My first month with a PSP

Well, after receiving a free PSP (with a 4GB MS) and looking around its services and software library it is safe to say that I like it for all the wrong reasons.

Let me rationalize: the PSP is a great hardware (aside several usability issues and LCD problems) but it is wrapped inside some of the most stupid DRM-centric market strategy the man can conceive. You can tell that Sony expected their customers to like the DRM additions, since the manual actually spend more time explaining how they can lock you off the internet and stop you using DRM protected medias that violates regional restrictions than trying to explain how you can actually use the console. This is just sad. The only good point of the Sony’s choices is that their games are region free, while other features of the console (like UMD Video and Audio) are completely locked. Guess what media type is still sold in retail? Corporations will never learn their lessons.

To make things short, I hacked the console. It’s not that I’m a pirate or anything else, it’s just that some of the restrictions and the technological premises of the console are huge flaws, for me. The UMD is very very slow. I borrowed Metal Slug Anthology from a friend to try it up and it has loading times between levels with plenty of stuttering! Insane for such old games on such powerful hardware. In Tekken Dark Resurrection (a game any PSP user should own) loading times between levels can last more than the actual fighting, ruining the pace of the whole experience. Being able to load games from Memory Stick makes the issues much more bearable: games loads faster and you can even scrape another hour from the insufficient three hours long battery life. Now that 4GB Memory Sticks are common, I wonder why Sony don’t equip the firmware with a function to install UMD games right on the stick.

Another aspect of the PSP that is beareable only hacking it is the built-in PS1 emulator. Yes, I know that many big names like Square said openly that remakes or ports on new platforms of older games are a viable business options. Not for me though: I’ve already paid for Xenogears, Grandia and the other PS1 games I own and for years corporations made clear that we don’t own multimedia products, just a license that grants the use. Well, it’s time to use plenty of that license on my PSP: instead of waiting for Sony to put decent PS1 titles in their Playstation Network Store and drop the insane PS3 requirement to just download them, I’m happy ripping my own legitimate PS1 CDs and stuffing them on my Memory Stick. Sincerely, I will be happy to spend current PSN prices on a PS1 game I still don’t own (for example a digital edition of Persona that doesn’t require a mortage), but re-buying games? No thanks, I’m not stupid. I’d rather pay for an official tool that install original PS1 games on the PSP.

The same is true for emulation in general. The PSP is a killer emulation machine, just like the GP2X. Once again, I’m not willing to pay money for ports of games I already own and can emulate unless there is a significant value added. Sega and Capcom Collections are an example of what I mean: lots of games for less than €1 a game, everything is emulated, but with lots of added features (like different screen arrangements, in-game saves, unlocks, online ladders, etc). Anyone should happily pay for countless hours of classic fun if it’s made for a richer and happier portable experience. The Sega Collection, in addition, has the whole Phantasy Star series (bar the first one, I guess because of the need of hand-made maps). The play value of just these 3 games is far more the €20 you can pay for the compilation. Way to go, publishers!

Speaking of real PSP titles, at the moment my attention is on WipEout Pure, Tekken Dark Resurrection, Armored Core Formula Front and I’m still waiting for Popolocrois to get back home from Hong Kong. I tried the Monster Hunters and I don’t see the appeal, really, I guess the online mode is fun if you never played any other online RPG. The real problem with the PSP is that it has several decent titles, but they are swamped between pointless PS2 ports that don’t translate so well for the mobile. However, if the new games announced live up to the expectations this one will be a good year for PSP owners.

In the end: the PSP is an OK system with a few killer applications but still very little value on first party titles, considering how long it was around. If you can work past the DRM and make the thing actually useful it is a solid buy, if you plan to play the corporate game, well, I can’t really recommend it right now: too much issues detracts from the fun, maybe it’s better to wait for the enhanced version coming out soon, according to Sony.