I'm not really feeling spending $200 + the price of games on something that I don't know how its going to be. I have a friend who is willing to sell me a GBA SP for $50...the problem is I don't know what games to get for it or if that's even worth it. if anyone has any opinion on the matter pm me please. I'm severely lost and I think I'd like to buy it (considering its 30 less than the stores are).

I had to leave the bar last night to get it at midnight. I was the only person that I noticed in the store that got the warranty, I couldn't believe that. I bought Ridge Racer and Lumines strictly because I've read that those are both awesome games. I also bought a metal carring case that had a car charger, another pair of earphones, another cleaning cloth, a UMD carrying case, and some other stuff. I mainly got it just to have a nice sturdy carrying case, so all that stuff was just a bonus. I completely forgot to get a bigger memory card, but I'll go do that today (if they're still in stock).

I haven't done anything with it yet, because I wasn't sober last night, and I didn't want to hurt it. It's charging now, but when it's done I plan on putting some music on it.

I imagine this is probably the best purchase I've ever made, but we'll see soon.

Looks sexy as hell. If only I had the money...

Picked mine up, along with Ridge Racer and Twisted Metal Black, a 256MB memory stick, and a starter kit with ear buds, a car adapter, and some other stuff.

I picked a PSP up as an impulse buy. I happend to be at Walmart at the time of the launch, I had some extra cash to burn, and I felt like the hardware alone was worth the price of admission. This is my first handheld purchase, and my first Sony gaming device purchase.

The Good:
The thing is beautifully designed. I think Apple and Sony are the two best hardware designers in that order. But this makes the iPod look outdated. The screen is really unbelievable. The first time I fired up Spiderman 2, I was amazed.
The games available at launch got rated well, with a ton more on the way. The graphics are a huge leap over any previous hand held offerings. It may not be PS2 quality, but its definately much better than the D.S. If you are racer or sports fan, the PSP has got you covered. I opted to get Lumines, which is a perfect example of a good hand held game. Its very accessible, can be played for 60 seconds or 6 hours at a time, and its addictive. It will be perfect for all the traveling that I do.
Like the DS the PSP has WiFi built in. I wish that it had a browser built in, but its a matter of time before someone releases one.
The controls are well laid out, and are responsive as well.
It can play movies, music, and display pictures, but I don't think that its going to replace my iPod or DVD player any time soon. But it will serve as nice backups. Also, 250 is a pretty good price for all that you get, in my opinion, but I could see how others would differ on this point.

The Bad:
Propriety Storage! I'm not going to purchase any UMD movies because the format is not versitile enough. I doubt that I'll use the system for multimedia purposes at this point. I bought the system for gaming, the other stuff that it can do is all gravy. I think that at some point, the PSP could be used for the ultimate portable system, but not everything is entirely in place as of yet. Sony needs to make converting video easier, and release some desktop software to assist in transferring files.
Also, I would have liked for sony to include some PDA functions. But, that may come soon.
The only issue that I have come across in regards to gaming is the load times. They aren't awful, but they aren't super fast either.

Overall:
The hardware is amazing. Its lightyears ahead of anything else I've seen. People go out of their way to glance at it when I'm out and ask me questions. The games look good, with much more on the way, and It will be a perfect travel companion for the long layovers.

I'll get one... as soon as I can raise the money...

i bought one also, to keep me entertained between classes, like others i don't really see how they will sell UMD movies, unless they are included at no charge with DVD titles...

I have to agree with lpj8. Well said.

Other points:

The load times for the games I got (NFS:R, TM) aren't bad at all. Not much worst than any other console game.

My only complaint is that sometimes I put it in sleep mode by accident. I just don't hold it right I guess. I also have a few dead pixles which I'll replace later since I got a warranty.

Otherwise well worth the money imho.

I believe I read that Sony is going to replace units with dead pixels for free.
The request that people wait a week or two to determine if the dead pixels bother them. Nintendo set the standard with the DS pixel issues, and its nice to see Sony follow suit. I have 3-4 dead/stuck pixels. 1 is somewhat obvious, the other 3 require a magnifying glass to see. I was somewhat upset at first, but I can't really see them unless I look hard. Of course, If you have a store warranty, this may not apply to you.

Also... it seems that someone has already found a web browser in Wipeout that with some modification can be used.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000677037786/

I've considered getting this game anyways, this may be the kick in the pants I need.

I've heard alot of stuff about the pixels, I know at the local EB they have had quite a few returns and are expecting more

I won't buy another game related console until the PS3 comes out. Hand healds have never really intersted me. I usually drive, so no need there. On planes, I usually sneak on my laptop (which can play much better games than the PSP).

God, I want one so bad...but the price of games is just so prohibitive...grrr...

I have one word for you: Gamefly.

Use it, love it. I can basically never justify paying money for a game for any gaming system, since I play them and then never touch them again, even the ones I really like. Now, for 20 bucks, I get two games (or one or three, if you want to spend more or less) for any system I want for as long as I want then send them back. Wash, rinse, repeat. It completely solved the "I can't buy a console because I can't justify spending 50 bucks on a video game" problem for me. If that's your major hang-up, definitely look into it.

Linkage: Gamefly

I bought on last week, the only real reason for this purchase is that I wanted an mp3 player and a portable videoplayer and 250 plus 100 for the 1gig mem stick was a lot cheaper than buying the 2 devices and having a cell, and 2 toys to lug around. It's a bonus that the thing plays games, but honestly I don't see any must haves for it. Though the fact that I like import games and the psp plays them w/o modding is nice. I can get a new psp games for 50 bucks or import one for 55 from liksang and playasia. Japan gets better games (or at least better suited to my tastes) anyway....

i got mine :) wipeout/twisted metal/lumines

it's all pretty sweet, wipeout is hawt.

You abuse your iPod??? shame on you.
..OK I'll shut up now.

I got my PsP on the launch date along with Lumines, Untold Legends, Darkstalkers, and Need for Speed. Only problems I had was the first one had 8 dead pixels, I returned it and didnt get a hassle or anything, they just swapped it out.

Havent really bothered with putting any mp3's on it yet. To busy playing Untold Legends hehe.

I don't think i'll buy one initially, but i'd rather have one of those over the DS. I don't really have the time for one my time's divided between work, uni, my girlfriend and actual console gaming i.e. my PS2 (notice how i didn't put sleep in there). I suppose i could use the movie or mp3 capability of it though. What's the release lineup lookin for the games?

A month ago I would have said no, but after playing it, I definitely need to get one. I am ashamed of my nintendo DS now, I regret ever buying it.

If I had the money to throw at it I'd definitely buy one. But I think I'll just save my money for the PS3. Never really been into portable gaming anyway.

Nintendo DiSappointment, as I have come to call it.

Only cool game I've played on it was WarioWare Touched!

Plus the PSP launched with, what, 15-17 games? The DS library has only 15 right now and it's been out for 4 months now? Yeah.

Only if there's a way to copy the games. Since UMD is being pushed by Sony as a type of standard.. maybe writers will be available in the future, but... I highly doubt it.

i got one on launch day with untold legends, twisted metal, wipoute pure and mga. sicne then ive traded in mga and gotten lumines and world tour soccer. i love this thing and spend a lot of time using it. ive only put one video on my mem stick and thats te episode of south park that features the psp in it.

I think it's really awesome that you can import video, and the video is actually really good quality, unless the source video was bad quality...

I've played Twisted Metal and Untold Legends the most on it, twisted metal is really awesome, great graphics and framerate... Untold Legends is good if you don't have diablo 2, but if you have diablo 2 then you'd might as well play that instead because it's better. A lot of people say Untold Legends sucks because they compare it to Diablo 2, but if you don't have D2 then it's a good substitute... and it's probably pretty awesome over the wifi too.

As much as I like my PSP, it still doesnt have any good games lined up for it yet. The crap thing about this device is that yes 15-22 games launched with it, but how many of them did you REALLY want?
EA sports games that you can get cheaper for the ps2? I'll pass.

Lumines and mercury are great, MGA! was a unique and great idea and all, but it's freaking hard and not really something I can play for a few minutes and then quit. I havent played wipeout, NFSU, Ridge Racer, or Twisted metal yet, but i've heard good things about all of them. It seems to me that if it werent for the puzzlers and racing games this thing would be a dud so far (speaking from a gaming p.o.v.) I dont see any innovative and interesting titles lined up for the PSP in the near future.

On a somewhat related note the DS is no angel in my eyes either. Thier library so far (stateside) is pretty weak. I'm lucky enough to import things quite frequently, so there are lots of good japanese games coming out, but that doesnt excuse Nintendo of America for riding thier reputation in the handheld market. My girlfriend owns the system, and even though i want one too, I wont buy one until nintendogs and animal crossing come out stateside. That being said, I doubt there are a lot of people like me who will wait for such wierd titles to emerge for a system until they purchase it. It seems like people will put up with mediocre crap on any console because they dont have the willpower to wait until something they really want comes out. Truth be told,that's proally why I wont have too many PSP titles. Sony is taking the same approach with their handheld that they did with thier console. I really bought it for the multimedia capabilites. Heck I almost bought an NGage for the phone too..


Aaanyway..
If you have a DS some good titles to look out in the future are:
Electroplankton (import at this point)
Animal Crossing DS (in development)
Viewtiful Joe Scratched (in development)
Katamari Damacy DS (in development)
MarioKart DS (in development)
Nintendogs (in development)
WarioWare Touched (released)
Yoshi Touch and Go (released)


Anyone have a list of PSP games that ould interest me based on these above titles? I think I read some rumors about an Alien Hominid port, but I forget what system it would be for.

Animal Crossing DS. Online play. It caused my mind to orgasm.

I basically got my DS for animal crossing DS... of course, the release date for ACDS was march when I actually bought the DS, I love nintendo for pushing it back to september or whatever AFTER I buy the DS.

Katamari Damashi for the DS? That's yummy.

I heard that they aren't doing anything with the dead pixels. If you got em...you got em (it basically says that in the manual...page 13 perhaps??).

What I want to know is how do I transfer movies onto the memory stick? Like DVDs. I imagine I would rip the DVD with some sort of software on my pc and then transfer it from there to the memory stick???
I don'thave a PSP, but my girl does and she doesn't know how to do it, so it would be a nice surprise for her if I buy her all the stuff to do it.

You need a MPEG-4 converter. I use one called 3GP Converter. I will convert it and also give you the thumbnail you'll see in the preview. Find it here. There's also a tutitorial on how to use it.

Thanks Krycheck....you rock!

Oh yeah, I'd buy a PSP. But not for the steep price they go for brand new, I don't care how much crap they can do, lol.

the psp is a slick machine... i just can't get remotely excited for it.

for my needs, it just takes functionality and fun that i already have and puts it on a mobile platform that makes too many sacrifices for it to be worthwhile.

1) i like videogames, but the psp is (for my purposes) just a watered down current generation console with a smaller screen, less robust sound, fragile/cramped controls and a limited game library. there is nothing special about the psp except that it plays the same games i play at home on the road.

2) i like movies, but when i have time to sit down and watch one i'm either at home or with my laptop (with its accompanying DVD drive, bigger screen, large HD etc.).

3) i listen to a lot of digital music but when i'm listening i'm doing so at home (on a nice stereo) or at the gym (on my tiny and less-fragile mp3 player).

so, that's why i got a DS near launch and am not very excited about the PSP. other than the gee whiz factor, i wouldn't gain much utility from it. i'm not a big handheld gamer, but the DS provides unique gameplay possibilities whereas the PSP just fills the same old niche in a very dramatic way.

i'm disappointed with nintendo's support of the DS so far... the difference between the two console in the gameplay arena isn't as marked as it should be.

now... if the user community gets some neat hardware emulation programs running on it, i'll pick up the psp as quick as i am able.

Put it this way:
http://www.psp-linux.org/ - PSP/Linux in development.

I love tinkering and gadgetry :)

I always wait a few months for the prices to come done on new tech. As fun as they are I don't need them on release day. :-) Come Christmas time you'll be able to ge a good deal on one.. (hopefully)

I'd never justify spending that much on a handheld gaming system. I also don't like the fact that I'd have to spend more on games, expensive sony memory, and the PSP dvd's. Seems like just a big waste to me. Also, since I drive a lot wouldn't have much time to play it, what i prefer is a

POCKET PC. Got one for 80 dollars and it keeps me really organized. I used to forget all sorts of dates, but now I put due dates, appointments and everything in there. Also, I use a cheap SD card to store some music files and I've got nintendo emulators. It's a damn good deal since I can play all the classics I loved for free. Not to mention the ability to store journals and newspapers, write email, library books, and GPS capability.

with this, I see no reason to get a PSP

maybe ill get one, but ill better wait a while to hear what other people say about it

i am pretty sure a handful of us has picked up the psp. what have you all been doing with yours? i have been playing untold legends and watching movies. right now i am looking for kung fu hustle - the english version

I love my PSP. I only have Wipeout Pure, but it's an awesome game and I'm far from completing it. I just need to get ahold of a 1GB Duo Stick and I'll be all good. I just wish the UMD movies didn't cost $30 a piece. They should be the price of DVD's or LESS. There is no reason why we should pay MORE.

For the most part, it's become my mp3 player. I play a bit of Ridge Racer and Lumines, but I play music with it more than anything else so far. I've been thinking about getting a new game or two, but just haven't decided on what game yet.

I watched Spiderman 2 once. Beautiful, but I didn't buy it for movies.