Reports by Consumers

This consumer reports on why he wants to wait to buy a PSP:

I searching for a PSP everywhere I could think of: Fry’s, Bestbuy, Target, EB Games, etc. But it was at a music store called Fye, where I finally got my PSP, only catch was that I had to buy a game. Bad thing was that they only had three games left: Gretzky Hockey, Ape Escape and Need For Speed Underground. I got NFSU and was so excited to get home and open it or possibly make some mad coin selling it on ebay.

On the drive home I did some heavy thinking and decided to do a little more reseach before keeping the system. First I checked out Fye’s return policy and they said I had 30 days but the package had to be sealed. So I read about hacks and bugs with this first batch of PSP’s, I weighed the pros and cons and decided to wait for the next price drop and returned it. It was tough since the PSP was the new hottest thing out right now, but I knew it was the most sensible thing to do. I barley had time to play my xbox, there wasn’t any...

For those of you who thought I was an idiot for returning the PSP, I felt better after seeing 15 PSP’s Irvine (Jamboree) target earlier tonight and my friend who lives in Houston, Texas said they have PSP’s for sale all over the place.

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Read more from this blogger: Why I Returned My PSP

In case you're wondering whether consumers like the new PSP, apparently they're addicted. Check this report:

I originally purchased the PSP, (that’s “PlayStation Portable” for anybody not in the loop these days) just to try it out. I had no intention of keeping the thing. I just needed to know what all the buzz was about.

Yeah, the PSP is the ultimate drug, the killer gadget narcotic that I doubt anyone -- geek or civilian -- would be able to resist.

I love it most because I can play the PSP anywhere. I can play it in bed, at the doctor’s office, in line at the car wash, on the plane. I played it while I was waiting for my tires to get changed the other day. Heck, I could even play it on the can if I ever wanted to; ahem -- not that I ever would.

The truly brilliant thing that Sony built into the PSP is its ability to play interactively via WiFi right out of the box. You can either play with someone else in your local vicinity or with a group of people over the Internet. Set up is a no-brainer and completely wireless.

Plus, unlike Microsoft’s XBox Live online game system the PSP’s online environment is free. All you need is an Internet connection and you’re good to go.

Another problem I’ve had with the PSP is frequent photosensitive seizures. I’m prone to them with my XBox, but only after extended gaming sessions and under certain environmental conditions.

With the PSP I’ve found that I experience photosensitive seizures more often and after much briefer gaming sessions, sometimes only an hour.

Despite these physically debilitating experiences, however, I can’t give it up. Like a drug addict who chases junk through nausea, depression and self-hatred, I answer the siren call of my PSP.

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Sony’s PSP is a Game Freak’s Crack Pipe:

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Read more from this blogger: Sony’s PSP is a Game Freak’s Crack Pipe

This consumer reports on a good way to spend a long flight.

I just finished a great book, and was thinking about what I would be doing on the plane. Then suddenly I got up, and went out to buy a Sony PSP. I am a FIFA fan, but since I have so many of those, I went for the World Soccer game. I also grabbed Wipeout, which seems really fun.

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Read more from this blogger: Sony PSP for the flights

This consumer reports on how you can play movies on your PSP.

Here is a great discussion about converting from DVD to an MPEG file for playback on your PSP.

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Read more from this blogger: Ripping movies to Memory Stick for PSP

PSP users are finding ways to browse the web and enable all kinds of Internet services on their new PlayStation Portables. Now this consumer reports on IRC for PSP.

Well things just keep getting better for the Sony PSP! An IRC client has just been developed. Currently it only lets you access the #pspirc channel located on FreeNode but developers plan to extend that.

Check out PSPIRC.com for more info!

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Read more from this blogger: IRC For Sony PSP

The deals that need to be made to get Apple and Sony to play together are far from trivial. The stakes are huge. Rumors are starting to fly.

Dave, a friend just sent me mail telling me that Sony has licensed iTunes from Apple and today has announced that they've ported iTunes to the new Sony PSP unit. iTunes for PSP? Man, that'd be cool. Where can I find out more about it?

Licensing and porting iTunes to the new PSP is such a logical move that I figured it couldn't possibly happen. So instead of guessing, I called Sony of North America and rather to my surprise was put through to their new CEO , Howard Stringer. Their PR department has lots of regard for bloggers, it appears.

Dave Taylor: I'm calling to inquire about the new Sony iTunes/PSP launch. What can you tell me about it?

Howard Stringer: Ah, whatever. So you want to know about the Sony iTunes/PSP, yes? How did you learn about that anyway?

Dave Taylor: Us bloggers have our sources, Howard. When will the iTunes/PSP ship, then?

So there you have it. If Sony can get final approval from Steve Jobs and the team at Apple, they'll be announcing iTunes on the popular Sony PSP today, April 1, 2005.

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Read more from this blogger: iTunes ported to Sony PSP?

The price for PSP's is coming way down. Especially at Walmart.

Walmart on Main St. has PSP's. For $259. Doesn't include a game, better memory card, or carrying case, but if I limit myself to a $300 budget, I'm still doing way better than if I ordered it online...... hmmmm.

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Read more from this blogger: Hmmm (part 2)

Sony's PlayStation Portable may have a problem with dead pixels.

The other day, Brian told me that I shouldneed to get a Playstation Portable.

However, as Penny Arcade notes, the PSP suffers from a problem which is annoying gamers: dead pixels. Of course, Sony has responded to the gripes; but, I don’t know if I want to drop two hundred dollars on a game system that might have an annoying technical problem which will require my sending the unit to Sony and being without it for a month.

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This consumer reports the PSP is "ridiculously good".

I went to Electronics Boutique to pick up the PSP. Spoke to the same sales droid as I had on the phone, and she gave me the non-hockey-gamified PSP without a fight. Score one for consumer power! I’ve been playing Ridge Racer on it ever since I got home, and giggling at how ridiculously good it is. No matter how many pictures you see, even on the _box_, when you first take it out, your first impression is *inevitably* “holy crap, this screen is huge”. It’s everything the reviews say it is. I love it.

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Read more from this blogger: adamw’s very own blog » Blog Archive » gadget porn

This consumer reports on finding a new PSP even though they're hard to find.

I went to Akihabara last weekend with Gen, Jim and Boris looking for a PSP. There are rumors of production problems in China. In any event, they are in very short supply. I had heard that they could be found in some of the alleyways in Akihabara. We walked around for quite awhile but couldn't find one. Finally, Andrew came to our rescue and emailed me directions to a tiny shop in an alley that said on their web page ...

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A consumer reports that the new Sony Playstation Portable will play movies:

On March 24th, Sony will be releasing it’s hot new portable gaming system, the PSP (Play Station Portable) into retail stores. The following month Sony will be 4 movies in it’s proprietary Universal Media Disc (UMD) format that will play on its new PSP. The titles include "XXX," "Hellboy," "Resident Evil 2," and "Once Upon A Time in Mexico." UMD is a proprietary disc format created by Sony, which can store up to 1.8GB of data on a single ...

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