Digital Home Thoughts: A Look at the PSP II

"During Sony's PSP Media Day, I spent some hands-on time bonding with the newly revamped PSP. First impressions: thumbs up. At first glance, the new PSP looks nearly identical to the original. The most notable exceptions are the repositioned speakers (now located above the direction pad and "diamond" buttons, respectively) and a new video output port, located on the unit's edge. The unit's power button has also been moved to an area where there's less room for you to accidentally turn the system off during use. The new PSP outclasses the original by a good margin, with a svelte appearance, new finish, and most notably, lighter weight. In fact, it's not until you "feel" the new PSP that you begin to appreciate the changes. Sony touts the enhanced PSP as 33 percent lighter than the original, though it felt more like 40-50 percent. This, while at first may seem minimal, makes all the difference when playing for an extended time; and is certainly noticeable when placing the original PSP in your hand after holding the new one."



In addition to the lighter weight and the new color scheme, the new PSP has the video output feature which sounds excellent. Video from the PSP to TV looks good, although game titles are played in letterbox format. I have had my PSP for some time now and have really loved it, although I still complain about the ridiculously priced UMDs (games or movies). While the PSP II is better in a number of ways, I still believe that Sony is hurting themselves by not making the UMDs more affordable.