Small User Guide wrote: The System Itself:
On Thursday, the 24th of March, at 6:00 in the morning I woke up and got ready to leave my house at 7:00. I leave and get to EB Games at 7:30, before any staff even got there. You might say I'm a bit obsessed with the PSP. Well, they finally let us in at 8:00, and me being first in line got it first and left. Holding this thing in your hands is amazing, and what's even more amazing is the stuff I'm about to tell you about the PSP.
When you open the box, the first thing you see are things such as the cleaning cloth, the instruction book, and other papers such as that. After that you lift up a cardboard flap, just like with the PS2 box. Inside that is another, smaller, cardboard scructure encasing the PSP. Next to that is important cords such as the battery charger, music controller, and earplugs.
First thing everyone probably does is pop in the demo disc to check things out. Just so you know, there isn't any playable games on it, just videos. Inside the demo disc is full length music videos, movie trailers, and game previews.
The music videos aren't bad, but nothing that really interests me. Some great movies are coming out. One I suggest you watch, is Stealth. A few game previews included on the demo disc are well-known release date titles such as Twisted Metal: Head-On, Ridge Racers, Ape Ascape, and ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails. Now, that's a FEW. There are more, but you get the idea of what's on there.
The first million units came with Spiderman 2 the movie. If you have never watched a movie on a PSP, I suggest you do. It's amazing for a screen not much bigger than 4 inches. The quality is DVD-like. I have seen the movie before, but being on a new media disc and a new system, I decided to test it out. The sound is really good, but it's alot better with the earplugs in.
When you turn on the PSP, you get the start-up screen or whatever it is. I don't know about anyone else, but it doesn't do that anymore. It turns on pretty quickly, too. The main screen has a left-right up-down scroll menu. You scroll left and right to change categories, and up and down for each thing under the categories. The first option((from left to right)) is Settings.
Settings consist of:
Network Update
USB Connection
Video Settings
Photo Settings
System Settings
Date & Time Settings
Power Save Settings
Sound Settings
Security Settings
Network Settings
I'll go into more detail of each area AFTER I cover each area.
The next section is Photo. Photo, from what I know, only has one option. That option is Memory Stick. This is to view the images you stored on your memory stick.
After Photo is Music. Music, from what I know, only has two options.
UMD
Memory Stick
Next comes Video. Video has the same options as Music. More on that later.
The last section on the main menu is title Game. Game consists of the following.
Game Sharing
Saved Data Utility
UMD
Memory Stick
Network Update
I'm not quite sure what Network Update does, but I'm guessing it grabs your network information and updates it for changes. Ah, thanks to helpful words from a fellow PSP'r, I now know what it does. It updates your software on the PSP. Thanks goes to Chris82.
USB Connection
USB connection is where you go when adding or removing things from your memory stick. You plug in your USB transfer cable((not included in the box)), and click on USB Connection. The usual "New Hardware Found" should pop up((on Windows)). Now just drag and drop things into the correct folder. Tada!
Video Settings
Inside the Video settings option is yet, more options. These options are never-ending I swear. The first option is Menu language. Obviously, that changes the language of Video menus. In the list of languages are quite a few languages. More than you will probably find in any other language option.
Audio Language
After that comes the Audio Language, which just like Menu language, has a bunch of options. LOTS of options. So there isn't much I have to say about this section.
Subtitle Languages
After that comes yet another language option. This one controls the Subtitle languages and, yep, it has all of those languages that the past two options had.
UMD Video Volume
The last option is surprisingly NOT a language option. It's the UMD Video Volume. You can actaully set it so the UMDs play louder than normal. You can set it normal, +1, or +2. I just set mine to +2. I'm cool now.
Photo Settings
Photo settings only has one option, which is Slideshow speed. You can choose from Normal, Slow, or Fast. Whatever suits your needs. There goes Sony, thinking about it's customers.
System Settings
Next up we have System Settings. The first option is Nickname. That's simple enough. You name your PSP. I really like this feature, I'm not sure why yet.
System Language
Second up is System Language. Not as many options as the recent language options, but it does have quite alot of options. Too bad I don't know any of those languages.
Battery Information
After System Language is Battery Information. It tells you your charge level percentage, how many hours you have left(mine seriously just jumped up two minutes), your power source, and the battery status. This is another cool feature.
Format Memory Stick
The next option is Format Memory Stick. For fear of losing my information I won't click on that. But I will assure you what it does. Same thing formatting your harddrive does. Which is why I won't click on it.
Restore Default Settings
Following Format Memory Stick is Restore Default Settings. This is definatly a given. It just changes all the setting back to their original state.
System Information
System Information is the next option in the list. It gives you information such as, Your MAC Address, System Software, and Nickname.
About PSP
The last option in this line is About PSP. It just gives you two screens telling you about the PSP, screens that go by too fast for me to copy. Pick up your own PSP or view a friend's PSP.
Date and Time
Under Date and Time settings we have as follows. The first option is Date and Time. That is where you, obviously, set the date and time. No detail needed there.
Date Format
Next up is Date Format. You know, the basic MM/DD/YYYY. You can change that, but I'll keep mine that way, as I'm use to that setting.
Time Format
The next option is Time Format. That means the standard 12 hour clock, or the 24 hour clock. I prefer the 12 hour clock, as that's what I've grown up on.
Time Zone
Following Time Format is Time Zone. I seriously hope no one wants me to list the options. Same as every Time Zone selection. I'm in Eastern. Yay.
Daylight Saving
The very last option in Date and Time Settings is Daylight Saving. Are you in Daylight Savings time? If no, choose Standard. If yes, choose Daylight Saving.
Power Save Settings
Now we head into Power Save Settings. These are settings designed to save power on your battery. The first option is Backlight Auto-Off. Default for that is 5 minutes. In 5 minutes of inactiveness the backlight automatically turns off making the screen a bit duller.
Auto-Sleep
After that is auto-sleep. Just like on your PC where you can have your monitor switch off after being idle. Default setting is 10 minutes. So in 5 minutes the backlight turns off, in 5 more minutes the screen turns off.
WLAN Power Save
The third, and last, option under Power Save Settings is WLAN Power Save. It has the options of On and Off. No telling what this does but if it's power saving I keep it turned on.
Sound Settings
In our next section, Sound Settings, we have two choices. The first one is AVLS. I'm not sure what it stands for but if I turn it on it knocks the sound down and limits it there. So I leave that off.
Key Tone
The second option is Key Tone. That's the little clicks you hear when you are scrolling through options. I happen to like the sound for some reason.
Security Settings[/]
After Sound Settings comes Security Settings. This section also has two options. The first one is Change Password. I don't really remember setting a password, but I know I can change it.
Parental Controll Level
Following that is Parental Control Level. I have to think of what I set my password as, so I can't tell you the options. Probably numbers, like the PS2.
Network Settings
Our last section is Network Settings. We can choose Ad-hoc(PSP to PSP), or Infrastructure(PSP to Access Point to PSP). The rest is explained in each option, which I won't be covering.
The Rest Of The Categories
We are done in Settings and can move further on in the bigger categories.
We have Photo, Music, and Video which all basically have the same options so I'll just list them once, as to not be repeating myself three times.
UMD
There are two options, and I don't know what order they are in. I think UMD comes first. This is to select your media off of the UMD inside the PSP. It won't appear if there isn't a UMD in the PSP.
Memory Stick
The second option is Memory Stick. While on this option it lets you know how much space you have left. This option allows you to retrieve media off of the memory stick. Like the UMD option, it won't appear without a Memory Stick inserted into the PSP.
Game
To the far right of the options is Game. It begins with Game Sharing. What I'm thinking(and my friend is backing up) this is used for is so two people can play off of one UMD. Pretty cool. I'll have to try this out sometime.
Saved Date Utility
Next up is Saved Data Utility. It shows you what saved games and features you have on the currently inserted Memory Stick. Each game save should have it's own background, image, and music.
UMD
The next option is probably the most used. It's UMD. That's where you go to play your game. While on this option music plays and a small video is shown of the game in-play.
Memory Stick
The last option I will be covering, because it's the last option available, is Memory Stick. Just like on Music, Video, and Photo, it allows you to access games stored on the Memory Stick.
This has been a small guide written to help you explore the PSP. Next you will probably be reading the review I'm writing(the two go together).
I bet you didn't know I was writing a review AND a short guide. Here's the review I'm sure you actually wanted to read.
What I have to say about the PSP wrote: Well, let me start off by telling you a bit of pre-buying information(that means stuff that happend before I bought it). The night before was restless. Man was it hard to fall asleep, but so easy to wake up. I was just too excited that I was finalling getting this handheld I had drooled over for months. The next day was great. I sprung(by sprung I mean slowly moved) up and went into the kitchen for my every-day waker-upper..... Soda. I'm a caffeine and sugar addict, so I wouldn't be awake enough to pick up my PSP without my soda. I awoke at 6 a.m. I checked out some forums and what-not until 7 a.m. Then I got to the mall at around 7:20. I got to the actual store around 7:25 or maybe 7:30. Either way I got there before the staff, or any other pre-orderers were there. I sat for about ten minutes before the manager, then 3 other pre-orderers arrived.
We were finally let in at 8:00, and being the first one there, I was let to be the first one in line. He rings me up and AGAIN asks if I was picking up anything else with my PSP. Being a bit on the poor side I said no, grabbed my PSP, and headed out the door. The car ride home was an exciting and very anticipating one.
I finally arrived home and quickly went through all my stuff. Or atleast the stuff I hadn't already gone through in the car ride home. I hooked up my PSP to the charger while looking at the instruction book, accesories, etc. Then I decided I would play with the PSP while it charged. My first impression of this beast in action was pure Awe. Capitalized for enthusiasm. The system looks really sexy even when it's turned off. It has a very sleek design, glossed black with aluminum(I think) trims. I love holding this in my hands, it's like having a gaming orgasm. Pick it up and look at the back, now flip it over to the front. Did you feel that? I did, I love it.
The layout of the menu, the awesome colored waves in the backgrounds(that change monthly), the little clicks everytime you scroll through options(God I love those!). Everything was amazing. I had no games yet, so I popped in Spiderman 2 the movie. Wow. That's the only thing you can really say when you see a movie in action on this thing. Wow. I bet that you have NEVER seen such a small screen with such God-like quality as the PSP has. I am DEFINATLY buying alot more UMD movies once they start releasing them. I had my friend's dad's friend(yes, confusing) tell me he'd rather have the PSP than his 700 dollar portable dvd player. I'd have to agree with him there.
The sound quality is awesome, very good. Unfortunatly it doesn't get very loud. But with headphones it's just fine. Playing music on this thing is extremely simple. You connect to your PC via the USB Connection option. Then you drag and drop your favorite songs into your music folder. After that scroll to your music section and click on the song you want to listen to. I love drag and drop MP3 players. I still can't figure out how to drag and drop songs onto my friend's IPod. The Memory Stick the PSP comes with is only a 32 MB and cannot carry many songs. It's a shame. I have to go out and buy a bigger one, that's for later in time, though. If you put a few songs on your PSP, be sure not to lose your USB cable as I have recently managed to accomplish. It makes you heart-broken, it really does.
You can play MPEG videos off of your Memory Stick. Or atleast I'm pretty sure it's MPEG. MPEG 4 if I'm not mistaken. I have yet to try this feature(as I ran out of room for big files on my memory stick), and I recently lost my transfer cable. But I am sure the videos look very good on it.
Portable gaming, portable movies, portable music.... What about portable picture gallery? Yep, it has that, too. Anytime you have a picture you'd like to share with your friends, or run out of room in your wallet. Simply hook up your PSP to your PC, access the USB Connection option, and drag and drop the pictures to your PSP just as you did your music. Great resolution gives pictures really good quality on the PSP. As soon as I find, or buy, a USB Cable I'll definetly be adding pictures to my Memory Stick.
From what I can tell the PSP has the ability to share games. You can use another PSP's UMD disk and pretty much sample a game before you buy it. Or just play with your friend I'm guessing. I think you might have the ability to download the game and save it on your Memory Stick for further use. Ha, new form of Piracy? No, they probably have some way of keeping the game limited. It IS Sony we're talking about here.
Gameplay is very Ace. Although it's missing the lower two shoulder buttons, and the right analog stick of the PS2 controller, it still works out very nicely. I only have two games, Twisted Metal: Head-On and WipeOut: Pure. Both exactly like the originals that I remember playing. Twisted Metal is back to it cartoon-like rampage feel, unlike the very dark theme of Twisted Metal Black for the PS2. The graphics for the games are just as amazing as any other part of this high-tech handheld. From what I was told, the graphics chip is actually MORE powerful than that of the PS2. Though, there is around a 5 year difference in the two, so that is expected. The only thing holding the graphics back is memory. But I assure you the graphics exceed any other handheld on the market today.
Overall, it is the best investment I've made in a long time. It's also my most prized position, sharing the number one spot with my Pc(without it, I wouldn't be talking to you right now). I whole-heartedly believe this handheld deserves no lower than a 9.5. But I'm rating it a 10. I absolutly love this, and if you'r a general to hardcore gamer, I bet you'd love it, too. I have not shown this to ONE SINGLE person who didn't like it yet. My grandmother even said it was amazing. So if you have 250 dollars to spare, and the time to wait for a restock, go out and buy yourself a PSP. You can take my word for it, you won't regret it.
Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:3228, old post ID:26258
Would suck to be hyped up for something that turns out not to be good.
