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These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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Wait until next year or sell a kidney? The PSP is almost here

Friday, February 11, 2005

Tom's Take:

After months of everyone placing bets on exactly when Sony's portable gaming system, the PSP, would come out in America and how much it would go for, all questions were finally answered last week. On March 24, you will be able to pick up the brand spankin' new system for $250. With a strong launch lineup and the most advanced technology of any portable out there, it seems like there is no question that you should pick this up next month. There is no way I would make it that easy, though. I'll tell you three reasons why you shouldn't even consider buying a PSP until 2006, and Nick will tell you why I'm completely crazy.

Reliability – Sony's systems have a tendency to break. The original PlayStation just loved to overheat after too much use. The extra heat would cause the lens to be knocked out of alignment, rendering the system useless. People were able to flip their system on its back to coax a few more hours of gameplay out of it, but that doesn't seem like an ideal situation for a portable. The PS2 has a faulty laser alignment as well. This problem was so common a class action suit was actually filed against Sony. While neither of my Playstations ever broke, my co-writer Nick can tell you all about the agonizing pain of the life of his PS2.

Unfortunately, even though the system has only been out for a few months in Japan, the PSP is already exhibiting some technical problems. Because of an oversight in the design of the system, there is a faulty Square button. That beautiful screen is actually a millimeter too long, meaning a small part of it is covering up the input for the Square button. Sony has actually acknowledged this problem, but essentially are standing by the flaw. I'm sure developers will find ways around this, mainly by limiting the use of the Square button, but this could turn into a major problem in games that require immediate response.

Games – While Sony promises 25 games over just about every genre come March, there doesn't seem to be a truly great game in the bunch. Half the lineup is just updates to sports titles already available on home systems. The rest of the games seem like dumbed down versions of the console games you already own. There is a new Metal Gear Solid title, for instance, but it's a card battle game for some reason. There is a really good looking first person shooter called Coded Arms, but you won't be able to take it online. Unless you have a bunch of friends with a PSP, you'll be confined to playing by yourself. The new Ape Escape can't use its trademark dual analog control system because the PSP only has one analog stick. Are there good games available? Most definitely. Are they worth buying a $250 system to play? Probably not.

Price – Forget about everything else. If Sony was selling this thing for $99 even I would run out and get one. But for $250 you really have to think about what you're getting. I already talked about the games. Most of them offer very similar experiences to console titles already released, only the are dumbed down slightly for the on-the-go handheld market. Unfortunately, they still cost $40 - $50 a pop.

The system also comes packed in with a lot of useless extras. There is no bare bones pack available with just the system; Sony is so confident its customers want a PSP they upped the price to $250 and included a lot of stuff that isn't necessary. For instance, for the extra money you are getting a memory card packed in. However, it's only 32MB. This is great for saving games, but if you want to listen to MP3s or watch a movie you'll have to buy a much bigger card. If you were planning on using your PSP as a replacement iPod, you'll have to shell out at least an extra $150 for a 1GB memory card.

More useless crap: the fist million customers get Spider-Man 2 for free. It's not my place to judge a movie with the fantastic line "I was sitting on the steps reading science" but I do know one thing - anyone who actually wanted this movie would have already purchased it. You also get headphones which must be crammed inside your ear to use and a soft case that probably won't protect this system from falls or sledgehammers. I'm not saying you should never buy a PSP, just sit on it a few months. It's better to let over eager Sony whores be the canaries than regret your purchase as you eat dog food at every meal.

Nick's Counterpoint:

Well, Tom isn't COMPLETELY crazy. At least not this time. I'd still say buy a PSP the moment you can afford one, but there are plenty of benefits to waiting as well - The relatively high price will drop, more must-have games will be out, and the hardware will no doubt improve over time. But this wouldn't be a counterpoint if I did argue a bit, so here are three great reasons to buy one right away if you've got the beans.

Hardware - Inside and out, the PSP is a gorgeous system. The massive screen will tempt you from across the room (or Best Buy aisle) to come and watch. The system is a lot smaller than you'd imagine (I've had the distinct honor of getting my hands on one for an hour or so), but the screen is even bigger than you'd hoped for. We all know it's roughly as powerful as a PS2, but for my money it looks even better than one, thanks to the super-high resolution and bright screen. The system itself looks as sleek as an iPod, and feels wonderfully similar to the PS2's Dual Shock controller. Everything is very responsive, and even the weird analog nub has its uses. Oh, and it sounds like a tiny surround sound entertainment center - that's a good thing.

Games - Alright, so there aren't any absolute must-have games (besides possibly the sublime music experience/puzzle game Lumines) right off the bat, but it's still the best launch of any console or handheld since the Dreamcast. There are 24 games strong, and even with the throwaway sports titles (for those of us who don't care about portable versions of console games we don't play anyway) there are a good dozen solid other picks to go home with on day one. Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade should be the perfect portable Action/RPG in the vein of Champions of Norrath and Baldur's Gate, Metal Gear Ac!d is an interesting new take on a very established series (despite what Tom thinks he thinks), and the remakes/reworkings of Twisted Metal, Ape Escape and Wipeout should please longtime Playstation fans like a big, sloppy nostalgia sandwich. And that's only a few. The fact that pretty much every genre besides traditional RPG is covered for the launch alone is a very promising sign of things to come.

Price - This is the sticky one. It IS expensive, but it's not overpriced by any stretch of the imagination. Portable technology is expensive, and without going into too many boring details, know that Sony is losing quite a bit of money with every system sold (they make it back in software sales). The competition may be a Benjamin cheaper, but the PSP is seriously in a whole different league (innovation is all well and good, but with no games it's kind of pointless). And the value pack really is a value pack - it's not horse crap that you don't need (again, despite what Tom would have you believe). The memory stick is plenty big for games (and if you're getting this to play music and movies your priorities are all messed up anyway), an a/c adapter and battery pack are necessities, headphones are important if you plan on actually "porting" this system, the case is very classy and WILL protect it if when the inevitable fanny pack splitting happens, and the cleaning cloth will be your favorite item of all once you see the screen. In fact, the remote is really the only dud in the bunch, as I can't see anyone being too lazy to reach three feet to pause your UMD movie. Oh, and as much as Spider-Man 2 ate babies, it's free, so you can't really complain.

Overall, it's the kind of item you'll really get your moneys worth with, if you have that kind of money. After recently having to fully replace my PS2 (after fixing it myself multiple times) I'm not sure I will, but after manhandling this gorgeous system and getting to play some of the better games I know it will only be so long before I succumb to it's allure. Buy it if you can, by all means. If you can't, at least go to Best Buy and stare longingly at a piece of gaming royalty.