By far the most frequent question I get here at GamerDad is:
“What console should I buy for my kids?”

Should You Buy a PlayStation Portable?

Sadly, there’s no easy answer and that’s why, one-by-one, I’m going to be laying out the pros/cons, value, future, advantages and drawbacks for each of the 10 platforms we cover. Yes, 10. There are 10 gaming platforms.

Parental Controls? Yes!

Overview & Features:
I do like this machine. The PlayStation Portable has a similar “I want to touch that!” quality that the iPod has. This is mostly because of the terrific engineering and design. Shiny, black, unfriendly but very cool, the PlayStation Portable has a screen that seems larger than should be possible. The screen is clear too, as the UMD movies used to show (UMD as a movie format however, seems to have failed miserably). It plays games well (though it takes a long time to load a level) but the battery only lasts about 8 hours or so. It can synch to the Internet wirelessly for gaming or even web browsing. It can play home movies, music and can play a slideshow of your photos that will make people gasp. The screen is really beautiful.

Other Models?:
In September of 2007 Sony introduced the PSP-2000, which we reviewed here.  The system is thinner, lighter, has some minor tweaks to the button depth and responsiveness, but is otherwise largely unchanged.  The amount of system memory was doubled, allowing developers to possibly load areas more quickly in newer games and for users to have more success browsing web pages.

Since the introduction of the system three years ago Sony has constantly updated the system software – and while it was often related to security concerns (the PSP is without a doubt the most ‘piracy friendly’ handheld ever), there have been some significant new features added.  The Web browser; better movie, music and picture systems; and finally internet services have been added.  Most of these features – including the very recent Internet Radio addition – are available for any PSP.  However, the integrated Skype internet phone service is only for the PSP-2000.  While these additions carry on the traditional ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ capability often seen in convergence devices, there have also been new PS3 to PSP integration features to make the system even more attractive.  The latest one allows PS3 owners to create PSP-playable movies from Blu-Ray discs and then transfer them to the portable device.

Drawbacks:
With the recent US price drop to just above the Nintendo Dual Screen, the PSP has finally become recommendable for older kids, but not for families. Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick Duo is pricey, and useless with anything but very new Sony products. It’s difficult to convert home movies into movies you can watch on this console and good kids games, or even family-friendly games, are challenging to find. It’s a handheld console aimed squarely at young men with disposable income and for that, it’s a terrific system. For families? Not so much.

Kid Factor:
If you’ve got kids under 12, you better trust them implicitly before you let them touch this piece of technological wizardry. The machine won’t handle being dropped very well. It’s also an expensive, and easy, item to lose.

Value & Verdict:
For families, the PlayStation Portable isn’t a good option for the price. Other machines handle music better, portable DVD players are much cheaper, and people are carrying photos on their phones. This makes the PlayStation Portable use clear. It’s a videogame system and because of the (far smaller than the competition) library of games, this one is better for adults than families.

Tags: GamerDad 101