PSP-3000 … might want to hold that purchase …
Whether you are someone who has never owned a PSP but were considering a new one, or someone who had the original and thought that the latest incarnation provided the differentiation that the PSP-Slim did not, or like me and start frothing at the mouth when the word ‘new portable electronics device’ are used in a sentence, you are aware that Sony’s new PSP-3000 has been released and is available in most stores. I’ve yet to grab one, and based on new reports I am going to hold off – and suggest you do the same. Read on to find out why.
Let’s be clear – there are two things selling the PSP-3000: built-in microphone and a brighter screen. Supposedly the screen is also more usable outdoors, but there has been limited quantitative data on that. Given that Sony has a nice wired headphone/microphone set available for cheap already, the integrated microphone is a ‘nice to have’ feature, but not something to bring folks in to part with $200.
The real ‘draw’ feature is the screen. Early reports showed it to be much brighter and more responsive than the original screen (which was the same for the PSP-1000 and PSP-2000), and the fast response times also eliminated the ghosting associated with fast-moving images. But as you see in the image below the cure for eliminating ghosting might be worse than the disease:
What you see in this image are scan lines from the refreshing of the image. While the ghosting is gone, the overall image quality is worse. There has been an outcry on the Playstation forums, and so far the only response has come today from Sony Japan. According to a representative, the interlacing-like lines are “hardware features” of the new LCD, and currently, there are no plans to fix it with a future software update since it is in the hardware.
I will update this post with any new information I obtain.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:02 am
I still have the original PSP, and have always been pretty happy with it. While it’s hard to tame the desire for “latest and greatest”, I think I’ll pass on this one.
The Nintendo DSi, on the other hand……..
October 21st, 2008 at 9:54 am
Maybe you should not be that dismisive and say not to buy it… All photos that were taken for this issue, are close-ups that are are then made into a larger size that the original PSP screen size.
Forums that talk about this issue are filled with people who do not notice the issue at all.
So I guess that if you are interested by the PSP-3000, go the store and take a look at a demonstration unit (if they have any with the PSP-3000) or ask the salesman to take a look at a working unit before you buy. My guess is that most of us will not see anything wrong with the screen.
No I don’t work for Sony, but I’m skeptic as there aren’t that many real size photos or video about this issue.
October 21st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Emmanual: I appreciate the skepticism. I was actually at Walmart picking up some other stuff at lunch (bubble mailers to feed my Goozex habit, actually 😉 ) and saw the PSP-3000 there … and came so close.
I am very happy with both of my PSP’s – I have a launch-day original and a launch-day PSP-2000 and they get tons of use. But two are enough between me and my two sons (wife has no interest), so if I got a PSP-3000 I would get rid of one of the others.
Truth is – most people don’t see ghosting problems, either. But it is there and real. And the concern isn’t that it makes the system unplayable, but ruins the value proposition: why pay more for something that looks no better and perhaps worse – you get more brightness but less (or equal) battery. As I mention, the integrated microphone isn’t much of a selling point.
October 21st, 2008 at 11:34 am
When I saw the headlines about people complaining, I automatically assumed it was a “yellow” issue, like the 3G iPhone complaints, but this is worse. I’m one of those people who does notice interlace problems, and it annoys me no end. I hope this is addressed by the time I need to replace my launch system – then again, I enjoy my unlocked firmware 🙂
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 am
Check this YouTube video, it shows the issue and most importantly, why it is happening : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isC1IOhQt_A&fmt=18 (make sure to watch in high quality)
In the new screen, the color pixels are aligned horizontally instead of vertically in the older screens.
I guess that a software patch could fix the issue for video and in the XMB, but for existing games, I very doubt that they could fix this without patching the actual games. I guess this was happen when things are highly optimized for specific hardware.
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
Thanks for the link … does this remove your skepticism? The new one looks worse to my eyes …
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:35 am
Yes and no, I’m still pretty happy with my PSP-1000 that I owned since the first minute it was available 🙂 (ok ok, I did had to exchange it the next day because the square button had some problem)
What I would like in an upgraded PSP is to be able to play outside and have reduce glare inside. Things that the PSP-3000 seems to fix.
The video is also quite zoomed in on the PSP screen. We still don’t know how it look when holding the PSP at a normal distance from the eyes. I’m sure gonna checkout a working unit of the PSP-3000 before I made any purschase decisions.
What I find really weird about this issue, is that no PSP-3000 reviews, published before the issue was talked about, mention any problem with the screen. Now that some complained about it, new reviews mention the problem.
If this problem was really that apparent, I guess that reviewers and people who played with demonstration units at recent game shows would have seen it and talked about it.
All the negative buzz about this issue is very similar with the dead pixels issue with the PSP-1000 when it came out. I guess it’s a bit blown out of proportion.
Anyway, I’ll try to take a look at a working unit soon.
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 am
I don’t think it is a killer flaw, but it puts Sony in a tough place – they sold a lot of PSP-2000’s to existing customers, and I think they assumed that trend would continue with this one. But when you have PSPFanboy talking about how unimpressed they are, why would someone get this one compared to spending $30 less on a PSP-2000?
I share the thought that outdoor use is a major selling point – especially watching my kids hide under a blanket in the car to be able to see their games on the ride home last weekend – but I’ve yet to see a major review scream “forget scan lines, take your PSP outdoors!”
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Well … I picked up a PSP-3000 today, and will be playing the new Star Ocean game later tonight. Will comment tomorrow.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 am
All I know is Sony confused the heck out of me by releasing these 1000, 2000, & 3000 models.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:57 am
I know … it makes it seem like it is really a ‘next gen’ PSP, whereas we *still* haven’t got the DS->DS Lite type of jump yet even with the 3000.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
One might argue that the PSP hasn’t really needed a DS->DS Lite jump. You should also remember that the PSP *has* gotten a lot of new functionality with firmware upgrades, while we’re still waiting for Nintendo to release a DS that doesn’t mandate reducing security on your home network if you want to use it online.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
That is very true … but how is that supposed to sell new PSP’s 😉
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Well I’m confused only because I’m in limbo. I know enough to know there are 3 models, but don’t follow the PSP enough to know/remember the differences. 🙂
I only get worried about the security of my wi-fi network if I see a van parked in front of my house. So far so good. 🙂
ACtually I have no security. But my router doesn’t advertise the name of my network and you need your MAC address in the Router table in order to connect.