Sony PSP 3000 Review

10:46 AM Lrence No comments

Sony unveiled their third iteration of the Play Station Portable (PSP 3000) in the fall of 2008, with minor cosmetic changes and a few hardware add on and software tweaks as well. At first glance, the changes are hardly recognizable unless compared side by side with its predecessor, design-wise the PSP 3000 have better ergonomics than the PSP 2000 because of its well contoured edges, playing it on long period is much more comfortable. The addition of a recessed circular indentations on the buttons and D pad layout made the Playstation's patented circle, square, triangle and X buttons slightly protrude the surface and is more pronounced in the center lay out resulting to better and comfortable clicks to the thumbs, the design was so successful that Sony decided to use similar design on the PSvita’s button layout, only better.



There are also some hardware changes as well on the PSP 3000 the inclusion of a built in mic is one, its main purpose is to support voice chat with the built in skype application and other online enabled games, “call of duty in particular”. It’s a huge leap in my opinion for it eliminates further expenses on the gamer’s side, all you need now is a standard earphones which most of us already own, however you still have to worry about the expensive proprietary memory card. (Memory stick Pro Duo)



The most significant revamp on the PSP 3000 is the brighter and more vibrant screen, as a matter of fact, if you compare it side by side with its older brethren the difference is easily noticeable even from a far, Sony claims gamers can now play their PSPs outdoors without compromising visibility, thanks to the PSP 3000’s anti glare feature, and with an enhanced screen games looks more vibrant than ever before.

Sony did add a little more spice on the PSP 3000 by enabling gamers to play PSP games on their TV using the PSP AV out accessory, sounds promising, but in fact, it does work.



The PSP 3000 comes with the firmware (5.0) and with it Play Station Network (PSN) not only will the PSP 3000 play tangible games on its proprietary UMDs, it can also play downloaded materials on the Play Station Network, a huge advantage over its younger brethren the PSP go, which can only play downloadable materials from the Play Station Network, and its smaller screen is a major turn off.

The PSP 3000 now has increased contrast and wider color display that gets rid of a lot of the older PSP's ghosting side effects, however, gamers claimed that they’ve experienced jaggies and other graphic malformation in the form of lines during high speed game plays, some say it’s a cure worst than the disease, but I dare not speculate on that matter for I haven’t experienced it first hand, even if I did I think it’s barely noticeable and most importantly, it’s not worth the bother.



The PSP have had a hefty price on its debut release and struggled to get a foot hold in the electronics market in terms of sales, it took them merely two years to jump start their way in the hand held gaming market which was then spearheaded by the Nintendo DS, now on the late part of its life cycle the PSP has undergone a series of price drops and gamers who have yet experienced the PSP are now playing it first hand, it may be an old horse but the graphics and gameplay is still not outdated. The PSP has definitely carved its name as one of the best handheld console in gaming history.


PROS: Excellent game library, more vibrant screen.

CONS: Reduced battery life.

Posted in: Handheld Console Review