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Review : Sony Playstation Portable PSP-2001 Slim and Light
Yesterday I finally got my thin new silver sexy PSP. I haven't played my PSP games in quite some time so they all seem so darn exciting and fresh again. Sony sure launched it with very little fanfare and they didn't even give it a new name so most folks are calling it the PSP Thin or the part number "PSP-2001".
Now some people are upset that this is now a whole new game system but it is more a "one point five" revision to a pre-existing hardware platform rather than a totally new game system. I think that's just fine and plenty of good game systems have had hardware revisions that did not change the compatibility with the previous hardware version and existing software titles. The Atari 2600, Atari 5200, NES, SNES, N-64, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Atari Lynx, NEC PC-Engine, Sony PSOne, Sony PS2, Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS all had new versions of the hardware that made the systems smaller and fixed certain issues. In all cases they maintained software compatibility with the first versions of the hardware. If you have a PSP and you are happy with it than you might not want to rush out to get a new version of the very same generation hardware platform that will play all the same games.
That being said there is a whole bunch of new and exiting features with the new thin PSP that I will get to shortly.
I got the version called the PSP Daxter Entertainment Pack - Ice Silver. It came with a sexy silver finish, AC adaptor, 1-gig Memory stick, Family Guy UMD that I'll never watch and a copy of Daxter for PSP all for a totally attractive and reasonable price of $199. That is a total bargain considering it is a full $50 bucks cheaper than the PSP was when it first came out and it comes with way more stuff and a pretty good game. Two hundred bucks is a magic price for video games.
Family Guy is one of the most over rated shows ever. I find it completely unfunny and stupid. In fact it makes the comedic writing of South Park seam like comedic genius. It is almost as stupid as Sony still clinging to the stupid idea of selling movies on UMD when you can rip them from your own DVDs. It also cannibalizes the shelf space and has been hogging what precious shelf space exists in most non gaming retailers.
The silver design is pretty nice looking it does not smudge as bad as the black design did. I know that they are going to come out with a limited edition white PSP that is like a Darth Vader edition later on this month but I did not want to wait and Darth Vader is all about the color black if you ask me sucker.
The unit is about a third lighter and it is slightly thinner and seems a bit more balanced and ergonomically than the original.
The digital directional pad is raised more and it feels way better for retro games. Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max and Guilty Gear XX Reloaded are way better to play now. The changes to the digital control pad makes this one of best system for retro games ever made.
The analog stick is a bit looser and it is raised higher than before. The Wifi switch was moved to the top and the memory stick port and battery cover feels less crappy.
The screen is a bit brighter and that is pretty surprising since the original PSP had an incredible screen. So far I have not marked it up with a greasy finger print or a scratch.
There is now two internal speakers and they were moved up towards the top so now you are not covering the speaker port with your hand. It does seam louder.
Still does not ship with a USB cable but you can now charge the system via the USB port.
The CPU and power consumption is much more power efficient. However the battery is smaller but you can use a battery made for the first PSP but they don't sell a battery cover to compensate for it sticking out of the thinner design.
The UMD drive is way easier to get open now that they got rid of the eject button and swapping out games is a bit easier.
However the biggest changes is with the disc drive speed and the new video out abilities. There is more cache ram in this version of the hardware and it allows for a faster data access in most games. Simply put there is still load time but it is noticeably reduced in most games. The loading on Street Fighter Alpha 3 was almost as good as the PS2 or Dreamcast.
There is video out via an optional component or S-Video cable and a new small video out port next to the headphone jack. I've read that games only work over component but I can't test it out since I've never found a video cable for it nor any other accessories at my local retailers. I can't wait to play PSP games on my HDTV and I'll write a full article on it when I finally get the damn cable.
Over all I am very excited and pleased about the new PSP-2001 Thin and Light style and it has made my previously neglected PSP library fun to play. Ditching your existing PSP and shelling out for an upgrade might not be for you but I am very pleased with this hardware and it honestly made me want to play my existing PSP games again. This is clearly the best game system that Sony has made since the Playstation 2. I love it but I am a sucker for new versions of video game systems.
Jake at September 12, 2007 
Reviews
Comments
When did Nintendo introduce a smaller N64? Never heard of that one...
Posted by: Boyd at September 12, 2007 3:18 PM
Nintendo made a smaller version the N-64 with a big plastic Pikachu on it.
http://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-64-System-Console-Pikachu/dp/B00005249D
Posted by: Jacob Metcalf at September 12, 2007 5:33 PM
i really dont agree with your opinion on family guy being totaly unfunny but i guess thats why its your opinion and not mine.. i saw this at a local store and i thought it was just the same psp but in silver... this makes me want to pick it up that much more.. thanks
Posted by: mike at September 12, 2007 6:56 PM
Received my pack a couple days ago and have been fiddling with it since. Had a few games I picked up for it and a 4GB memory stick. The screen is GREAT compared to the DS' screen and it's huge by comparison. On the downside, mine *has* attracted fingerprints like nothing else, though they don't seem to show up when you're looking straight-on. The internet browser isn't completely bad, but could use a greasemonkey-like plugin - ads suck up space and waste time on the renders. I wish it could seamlessly hold a connection, too, rather than obtain one each time a page was loaded. I know it would eat up battery power, but at school, the network requires a login fairly often.
One random bit: Can anyone point me to a good guide on getting video, music and pictures on the PSP? I had a hard time finding anything with the search feature here and the google results seem to be conflicting or dealing with old firmwares.
At $250, I had no desire whatsoever to buy it. The library wasn't compelling and, well, a system is its library. Now, with all manner of RPG and SRPG appearing for it, a price drop, and some upgrades, it's a reasonable purchase for me.
Posted by: Robert at September 13, 2007 8:07 AM
OK. I remember the Pikachu version but I never realized it was smaller. I just figured they slapped a Pikachu mold on top of a regular model N64. Learned something, thanks!
Posted by: Boyd at September 13, 2007 3:26 PM
Any comments on the USB charging? Mines not activating. Is there a firmware update expected?
Posted by: stevn at September 14, 2007 11:05 PM
I bought my slim off of ebay for $90 plus shiping and taxes which made it 111 but i got it cheap. I cant wait to get it in the mail!
Posted by: Shawn at April 21, 2008 6:33 PM
