PSP Launched in the US today

[BoomSatellite.X]

No PSP for me until a price drop (I've read somewhere that Sony isn't planning one until the holiday season - might be wrong on this). But for right now, I'm going to buy a few titles for it.

Somewhat related to the topic, I read a review about the PSP in my local paper. The reviewer said that it was pretty "buggy" and the sound was pretty weak even with a good pair of headphones - it was never loud enough, he says. He also said while watching "Spider-Man 2", it froze 20 minutes into the movie and "never worked again". To those who have one, is the sound really too low?

EDIT: Poor wording on my part, so I felt that I needed to edit it.

[GundamGuy]

No PSP for me until a price drop (I've read somewhere that Sony isn't planning one until the holiday season - might be wrong on this). But for right now, I'm going to buy a few titles for it.

Somewhat related to the topic, I read a review about the PSP in my local paper. The reviewer said that it was pretty "buggy" and the sound was pretty weak even with a good pair of headphones - it was never loud enough, he says. He also said while watching "Spider-Man 2", it froze 20 minutes into the movie and "never worked again". Can anybody here back up his claim or refute it?

I can't really refute his clames, as I was not there...However this is the only case of these problems i have heard of yet... however it is possible that he got a defective unit... Or at least a defective SM2 Disk.

[Psyonide]

and the sound was pretty weak even with a good pair of headphones - it was never loud enough, he says.

This is likely because most 'good' headphones need a fair bit of power to put out a good, full sound. They're designed with home use in mind, to be plugged into amps etc. Many portable cdplayers and mp3 players won't put out enough power for 'good' headphones to get loud, the same is true for handheld game systems.

[polokitty]

I will this summer but. Even when I get a job, unless the price drops, I'm not spending around 300 dollars for a handheld system and 1 game.

for value pack u get headphones carrying case 2 games and spiderman movei and a couple other things, so i say if ur goona buy it get the value pack

[Deezbeez]

How much is it anyway? I figure i'll get one eventually but im not really one for portable systems.

[BoomSatellite.X]

How much is it anyway? I figure i'll get one eventually but im not really one for portable systems.

Isn't it around 249.99 (MSRP)?

[Borman]

Yep, 249.99. With the headphones that came with the system, I really cant complain. My Spidey 2 works quite nicely, ive definatly watched more then 20 minutes lol.

[Cyberxion]

Somewhat related to the topic, I read a review about the PSP in my local paper. The reviewer said that it was pretty "buggy" and the sound was pretty weak even with a good pair of headphones - it was never loud enough, he says. He also said while watching "Spider-Man 2", it froze 20 minutes into the movie and "never worked again". To those who have one, is the sound really too low?

EDIT: Poor wording on my part, so I felt that I needed to edit it.

The PSP's sound is excellent. My roomate loaded some MP3's on his card, and plugged his PC speakers into it. Not only was the sound loud and the base considerably boomy, but the quality was crystal clear. It's the same with a good set of headphones. Granted, the earbuds that come with the PSP don't give you the best sound quality out there, but I've never really been a fan of earbuds. I have a great set of headphones that I use on my PC, and when plugged into the PSP, everything comes though sounding great.

As for the claims that the system is buggy, I've not run into a single problem with any of the games I've played, nor have I run into a case of Spiderman 2 freezing, then refusing to run at all afterwards. It's the same on my roomate's PSP. We've both watched Spiderman 2 all the way through, and it's worked beautifully. All the games we own have loaded up without incident every single time we've played them, so no problems there.

There's a chance that the reviewer may have recieved a defective system, but I have my doubts. This is the first I've heard of any such issues anywhere, and I'm sure if these were real problems, we'd have heard something about them before today. None of the major online publications have reported these problems, nor has anyone who's picked theirs up. With the number of systems out there, that only one person would report such issues leads me to believe he's talking out of his ass. That, or he's just unlucky enough to be the only one with these problems. I doubt that's the case.

[fastsirex88]

wow the psp is amazing so far i have ridge racer and metal gear acid both games are great but the only problem i have is the outside of the psp scratches easy i bought a new case from gamestop so hopefully that will be the end of that. def amazing though!!!

[Psyonide]

So, does anyone have any idea about the Australian release date? Or is there still nothing solid on that?
I'd have imported one by now, but I've been offered a chance at getting one at 'wholesale' price when it's out here in Aus, and I'd certainly like to save a few dollars on it.

[BoomSatellite.X]

With the number of systems out there, that only one person would report such issues leads me to believe he's talking out of his ass. That, or he's just unlucky enough to be the only one with these problems. I doubt that's the case.

That was the first piece (and it'll probably be the last) I've read from the guy, so I really can't say if he's consistent with his reporting and claims. But judging from the responses I've gotten about the review so far, I just might have to go with the former.

Hmm, I might have to pick it up sooner than planned because the more I hear about it, the less skeptical I become. Seriously, it sounds like it's on its way to cover a good amount of ground in the area of handhelds. Can't say that it blows the DS into the wall just yet; I still need to get one of those as well.

[Cyberxion]

Well, having owned a DS, I find myself enjoying the PSP more. Don't get me wrong, I liked my DS just fine. However, the lack of titles is a severe turn off. Even four months or so after release, there's not a huge selection of titles on the system, few that are appealing to me, and even fewer that are truly innovative.
The PSP has a wide range of games, and while the system doesn't feature a touch-screen, and so it lacks the "innovation" the DS promises, I found several games at launch that appealed to me, and that makes the PSP more appealing to me overall, at least now.

As far as wether or not it "blows the DS into the wall" in other areas, I suppose that's subjective.
While I don't place much importance in graphics, a suprising number of gamers do, and I feel that the PSP has the DS beat in that area. It features graphics that are close to PS2 quality, which is leagues ahead of the N64 quality graphics the DS is capable of displaying.
In terms of features, I believe it has the DS beat there too. While the DS very well may get the ability to play video somewhere down the road, wether in the form of an add-on or a series of video carts like the one's Majesco released for the GBA, the PSP affords me the option of putting my own video on a memory-stick, and I can do it right out of the box. I can also put MP3's and pictures onto my PSP, giving it quite a bit of value beyond simply playing games. Even if I get tired of the game selection, the ability to put movies and music on my PSP assures that it'll never go unused.

Now, I don't want to come across as sounding like I'm anti-DS. In fact, I like the DS. I just feel that it hasn't even begun to live up to it's potential, and that four months after it's release, the dearth of compelling titles is pretty discouraging. I'm of the mind that Nintendo should've held off on releasing the system until they had a full compliment of titles ready for it, and that releasing it beforehand was a bad idea. I can understand that they wanted to hit the Holiday rush, and despite their assertion that they don't see Sony as competition, I'm pretty sure they rushed the system out to beat them to market as well. I wish they hadn't.

Eh, anyway, I'm going to cut this short. I have far more that I could say on the matter, but I'm too lazy to say it. Plus, I think I've said too much as it is.

[Articwolf]

wow the psp is amazing so far i have ridge racer and metal gear acid both games are great but the only problem i have is the outside of the psp scratches easy i bought a new case from gamestop so hopefully that will be the end of that. def amazing though!!!

def amazing????man you are soooo gay rex.....does that stand for crx...honda????lmao

[Vivi]

def amazing????man you are soooo gay rex.....does that stand for crx...honda????lmao

Was that really necessary? Please keep flames to PM's. Thanks wolfy.

[Uncle Evil]

Yep, 249.99. With the headphones that came with the system, I really cant complain. My Spidey 2 works quite nicely, ive definatly watched more then 20 minutes lol.

Holy Crap. you have two!? man you need to share the wealth send me one of those