Make no mistake - the PSP Go is a gorgeous device. On the surface, Sony's PSP Go doesn't really look like anything radically new for the PSP franchise. Yes, it's more compact than the three earlier generations of the portable gaming and multimedia handheld device. And yes, it features such additions as built-in Bluetooth, slide-out controls, and a smaller, more pocketable overall design. But the real change here--the radical departure, if you will--is the fact that the Go is the first dedicated handheld gaming system to go completely digital and move away from cartridges or optical discs. It's smaller and lighter than previous PSPs, making it by far the most "pocket friendly" model yet. The 3.8-inch LCD, while half an inch smaller than previous PSPs, retains the 480 x 272 resolution of old, meaning a crisper looking screen thanks to the increased pixel density.
The only addition in terms of hardware is the inclusion of Bluetooth 3.0. This allows you to pair up with Bluetooth stereo headphones, tether to a laptop or cell phone for Internet access, and even pair with a PlayStation 3 controller (Sixaxis or DualShock 3) and play your PSP games with a "real" controller. Combined with a TV-out cable, this is as close as you're getting to a portable games console without consulting someone like legendary modder Ben Heckendorn.
The mechanism that slides the screen up to reveal the controls feels sturdy enough to go the distance, and even survive a drop or two while open. The controls themselves have been changed significantly from prior models, with the directional pad and face buttons sporting a much clickier feel, which I think is a big improvement.
Unfortunately, the face buttons are much smaller and closer together than before, which isn't too much of an issue until you try to hold your thumb over two buttons at once (think: driving games) which I found hard to get used to. The analog "nub" is smaller than ever, but didn't require any getting used to - I actually find it far easier to operate than the awkward placement of the old PSPs.
One area that sadly hasn't seen any change in all three revisions of the PSP is the Wi-Fi. The brand-new PSP Go is stuck using the nine-year-old 802.11b standard, and it's incapable of dealing with WPA2 encryption, which is the only totally secure Wi-Fi protocol around. For a device released in the second half of 2009, that uses digital distribution instead of physical media, this strikes me as utterly crazy.
And then we get to the omissions. Gone is the mini-USB port, meaning not only will you need a proprietary cable to charge your PSP Go, but none of the existing PSP accessories like the camera or GPS will work without the purchase of a ridiculous-looking adapter. Also gone is the replaceable battery, meaning that with a maximum of six hours battery life, the PSP Go won't go the distance on a long-haul flight - until the third-party accessory-makers bring something to the table. The battery decision was no doubt to make the "Pandora's Battery" hack much harder (perhaps impossible?) to perform (hackers discovered that a modified battery can be used to install custom firmware onto the PSP, enabling easy piracy).
The software
There's still a dated web browser, a sub-par media player with just-average format support, and an inability to download in the background or resume downloads should they fail for whatever reason. The one addition I can find is the ability to pause a game, hit the XMB (that's "menu" in Sony-speak, for the uninformed) to listen to music or watch a movie (or whatever), and then resume your game without actually having to use the in-game save functionality - which is a reasonably useful addition, as some developers haven't quite grasped the concept that people playing their games on the move might not always be able to play for another ten minutes to reach the next save point.
The games
The maximum UMD can hold is 1.8GB, so you'll fit at least eight games on the internal storage of the PSP Go - but you're likely to fit a few more on there than that, with the content-heavy Gran Turismo weighing in at just over 1GB.
There's more than 300 games available on the PlayStation Network (versus the 600+ available on UMD), and while all first-party titles will be released simultaneously on UMD and the PlayStation Network (PSN), Sony is not requiring third-parties to release games onto the PSN - and there's already instances of publishers saying "no thanks" to PSN versions of their UMD releases.
Unfortunately, it's not just the number of games to choose from that will be impacted by choosing a PSP Go - it's the cost of them. Of course, you're not going to be able to pick up second-hand UMDs on the cheap, but you already knew that. What you might not know is that Sony has announced plans to keep PSN pricing at parity with the MSRP on UMDs. So while the retailers aggressively promote discount prices on new releases and older titles, you're stuck paying a premium on a product that costs far less to provide than the boxed physical media with printed manual.
The price, and the lowdown
The PSP Go costs a staggering US$250 (versus US$170 for the PSP 3000). That's just $50 shy of the 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim. When you consider the fact that a PSP 3000 with a 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo costs $20 less than the bare PSP Go, and can still play games downloaded from the PSN, I'm not entirely sure that the suits at Sony hasn't taken on board Dan Ariely's conclusion that, to paraphrase,
Nevertheless, it's frustrating to see how close Sony is to having a game-changing device. Put in a decent wireless chipset, a capacitive touch-screen, an accelerometer, a camera with autofocus, and a second analog nub and you would have a killer device worth paying the premium for. Address the software issues with a WebKit-based browser, decent codec support and a quality media player, and you have something that could be a serious contender in the PMP market.
So, who's going to want a PSP Go? If you're a newcomer to the PSP platform, don't mind not being able to extend the battery life (yet), like the idea of a very portable device that plays the best quality games you're likely to find on a portable device for some time, and don't mind paying a premium for a smaller selection of those games, then the PSP Go is for you. Everyone else is more likely to find joy in one of the previous PSP models - For starters, Sony has removed the UMD media slot and opted instead for 16GB of internal storage. It's also shrunk the screen from 4.3 inches (diagonally) to 3.8 inches while maintaining the same resolution at 480x272 pixels and its wide-screen aspect ratio. On top of that, the Sony-proprietary Memory Stick Pro Duo slot has been swapped out for the smaller M2 Micro memory card slot--another proprietary Sony format. And finally, a slider mechanism has been incorporated to hide the controls when not in use.
All these design choices pay dividends, as the 5.4-ounce PSP Go is noticeably smaller than the PSP 3000 , measuring only 5 inches wide, 2.75 inches tall (when closed), and just over half an inch thick. Particularly when it's closed, it has a nice, minimalist look, and we're happy to say that it's the first PSP that can fit comfortably in your pocket (when the screen is slid open, the device expands to about 4 inches tall).
The PSP Go's screen is noticeably smaller than its predecessors.
The screen itself does not seem to have the interlacing issue that plagued the PSP 3000, and it does seem more vibrant and a bit brighter than the 3000, as well. The smaller surface area does give you less of a viewing space, but since the resolution is still intact, some graphics do seem a bit sharper.
The body of the PSP Go is reminiscent of the glossy black plastic seen in all previous models and still remains a fingerprint magnet. The plastic surrounding the buttons and the D-pad, however, has more of a matte look. The back of the Go keeps the glossy finish, but also has two rounded rubber stoppers that help you grip the device.
The PSP Go feels great in your hands but we definitely had some gripes with how the new button layout performed in-game. Since the analog stick has moved to the right of the D-pad, you may feel off-centered. We tested our PSP Go with Motorstorm: Arctic Edgeand could not help but notice that the new positioning felt a bit awkward. While it may not be as much of an issue to newcomers, veteran PSP users will certainly notice the change.
The analog stick is also smaller than in previous PSP models, but it feels more durable and sturdy. There's also more friction when moving it around, which we prefer over the much looser analog stick we saw in the PSP 1000 through 3000.
For the most part, the buttons themselves feel and perform very well. The D-pad and face buttons all have a much more solid tactile operation to them, almost exactly like those seen on the Nintendo DSi. They are also a bit smaller compared with the 3000, and they aren't as loose as in previous PSP models.
The L and R buttons are much more prominent, too, and we definitely prefer their feel over the clear shoulder buttons that adorn earlier PSPs. As for the Select and Start buttons, we felt that they're placed too close to one another, and for some reason they don't have the tactile click the other buttons have.
The display, volume, and sound buttons have also been moved: they now lie in between the L and R shoulder buttons. They all seem to work fine, but unfortunately you will need to glance at their location when the screen has been slid up in order to use them.
While we prefer the new L and R buttons over the old ones, you'll need to glance at these other controls when the screen is slid up.
Most of the other switches and sliders remain basically in the same areas as preceding PSP models: the power/hold toggle is still on the lower right side and the wireless switch is on the lower left side, immediately below the new M2 Micro memory card slot.
As noted, the PSP Go does add Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity. That should make it easy to connect wireless headsets, though we could not get it to pair with one stereo Bluetooth headset that otherwise worked fine with an iPhone. However, the addition of Bluetooth does add the somewhat curious ability to control the PSP with a PS3 controller--though to set that up, you'll need to link both the portable and the controller to a PS3 simultaneously via USB cables.
Like the PSP 3000, this model has a built-in microphone for such applications as Skype calls via Wi-Fi. The microphone is located in between the analog stick and Select and Start buttons. (You can also opt to use a mic-enabled wired or Bluetooth headset instead.)
Two things you won't find on the PSP Go: a second analog stick and a touch screen. The former has long been on the wish list for the PSP, since it would effectively duplicate the familiar control scheme found on the PS2 and PS3. That would make (for instance) first-person shooters much easier to play. The dearth of a touch screen is notable because rival gaming platforms DS/DSi and iPhone/iPod Touch both utilize them. A touch screen on the PSP would also have allowed for an onscreen keyboard for Web surfing and data entry--both of which remain a chore.
Games and multimediaWith the removal of the UMD slot, all gaming and multimedia must be accessed via the 16GB of internal storage or a M2 Micro memory stick. Users can download software off of the PlayStation Store directly to their PSP Go (it's got built-in Wi-Fi) or transfer data from their PC or PlayStation 3 via USB.
Sony will also be selling bigger-budget downloadable games (that will also be available on UMD) and for those titles we recommend transferring the data directly off your PC or your PS3 rather than using the Wi-Fi connection on your PSP. For example, our download of Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (520MB) took more than 2 hours to complete from the Go. When we grabbed it off our PC, it took less than 20 minutes.
