Save your money: Avoid PSP Go
If you have spent $250 already on Sony’s new PSP Go handheld gaming system, Game Guy feels sorry for you.
He did, and he’s feeling plenty sorry for himself.
Because ever since Game Guy got a Go when it debuted Thursday, he has been underwhelmed with the device. This new toy, ostensibly pitched as a replacement for the current line of PlayStation Portables, is like a box of Cracker Jack minus the Cracker Jack but with only the cheap, throwaway prize inside. Who really buys Cracker Jack for just the prize, anyway?
The PSP Go, open and closed. (Photo courtesy of Sony)
So where should we start with this thing? Well, we’ve mentioned the price, about $80 more than its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable. True, the Go is 2 inches shorter, thus more compact. And it at least has 16 GB of built-in memory, compared to PSP’s 32 MB, so that’s a check mark in Go’s favor. (Go’s usable storage, in fact, is only 14 GB; about 2 GB are dedicated to … well, exactly what nobody knows). But Go is just $50 less than a PlayStation 3, and PS3, while certainly not as portable, comes with a Blu-ray drive.
And PSP Go is slow — painfully so. Sony elected not to install a clunky UMD media drive, deciding instead that all Go media should be downloaded wirelessly. A nice idea in theory, but Sony went with the slower, older 802.11b wi-fi technology found in older PSPs instead of something newer and faster, meaning game downloads and firmware updates on Go require long waits. Not good for a device that relies on downloads for almost everything.
For example, the day Go debuted, Game Guy had to wait through a 20-minute firmware update and 40-minute update of the proprietary USB connectivity software called Media Go — and all that was before he waited another 45 minutes just to download and install his first game. The wasted time was galling enough, but having to install a firmware update on the device’s debut date borders on ridiculous.
Compounding the silly is the USB connector, unique to PSP Go and expensive to replace if lost or broken, but necessary for the cumbersome task of transferring stored files on the PSP to a PC or PS3 before moving them over to the Go.
It would be easier to simply pull out the Memory Stick Duo (in first-generation PSPs) or the PRO Duo (in newer PSP Slim & Lite systems) and move it over to Go, but of course this can’t happen either. Go employs the smaller Memory Stick Micro. Also, the Media Go software necessary for file transfers can be balky; Game Guy had to reinstall it twice before it worked properly, wasting another 40 minutes.
But none of the updates or file transfers to get Go going were possible before fully charging Go’s battery. Even with the device plugged into a wall outlet, it refused to accept an update until the battery itself was charged. There went 90 minutes more down the tubes. Worse, once the battery is charged, it dies in a day even without heavy use.
In all, Game Guy spent about four hours waiting to use a gaming device that should have worked right out of the box, as the PSP did. Then, once he started, his impression of Go’s aesthetic tumbled: The screen slides up to reveal directional buttons that are too close together and an analog stick that players must reach in for, instead of down from the directional buttons as on the PSP — an action that feels more natural.
Furthermore, sliding Go’s screen away from the buttons ruins the device’s balance, forcing players to hold Go awkwardly on the tips of their forefingers while reaching down with their thumbs to operate the controls. Press buttons too vigorously and one risks dropping the thing.
Thus, it becomes clear to Go owners that either Sony wasn’t rubbing all its brain cells when designing this device, or a very special effort was made to develop something that would cost users much more over time than their initial $250 outlay and be uncomfortable at the same time.
Game Guy could go on and on about Go’s faults, but you get the picture by now. So, stick with the PSP and don’t get the Go, at least not until Sony does something with it that suggests the company is thinking more with its head than its wallet.
I’m not gonna say that the PSP Go is worth the $250 price tag when a PS3 is $299. That is a bit much to ask during a recession. However, this article was written by someone who didn’t really feel they needed to do their research. The PSP 3000 has 32 mb of built in memory as was previously pointed out, which is used for game saves. Out of the box it does first need to be charged just as with any other portable electronic device with an internal rechargeable battery. Unless you want to diminish your long term battery life. And as far as the 2gb out of the 16 that you don’t get to use that goes towards “what nobody knows”. Come on. Have you ever owned a computer? They all have what is known as an “operating system”. In this case 2gb goes towards the PSP’s operating system which includes the cross media bar and all of its various options. Please just do some research before writing any future articles. This one is embarrassing to the website.
Umm I own a psp 1001 havent bought a game in years due would like a pocket size psp and love new tech…. sooo yea the go is a must buy for me..
I have a PSP and so does my son, I just bought him a 16gig memory card because I’m planning on getting the PSPGo. When you download games on a PS3 you can load them on more than one PSP, so we can both have the same games and even play Adhoc. It’s pretty cool because you can’t do that with a UMD. Also, the UMD’s aren’t very durable. A lot of my sons older games don’t run well and sometimes break completely. Of course, he doesn’t take care of them as well as I would, which is another reason downloadable games are great. I’m not sure how the PSPGo will pan out for Sony, but I can’t wait to get one(waiting to see if the price comes down before xmas) and I think downloadable games are worth the price.
I don’t mind harsh criticism; it’s a fact of blogging. But keep a civil tongue and knock off the personal attacks, or your post will be deleted.
I just bought a psp go to replace my slim model psp because i like to have the latest sony gaming devices. I love my psp go. It took me a 20min download for update and 20 for granturismo. It was annoying to have to update but still a fine system. The visuals were amazing at least an GT. I love the idea of the built in harddrive I also like the fact that the buttons are covered to keep them from being beat on while in your pocket and a hard case will protect the screen. 249 was a hefty price but i think the go has alot of potential and i belive once the price drops more people will buy it.
So I guess its sonys fault you have a slow internet connection and huge hands, and cant wait for a full charge? It took me less than 30 minutes to download and install firmware AND load all 16 or so games (after a full charge). I dont understand all this sony hate going around. I mean its a gaming system, its not hurting anyone.
I baught the PSP GO a couple days ago because I thought it would be cool to have all my games downloaded etc etc. So I modded my old PSP just for kicks because ive never done it B4. I was surprised at what I was missing out on! I could get PSP games for free + emulators. So I pretty much returned the GO and baught a 16gig card with 1/4 of the money i used to buy the GO because I realized that it was pretty idiotic to buy something I already have.
plz don’t buy the GO if you already have a PSP.
The Psp is a powerful system, i still use my psp 2000 and i fancy it better than the Go simply because of the screen size. it fits well in my pocket but a little bulky on most occasions. i agree with the overpricing of the psp go. Yes, it was just released but still, its too much for a psp. I can always buy a 16 Gb mem stick and use it. The psp go will also hurt retail stores without umd’s and this will result in market cannibalism. I think the go will not succeed and the DSi will remain on top. Nintendo really knows how to market their products. Sony is now competing directly with apple and nintendo. They should have focused on gaming rather than focus on other media. This is the reason why scrapped the umd and made it smaller because they were threatened by the presence of apple in the gaming industry.
i dont get it, people have been demanding a smaller PSP for ages.
now sony has given them one and there still bitching.
just like when the ps3 released, people were bitching its too expensive, so sony cuts some things to lower the price and they still bitch.
what do they have to do to make you happy?
you ask for 1 thing so they give it to you so you bitch some more.
though i have to agree that its extremely disappointing sony has gone for the extremely dated B wireless instead of G or even N.
i was so shocked and disappointed when i found out the ps3 slim does not support wireless N and it does not support 5GHz wireless frequency, and even more disappointed when i found out it only supports a maximum of 54Mbps wireless connection speed.
my laptop is 2 years old, 2 years older tech than the ps3 and it supports all of that stuff out the box.
even the 360 supports wireless N now, so sony pull your finger out your a$$ and get yourself organized.
this is embarrassing.
how can a 500 AUD piece of equipment come out without wireless N technology.
whats next?
scrapping the bluray drive for a CD drive.
OK, so you wrote an article becuase you didn’t think ahead.
I’ve got a PSP Go, and the first thing I did when I got it out of the box, was stick it on to charge while I read the instructions of how long I needed to charge it (it didn’t say a specific time, so I figured I’d let it charge until the light went out to show it was).
While it was doing that, I installed Media Go (which didn’t take long) and updated it. I’ll admit that having to update the firmware was a bit annoying, but only took me about 10mins. And is necessary because your device was probably built about 3 or 4 weeks ago (to enable it to be shipped) and the FW is less old than that…
As for the buttons/stick config, I guess you’ve just got used to the OLD PSP controls. For me moving from PS3 only, having the stick inside the D-buttons is where I expect it to be. I mean, that’s where it is on a controller…
Anyway, it’s been 4 days now, and I’m loving it.
The only major gripe I have (and this is something that Sony should really have thought of) is that there is NO protective case of any kind in the box. And it’s hard to find them in stores nearby. They really should have at least given users something to slide their PSP Go into, even if it was only expected to last for a few months until they got something more substantial…