What's your favorite PSP model?? - PSP appreciation thread.

[FinalBaton]

*Share your love for the PSP here *





Had a PSP in my hands for the first time this weekend (a 3000 model that I just bought) and I'm already in love with it.

I've discovered some amazing games so far. Quality titles that are really moving me.
And I just started, so chances are, I'll find more gems along the way.

On the hardware front I think it's really cool. It's a very solid design. I like the overall presentation and the buttons' response is good.
I especially like the screen (and quite a bit, I must add).

I've seen people complain online about the visible scanlines on the 3000, but i actually love them! curious to see if others do too.
I think the screen overall is gorgeous.

And the fact that it can be used on a TV is a BIG bonus. I can't wait till my PSP D-terminal cable gets here to try this out.





So, here : I just wanted to show some love to this awesome console. Maybe this will convince people who never played it to check it out!

And for those who have played it : what is your favourite model and why?

I also encourage people to list their favorite games for the system!

[blizzz]

I've got 3 PSPs, a 2000 model, a PSPgo and a Vita.

The screen in the 2000 model I have is complete garbage due to extreme ghosting. It's just a blurry mess in motion. The PSPgo has a way better screen and can be used like a real console with a Dualshock controller. But blowing letterboxed PSP games up on a big screen doesn't look nice, so I never used it. When used as a handheld the PSPgo isn't the most comfortable, but it's also not terrible.

For me the Vita is by far the best way to play PSP games. The games look great on the gorgeous OLED screen and there are no scaling artifacts since the Vita has exactly double the resolution as the PSP and doesn't force bilinear filtering. The downside is that you have to buy the PSN versions and pay for the overpriced memory card.

[broken harbour]

Are there any worthwhile PSP exclusives?

How well does a scaler like a Framemeister handle the signal from a PSP? I don't really ever do any handheld gaming and would just use it on my TV if there's a reason to buy one.

[FinalBaton]

I've got 3 PSPs, a 2000 model, a PSPgo and a Vita.

The screen in the 2000 model I have is complete garbage due to extreme ghosting. It's just a blurry mess in motion. The PSPgo has a way better screen and can be used like a real console with a Dualshock controller. But blowing letterboxed PSP games up on a big screen doesn't look nice, so I never used it. When used as a handheld the PSPgo isn't the most comfortable, but it's also not terrible.

For me the Vita is by far the best way to play PSP games. The games look great on the gorgeous OLED screen and there are no scaling artifacts since the Vita has exactly double the resolution as the PSP and doesn't force bilinear filtering. The downside is that you have to buy the PSN versions and pay for the overpriced memory card.

Yeah, I thought about that option as well. But I'm stuck in that mentality of needing to own the physical media and display it on a shelf, lol. So I need a model that plays UMD.

I have an XRGB-3 and supposedly the D2 zoom mode makes it look pretty dece, I'll try it for sure. Or maybe the zoom on my TV will do. I'll try both.

[FinalBaton]

Are there any worthwhile PSP exclusives?

How well does a scaler like a Framemeister handle the signal from a PSP? I don't really ever do any handheld gaming and would just use it on my TV if there's a reason to buy one.

Ys Seven is absolutely fucking insanely amazing, and is an exclusive. (seriously... this game is a masterpiece. I urge you to give it a go).

Ys : The Oath In Felgana is a PSP exclusive on consoles (was released on PC first).

Final Fantasy IV : the Complete Collection (contains "The After Years" and "Interlude", two newish sequels to FFIV) is an exclusive as far as physical copies go. It can be purchased digitally on the Wii shop and on your IOS/Android app market.

Final Fantasy II : 20th Anniversary edition contains the exclusive "Arcane Labyrinth" dungeons.

Castlevania : The Dracula X Chronicles contains the only physical form of "Castlevania : Rondo of Blood" ever released outside of Japan.



Not an exclusive, but :

Final Fantasy I : 20th Anniversary edition is totally awesome. This one's on the 3DS as well.
This is a revamped version of the game that's on Playstation's Final Fantasy Origins and it is much better.
Upgrades over the PS1 version : Increased resolution, presented in widescreen(BIG upgrade), extra dungeons and sidequests.

[blizzz]

Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together alone is worth getting a PSP / Vita. The best SRPG in my opinion and you can easily get 100-200h playtime out of it.

[FinalBaton]

Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together alone is worth getting a PSP / Vita. The best SRPG in my opinion and you can easily get 100-200h playtime out of it.

Yes was just thinking about this one. This reworked version is a PSP exclusive, right?

[Thomago]

Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together alone is worth getting a PSP / Vita. The best SRPG in my opinion and you can easily get 100-200h playtime out of it.

Although... technically the PSP version is a mess, as Square Enix basically took the original's 4:3 240p graphics and stretched them to the PSP's 16:9 272p display.

[blizzz]

@FinalBaton Yes it's an exclusive remake of the SNES / PS1 version.

@Thomago You mean because the standard view is a bit blurry? Yea, I agree that it's not perfect, but you can zoom out and get a perfectly sharp view. Looks really good on the bigger Vita screen.

[Thomago]

@blizz Oh, didn't know about the Zoom out function. What about the too wide aspect ratio - does the zoom function help with that too?

[blizzz]

I never even noticed a problem with the aspect ratio.



Both look fine to me, even compared to the original.

[BazookaBen]

I have the PSP 3000. It's great, just the only thing I wonder about is if I should be using the "original" color space for older games that were designed for the PSP 1000 and 2000.

My only complaint about the system is that the analog nub doesn't work that great for games that require more precision, like the Wipeout games.

It is awesome that all the PS1 classic Sony releases on PSN are still compatible with the PSP. Like Tron Bonne came out last year and still works on PSP. And they play in proper 240p too with the TV out. Only downside is 3 or 4 frames of input lag from the emulation.

Castlevania : The Dracula X Chronicles contains the only physical form of "Castlevania : Rondo of Blood" ever released outside of Japan.

I've read that the original version that you unlock after beating the remake isn't as accurate as the emulation on the Wii Virtual Console, so I never bought it.

[FinalBaton]

I've read that the original version that you unlock after beating the remake isn't as accurate as the emulation on the Wii Virtual Console, so I never bought it.

What I see on forums regarding the PSP version displayed on a TV, is : people complaining about the picture quality and the black bars on all side.
Maybe they were plugged straight into the TV, and were not using an XRGB unit to get an upscaled image that fills the screen?

IDK, I've never played the VC version so I can't compare.

[Fudoh]

My choice of weapon: PSP Go + DS3 controller.

PSP looks ace when upscaled on a XRGB-3 or Framemeister. XRGB-3 even has the edge due to the Mini's imperfect 480p handling. XRGB-3 on top. Mini on the bottom.

[BazookaBen]

What I see on forums regarding the PSP version displayed on a TV, is : people complaining about the picture quality and the black bars on all side.
Maybe they were plugged straight into the TV, and were not using an XRGB unit to get an upscaled image that fills the screen?

IDK, I've never played the VC version so I can't compare.

I'm talking about the port quality, regardless of which screen you play on. Forget what was off about it but I've seen people recommend the VC version.

[FinalBaton]

I'm talking about the port quality, regardless of which screen you play on. Forget what was off about it but I've seen people recommend the VC version.

Oh. I didn't get your point, it seems

[FinalBaton]

My choice of weapon: PSP Go + DS3 controller.

PSP looks ace when upscaled on a XRGB-3 or Framemeister. XRGB-3 even has the edge due to the Mini's imperfect 480p handling. XRGB-3 on top. Mini on the bottom

Nice. Can't wait to try my PSP through the XRGB-3! *is excited*

If it wasn't for the need to play UMDs, I would have definitly considered this setup (PSPgo + DS3 controller).
But I think the D-Pad and buttons on the 3000 are actually pretty damn good, and it's comfortable to hold, so I'm totally fine with using it to play on my TV.
Plus, I also use my 3000 as a portable a lot, and it fares really well when used like that.

[qmish]

I have an old fat PSP, which was a gift from my friend. Yes, D-PAD is a torture there.

[Thomago]

Both look fine to me, even compared to the original.

Ah indeed, this looks mighty fine. Must have thrown that together with the FFT port.

[Fudoh]

If it wasn't for the need to play UMDs, I would have definitly considered this setup (PSPgo + DS3 controller).

you can use your 3000 to rip your UMDs and play them on a Go.

[broken harbour]

Too bad the PSTV doesn't have a UMD slot, lost opportunity there.

[Thomago]

No mention of the PSP-E1000? If you don't need TV output and WiFi, I'd say that's the PSP model to go for (IF you live in Europe at least).

[Triple Lei]

I've read that the original version that you unlock after beating the remake isn't as accurate as the emulation on the Wii Virtual Console, so I never bought it.

What I see on forums regarding the PSP version displayed on a TV, is : people complaining about the picture quality and the black bars on all side.
Maybe they were plugged straight into the TV, and were not using an XRGB unit to get an upscaled image that fills the screen?

IDK, I've never played the VC version so I can't compare.

There are ways to get around those black borders. I use a DVDO Edge. I'm currently putting together examples of the things a DVDO Edge can do for us gamers (because my friend wants to sell his), and here's one such video of image stretching to eliminate the PSP TV-out borders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DUr-y2_TBM


The best way to play PSP games is with a PSTV... if you don't mind paying the super high prices for Vita memory cards... and if the game is even compatible with the PSTV in the first place. For some reason, Dracula X Chronicles and Gradius Collection aren't PSTV compatible in North America (even when they are compatible on a Vita), but over in Europe, there's no problem.

If you do go that route, and if you have a PS2 arcade stick and a PS2-to-PS3 adapter (I use an eTokki iNPiN like this this guy), you can play your PSP games with an arcade stick! And for games that let you rotate the screen but not the controls, you can just rotate the lever in your arcade stick's mounting plate so the 5-pin connector is pointing down and you can play games in rotated screen mode no problem! I'm currently playing Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting this way and it's just the best. Plenty of games like that in the Capcom Collections games too.


As for the topic: my favorite all around is the PSP-3000. Best d-pad, best buttons, best battery life (with an extended battery, which I don't think they make anymore...), and best screen. With a Photofast adapter you can get 128+ GB for cheap! Just be prepared to wait around 13 seconds when exiting to the XMB however.

I use the PSP-1000 exclusively as a remote for my DVDO Edge for Barry's DVDO IR Generation Program. You can see me use it this way in the first video I posted. My PSP-1000 is permanently on firmware 5.00 CFW for this reason. And the d-pad is only bad until you do the UFighterX d-pad mod.

PSPgos are cheap now, and I have two of them. Terrible d-pad and buttons, really, and the Memory Stick Micro M2 cards aren't as cheap as they should be. But you can pair a Dual Shock 3 to the PSPgo if you have a PS3 (though somewhere online there's a way to pair your DS3 to your PSPgo without a PS3). Properly hacked, the PSPgo is pretty nice (you can prevent your game's paused state from deleting upon loading, essentially turning it into a save state feature), and you do get 14 GB usable right away. With the charging cradle/dock and the charger from a PSP-3000 (because let's face it, you'll still need a "real" PSP to play all the PSP games), it's awesome.

[FinalBaton]

There are ways to get around those black borders. I use a DVDO Edge. I'm currently putting together examples of the things a DVDO Edge can do for us gamers (because my friend wants to sell his), and here's one such video of image stretching to eliminate the PSP TV-out borders:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DUr-y2_TBM


The best way to play PSP games is with a PSTV... if you don't mind paying the super high prices for Vita memory cards... and if the game is even compatible with the PSTV in the first place. For some reason, Dracula X Chronicles and Gradius Collection aren't PSTV compatible in North America (even when they are compatible on a Vita), but over in Europe, there's no problem.

If you do go that route, and if you have a PS2 arcade stick and a PS2-to-PS3 adapter (I use an eTokki iNPiN like this this guy), you can play your PSP games with an arcade stick! And for games that let you rotate the screen but not the controls, you can just rotate the lever in your arcade stick's mounting plate so the 5-pin connector is pointing down and you can play games in rotated screen mode no problem! I'm currently playing Neo Geo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting this way and it's just the best. Plenty of games like that in the Capcom Collections games too.


As for the topic: my favorite all around is the PSP-3000. Best d-pad, best buttons, best battery life (with an extended battery, which I don't think they make anymore...), and best screen. With a Photofast adapter you can get 128+ GB for cheap! Just be prepared to wait around 13 seconds when exiting to the XMB however.

I use the PSP-1000 exclusively as a remote for my DVDO Edge for Barry's DVDO IR Generation Program. You can see me use it this way in the first video I posted. My PSP-1000 is permanently on firmware 5.00 CFW for this reason. And the d-pad is only bad until you do the UFighterX d-pad mod.

PSPgos are cheap now, and I have two of them. Terrible d-pad and buttons, really, and the Memory Stick Micro M2 cards aren't as cheap as they should be. But you can pair a Dual Shock 3 to the PSPgo if you have a PS3 (though somewhere online there's a way to pair your DS3 to your PSPgo without a PS3). Properly hacked, the PSPgo is pretty nice (you can prevent your game's paused state from deleting upon loading, essentially turning it into a save state feature), and you do get 14 GB usable right away. With the charging cradle/dock and the charger from a PSP-3000 (because let's face it, you'll still need a "real" PSP to play all the PSP games), it's awesome.

Wow! that's a lot of (cool) info

DVDO Edge seems like a nice option for getting a fullscreen image on TV. I have an XRGB-3 and I can't wait to hook my PSP to my TV through it!

As for the bolded : Haven't tried the other models but so far I looooove the d-pad and buttons on my 3000.

[blizzz]

The best way to play PSP games is with a PSTV... if you don't mind paying the super high prices for Vita memory cards... and if the game is even compatible with the PSTV in the first place. For some reason, Dracula X Chronicles and Gradius Collection aren't PSTV compatible in North America (even when they are compatible on a Vita), but over in Europe, there's no problem.

It's the opposite for Tactics Ogre. Compatible with the Vita worldwide and PS TV in Japan and America, but not in Europe. Doesn't the PS TV make PSP games really blurry since it can only output in 720p?

[Triple Lei]

Doesn't the PS TV make PSP games really blurry since it can only output in 720p?

PSP games were never anywhere near high resolution, but when the picture's on your TV through HDMI I still think it's going to look good. Not as blurry as with component cables, that's for sure.

I made some comparisons a while back:

PSP, component cables, DVDO stretching, 720p
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kuqn75kl64bd9 ... P.tga?dl=0

PSTV, HDMI, 720p
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c5xemyzmapa20 ... V.tga?dl=0

[CkRtech]

Thought I would hop in since this thread is VERY relevant to the Playstation Anniversary Sale that is going on right now.

Here is the list, currently filtered for PSP: https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/ ... ga-5-81877

[Obiwanshinobi]

Not exclusive, but some liked Disgaea PSP versions best. To me, the graphics on PS2 looked ruined by the sprites filtering, so even if they are filtered on PSP too, small screen should make it easier on the eye. I can see how the games' turn-based nature would fit handheld.
I suppose the Monster Hunter craze in Japan had something to do with quality of the games (as well as their ways of using public space).
Last but not least, I doubt Ridge Racer (2) is all that bad. How's Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception? Is there any flight sim playable, by hook or by crook, on PSP? Some emulated oldie perhaps?

[Thomago]

@Obiwanshinobi: Ridge Racer 2 (which is basically Ridge Racer 1 + extras) is FANTASTIC!

[BONKERS]

PSP-GO aside from the ergonomics. It has the most balanced screen, and the ability to dock it and use a DS3 to get 240p output for PS1 games is pretty nice.

The PSP-3000 is a second but loses a lot of points because of it's display and the sawtooth interlaced like motion artifacts.