if you are gaming online with it.
3. They used to be, like midnight club: dub edition was awfull, but modern games they are just fine.
4. I often import, because it is out earlier in other regions. Saying that games tend to be around, maybe slightly cheaper than PS2 games. Also PSP games tend to end up on sale quite a lot. The DS games are the same price, so probably just a general price point for handheld games.
5. Can't play a 360 on a bus, but then again, you don't get hi def quality etc on a PSP. 2 totally different systems
6. TBH most of the 360 exclusives are coming to the PC, except Halo, GoW and Forza 2. so if you have a high end gaming rig, that will probably do you. Also some PC gamers have trouble moving onto consoles, trying to use the pad. Look at the games on/coming on the 360 and PC and see for youself if you want one.

As for 360 Vs PSP, again look at the games, if one has games that interest you then get it, simple as really.
 
if you travel allot or can see yourself using a handheld then id definetly go for a PSP

its a bit pointless to buy one and sit at home using it though , may aswell buy a ps2
 
I have had a PSP for about a year now, i use it on aeroplanes car journeys and when im bored at work. I wouldnt compare this to an xbox360, as i wouldnt sit at home on my PSP when i have my PC and 360 here to use.
In answer to your questions
1) What is the general quality of the games? I've looked at a few reviews, and I must say I've been a little underwhelmed. Am I wrong?

As someone else stated, direct ports from PS2 mostly. Quality is good, my mate refered to GTA being better then his ps2 graphics :)

2)Whats the battery time like?

Gaming around 4 hours constant use.

3)Are load times long?

Not at all
4)The games seem a little pricy. Is there value for money here?

You can often buy preowned games from shops for around £10 - 15 quid. New titles come in around £20 - £30.

5)Would I be better off with a 360?

If your using the PSP to play at home, buy a decent pc or 360. Advantage of the PSP is you can take it anywhere.

6)I have a very high end PC. Should I just stick with that for gaming?

At home, yes. For some fun while on the move use a PSP. Dont expect amazing next gen quality, but the screen is very clear.


Don't forget the ability to watch movies, take/store pictures and place anything direct from your pc onto a memory card and play it on there.
 
I use my PSP quite a lot, and I've had it for over 2 years now!
At home, work, travelling etc. I've also got other consoles and a PC but I still play PSP at home. It's nice to play while half watching TV with the mrs or sitting in the garden etc.

There aren't many great titles for it but theres enough to keep me amused. Outrun, driver76, loco roco, EA replay, puzzle quest, katamari etc.

Battery life is about 4 hours.
 
Battery life is about four hours from a stock battery, and a longer life type gets about 7-8 hours.
I personally think the PSP is an amazing machine (one word Darkalex) , wayyy ahead of the DS, had both, sold the DS after a month.
360 is also great, get both like i have ;)
 
chimaera said:
I don't really think you can compare the PSP to a 360, totally different games and markets, if you travel a lot then a PSP is great, if you sit at home and play games then the 360 is the better choice.

Thanks for the answers, defo food for thought :)

I have a monster speck PC which I love, but I'd like a bit more variety.
I'm looking for something to cater for a bit of crash on the couch, casual arcady gaming now and then, if you follow me.

The PSP is fairly cheap nowadays, and has the obvious advantage of being portable. I wonder if it might just be enough to suit my needs?

A 360 on the other hand would be nice to have, and I like the range of games atm - but it's twice the price, I wonder if I could justify it fot the amount of time I'd actually use it? PS3 is outrageously overpriced for what it is atm (it's actualy quite funny!), so that's definately out.
 
I have a PSP and my brother has a DS. He agrees with me that technically the PSP is a much better machine - nice big screen, good wifi, good games.

I have to agree with him though that the DS has (for the moment) more playable games. Nintendo have always put a lot of effort into playability, Sony into technology.

Having said that, I have Poker, Wipeout Pure, Formula One, Dungeon Siege and soon Medal of Honor and Tekken. So really the PSP pretty much just as good now for games. Expect a few more big titles out before Christmas and you can't go wrong really.

Would I buy a DS? Nah, can't see any reason to.
 
Thanks to Dark_Alex the PSP is the greatest portable console ever but i wouldn't take it over a 360, I'm lucky i own every console right back to the Saturn (everything else is good enough through emulation) and imho the PSP with DAX Firmware is a far more fun and usefull experience than my DS with M3 Simply etc.

I also think the the PC gaming market is comming to a end so even if you do have a pretty good PC you should still get a 360 so you can play the latest games.
 
pumaz said:
I also think the the PC gaming market is comming to a end so even if you do have a pretty good PC you should still get a 360 so you can play the latest games.

I seriously disagree that the PC gaming market is coming to an end, far from it!!
However I agree that it's good to still have a console for variety.
 
My Launch day PSP sits on a shelf, before I had the shelves it sat in a draw.
Sometimes I pull it out to show people and they go 'ooh thats a sexy machine' then I put it back on the shelf.

As people say it is good if:

A)You dont have a ps2 but want to play those games.
B)You like porn on the move :p
C) You like to sail the high seas. ;)

There are a few more quality titles starting to appear now and I hope that will continue, before it was just a port fest. :mad:

If you really want some casual gaming then perhap's a Wii would be good (gets in flame proof box)
 
pumaz said:
Thanks to Dark_Alex the PSP is the greatest portable console ever but i wouldn't take it over a 360, I'm lucky i own every console right back to the Saturn (everything else is good enough through emulation) and imho the PSP with DAX Firmware is a far more fun and usefull experience than my DS with M3 Simply etc.

I also think the the PC gaming market is comming to a end so even if you do have a pretty good PC you should still get a 360 so you can play the latest games.

What is the Dax firmware?
 
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