Well the Christmas break has been and gone - ever so swiftly - and already I've had a thorough taste of what we can expect from 2005 - at least in terms of gaming.
As you know my youngest Bro got himself a Nintendo DS for Christmas, and I have been wasting away many hours on the highly addictive 'Feel The Magic' - great fun!
Then my other Bro (yes, the Playstation fanboy) surprised us all by blagging enough money off everybody to bag himself a PSP - thats right, a Playstation Portable/pocket.
The device arrived very quickly from Japan via TNT couriers. My brother also got himself a copy of Ridge Racers.
My hands on opinion?....
Let me say as a piece of technology.. wow!
I retract my previous flamming of this device as in hindsight I was probably too harsh on it.
Sure, this thing is not as innovative as the DS, but that's hardly the point - its like holding a powerhouse in the palm of your hand! When you see these 3D graphics, on-par with PS2, running on a large, ultra sharp Wide-screen, you'll certainly be amazed!
Playing Ridge Racer (Correction, Ridge Racer'S) on the PSP is a joy. I love the arcade game and this version is more of a greatest hits compilation of all of Namco's Ridge Racer games. Expect tracks from RR 1 & 2 RR type 4, Rage Racer and Rave Racer.
Ridge Racers is a brilliant game in its own right, regardless of the hardware.
So what of the hardware?
Well, PSP is not like a Gameboy/DS. Its hard to describe unless you actually hold one in your hands. It is a little, but not too weighty and like any piece of hi-tech gadgetry, is fragile. This is not a toy like a Gameboy but rather an adult multimedia device. I don't expect kids to buy these, lumber them in Rucksacks and chuck them all over the house and still expect it to work afterwards. The PSP is something that will require a lot of care.
So in all fairness you cant really compare the PSP (an adult mobile multimedia tech device) to a Nintendo DS (a touch screen toy) as I really feel they represent two different markets.
My criticisms?
Well ejecting the PSP to insert UMDs (its media) is a little flimsy and reminds me of an old walkman (especially the way you insert the tape). I expected this to open/shut electronically like a camcorder. Again this is something that will require a lot of care as I anticipate it could break easily.
Criticism no 2? - Load times! Like any PS1/2 game, with Ridge Racers you are faced with 'Now Loading' screens. Generally these take about 4-5 seconds of your time (With a 10-15 sec initial load when you first boot the game, although this is disguised when it allows you to play a retro racing game while waiting).
The load times didn't annoy me that much, although I can see it as becoming a nagging problem once you are in a spontaneous situation (eg waiting 5 mins for a bus) and want to jump on your PSP and grab a quick game of something to by the time. However this limitation is expected with any disc-based media.
Criticism no 3 - the bloody Sony Memory Stick format. This is the only reason why my Bro and I have not tried out the PSP's MP3 / Movie (DivX) capabilities yet - he spent all his money on the PSP himself and cant afford to buy a sony memory stick Duo.
Sony Memory sticks are very expensive compared
to other media. A 1 gig Sony stick (which will hold about 2 high quality DivX movies) will set the user back up to £350! costing more than the PSP itself!
I could get a 1gig SD card for £50 these days (even cheaper in some places online!). So I feel those buying the PSP strictly for its DivX movie playing ability will be somewhat disappointed after feeling a nasty pinch in their pockets. Sony do this with all their electronics (PDAs, Camcorders, TVs etc) limiting you to their overpriced media format. Its great news for Sony but bad news for the Consumer when you consider that the PSP doesn't even come with a low capacity stick for your save game files!
Conclusion
As a Techie, the PSP impressed me big time. It offers a rather different (and incomparable) experience to the DS, both are great devices, each with advantages.
However, before I shell out for one myself, I will wait until Sony licence some decent games. I don't consider that crap that plagued PS2 (such as WipEout, Crash Bandicoot, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo(yes I hated it) as quality software - gimme the Metal Gear Solids (Not that Acid turn based card crap), the Streetfighter Alphas and I'm sold!
Yours Waiting Sony.... Yours waiting...
3 comments:
Your review of the PSP seems fair and informative coming from a known Nin fan boy. But not to like Gran Turismo one of the best games ever! WTF!
Well I realise that a lot of people love Gran Turismo, but I for one always found the games boring as hell. They are way too slow to get into and definately not practical for a Handheld such as the PSP.
I mean, If I wanted to drive at near 30 mph speeds then i'd just hop into a car in real life and do it! I play racing games for pure escapism, I want to drive at ridiclious speeds, I want to spin the car around, bump other cars without collisions etc.. I like arcade racing action such as Ridge Racer - I dont like geeky real driving simulations like Gran Turismo.
Gran Turismo is certainly NOT one of the greatest games ever at all in my opinion. Popularity does not equate greateness.
Reading your review of the PSP I wanted to know exactly how the Nintendo DS offers a different xperience from the PSP, as someone contemplating which product to buy.
I know now what the PSP can do (would be interested though to hear how user friendly the MP3 capabilty is) but not quite sure what the DS stands for in terms of what it offers. Any chance of a hands on review?!
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