SoonerDoc

i'm not sure that these pics are cool at all...looking at these pics it is pretty obvious why people are having trouble with the square action button...its sensor is too far to the right and isn't lined up with the button...would it have killed them to make the unit a few millimeters longer so the damn button would work???

edstein

People are pretty creative. I can see a mod coming to fix this problem.

Bruce_S

I have a few questions for those lucky souls that's been playing their imported psp.

1) How long does it take to convert a movie to mpeg4? I'm aware of a prg called 3gp that seems to be popular among psp users. I've heard its a slow process.

2) Are there other software that would speed up the mp4 conversion?

I'm lookin forward gettin one at launch. Any feedback would be appreciated...

Many thanks!

discostu1337

Well, no more reserving them at Gamestop...we had to stop taking reservations for the first shipment yesterday, but I guess we can reserve a 2nd shipment soon (no idea when that will be getting here). I guess with only 1 million being shipped at first, the would go pretty fast. I know our store has about 40 reserved, including mine...yay! Hope everyone gets one reserved asap.

sofdec

For me, it converts at about 3x whenever I've tried it.. so a 60 second movie would take about 20 seconds, and so on.

Best bet is to just try it for yourself, even if you dont own a PSP.

Download it at:
http://www.nurs.or.jp/~calcium/3gpp/

Open it, then click the little button on the bottom left that says "English", select "PSP (Directly Renamed)", select your preferred quality setting, and select "Select" to find a folder to save to, then just drag and drop them on to the thing and it'll do the rest

Get Me Coffee

That software is acting strange....I can't enlarge the window big enough to see the drop down english box.

amped

Sharing is caring.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/586/586888p1.html

Get Me Coffee

That's impressive! Thanks for the link!

amped

Cnet just put up an article regarding PSP taking on iPod and apparently, PSP may be the one to walk out of Thunderdome.


http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-8900_7-...?tag=cnetfd.sd

Gallant Pig

Heh, the PSP won't touch the IPOD in terms of popularity and reach into mainstream culture. Sorry.

gp98

I agree but competition is always good for customers. (especially as someone who loves the ipod and on the fence about the psp).

Gallant Pig

I think they are apples and oranges, n'est pas?

msdmoney

I don't see how the PSP can even hope to compete with the ipod. It is much much bigger than an ipod and holds a tiny fraction of the songs. It uses memory sticks for musics, comparable mp3 players that use memory sticks are the size of a pack of gum. Nobody is going to buy a PSP for music playback.

Likewise IPOD will never compete with the PSP in what the PSP does best, games.

I don't understand why people compare the IPOD and the PSP, they aren't comparable.

cheapskate

So... if the games on the PSP are region free - does that mean we might be able to get some of those UK games that never make it to the US? Companies like Codemasters have always made PS1/2 versions of UK-centric titles but just never bothered to release them in the US because of the lack of interest (Cricket/Rugby etc...) - but with PSP being region free... hmmmm

I realise no one else is likely interested, but I would be really happy to see Codemaster's put their Brian Lara Cricket 2005 or 2006 game out for PSP. I'm sure they'll do it in the UK as it's already on PS2 and PC. They're already developing stuff for the PSP (TOCA & Colin Mcrae Rally) so I don't see why they wouldn't.

amped

Yep.

Also, here are a few video clips, I'll Post more as I find them:

Ridge Racers in action

PSP in action

If you're having trouble getting the videos to play, right click save as.

Get Me Coffee

Thanks amped for those video clips. Ridge looks great....maybe I should preorder that....

amped

No problem.

I think I'm going to pick it up at launch as well. That or Wipeout.

musick

likely not as the sole or number one reason but do not dimiss those potential customers of mp3 players that could be lost, like myself. I have been on the fence about an mp3 player for a long time and have held out. Now with the PSP I have one more option and one that gives me a lot more features/functions I am interested in for around the same price point as a decent MP3 player.

By the way as it stands if any one company was to lose my business right now on a MP3 player it would be Creative as I have been contemplating a Zen Micro or waiting on the Zen Micro photo later this year. Apple doesn't have to worry about me, I have no intentions of purchasing their overpriced product(s).

darkside

Like with the PS2, playing music and movies will not be the main feature of the system. However its a really nice extra that many users will take advantage of. It is a feature that will help the device become a major mainstream success as well.

PSP has outsold Nintendo four straight weeks and that trend does not look to end there and is probably a preview of what will happen in the US. Sony looks to have a big winner in the PSP.

Get Me Coffee

article over at Cnet regarding PSP vs. IPOD...

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-8900_7-...?tag=cnetfd.sd

Josh H

The PSP is too large to be practical as an MP3 player. No one will buy it primarily for that function.

Just like darkside said, it's like the PS2 and X-box. The extra non-gaming functions are just the icing on the cake.

Get Me Coffee

I don't see the DS lasting as long has the GB line...As I said before...think VB not GB with the DS.

I'm sure we'll see an improved GB down the road.

It's interesting to see Sony split up the portable gaming industry with Nintendo now too....this has to hurt them.

The Franchise

Here's an awesome PSP review with lots of pictures:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000510024287/

The reviewer goes through some of the ups and downs of the system but pretty much says that Sony nailed it on the head and that the screen makes up for any of the shortcomings the system has. I like the collage shot at the end with all the portable systems. I still have 2 atari Lynxes!

Josh H

Yep. Nintendo themselves said that the DS isn't the true successor to the GBA and that we'll see a new GB in the future.

DS just a way to introduce some new ideas, hopefully keep a few Nintendo fans from buying a PSP right away, and for them to make some money.

darkside

The one thing I wonder, is Sony taking the market from Nintendo or mostly expanding the market beyond people that would buy Game Boys? I know Nintendo hoped for the DS to expand the market as well.

If a large percentage of PSP owners are people that wouldn't have bought a Nintendo handheld anyway there may be plenty of room for both to profit. Hopefully that is the case.