When Nintendo released the second incarnation of the DS, it was very clear why those who owned the original had to switch over. The new design was slick, the screens crystal clear, and with such a devoted library to the system already, anyone who was stuck with the original DS was a sorry sap.
So now Sony is entering the ring of redesigns by releasing the slimmer and feature rich PSP Slim. Obviously, the hardcore Sony fanbase is going to be picking these up "just because." But what the rest of the gaming community? Is it worth the money?
Sony is hoping the design tweaks and new features will sell the system. While physically lighter, and thinner, the PSP Slim also makes some changes to the typical PSP design. Popping UMDs in and out are now more of a hassle thanks to a manual tray as opposed to the automatic ejecting function of the old PSP.
The D-Pad has also been given a positive reworking which should satisfy all the fighting fanatics with a PSP in their pocket. Rounding out the physical changes is the new memory card slot which takes some getting used to because of a harder mechanism for snapping in memory cards, a relocation of the WLAN button to the top of the PSP, and a darker screen.
The biggest draw for this new PSP though is the ability to easily stream the video from the PSP onto a TV. Now gamers no longer have to watch the PSP screen and can instead enjoy their games in full TV size glory. But isn’t the whole point of the PSP portability? Why would anyone want to play a PSP game, no matter how good they look, when there are PlayStation 3’s to be enjoyed?
So with all these new features is the PSP worth the money? If the gaming library was as strong as the DS’s then the answer would be a resounding yes. Currently, though, the PSP still doesn’t have the library to make purchasing a second model worth the trouble. Hopefully, this holiday season and the first half of 2008 will bring the PSP into its prime, and then, absolutely, will this new version be worth it.
[Via MoDojo]
