PSP 3000 What do you think?

[RyanMurf]

I just picked up my psp 3000. I really think its great. I mean the screen is just amazing. Ive heard alot about the interlacing problems and I dont know if its all of them but mine seems fine. I even tried to look for lines but nothing? I also love how its rounded on the end and not sharp.....much more comfortable. I was wondering if anyone else picked one up and can share their opinions.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Awesome!

That's great news coming from you, as you've seen hundreds of used PSPs come and go in the store.

I suspected that the complaints were hyper-critical.

I can't wait to see it. Whens the next time you work?

[RyanMurf]

today six to nine *EDIT* Sorry I meant 2-8

[refan]

So it doesnt have the screen problems that people have been talking about???

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Well, even if there are interlacing "issues", Murf is the Digital Press PSP repair tech.

If he doesn't see them during normal usage or think it's worth getting worked up over, I think that's worth something.

I'm going to check it out today and I'll share my opinion as well.

[RyanMurf]

So it doesnt have the screen problems that people have been talking about???

Yeah I don't see any interlacing problems. When people talk about it being blurry at times i can kind of understand that. The thing is that the screen is just so good that it make images int he gameplay look Very Very Sharp. Its not anything to get worked up over. I really like this screen over the previous ones.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Played with Murfs PSP's for about an hour today.

Played Socom Fireteam Bravo, God of War and The Simpsons Game, as well as watched some of National Treasure II on UMD.

The resolution lines are definitely present.

However, the OVERALL sharper resolution and increased on-screen colors were also visible as well.

Now, I never had a problem with the PSP 1000/2000's screens respectively ...

and where I can see where a hyper-sensitive gamer might initially be put-off by being able to see the "scan lines" under certain circumstances on the 3000 I don't think it's a deal breaker by any means.

I'm going to hold onto my 2000 for a bit more, but for the expanded color palette, the sharper resolution, the composite output for gaming, and the built in microphone, I can't see any reason not to upgrade.

Additionally, the silver unit no longer has the glossy plastic finish that the 1000 and 2000 have, it's more of a matte plastic finish. Not bad, but I prefer my glossy silver PSP 2000's finish overall.

[RyanMurf]

I wonder when game developers will start releasing games that are more compatible with the higher resolution LCD's. I can only hope its soon because I truly lover this new design.

[Poofta!]

So it doesnt have the screen problems that people have been talking about???

yeah those interlacing problems ive seen are horrible. i would never get a 3000, especially now that sony tells us that its a hardware thing and no software fix for it. i like my psp2000 just fine. plus the 3000 isnt hackable.

[Poofta!]

I wonder when game developers will start releasing games that are more compatible with the higher resolution LCD's. I can only hope its soon because I truly lover this new design.

they arent higher resolution. same resolution, just higher quality and brighter.

[CosmicMonkey]

Anyone able to take really high quality comparison pictures? Or even better, a very high quality video that doesn't involve YouTube anywhere in the equation? Just a short .avi file that we could download with a bittorrent client. Hurrah! Legitimate BT usage FTW!

Due to my current WipEout HD addiction, I have a need for Pure and Pulse.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

they arent higher resolution. same resolution, just higher quality and brighter.

Nobody said higher resolution. *edit* Whoops, looks like Ryan said it!

I said sharper, as in "crisper", better quality screen.

All that aside, have you actually used one, or are you just going by picture and video comparisons online?

[maxlords]

Is anyone else put off by the battery life of these compared to the DS?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Is anyone else put off by the battery life of these compared to the DS?

A.) The official PSP Stamina Battery increases play time by about 40%, it's absolutely worth the price, and all 2000/3000 PSP owners should have one.

B.) I have a DS Lite as well, and with the screen on the standard brightness setting the battery play life of the PSP and DS are pretty comparable.

C.) With the move towards more and more official PSP software being downloadable and played off the memory stick, that saves a good chunk of battery usage ... the UMD drive, laser, motor, etc. don't need to run.

But seriously let's not turn this into a DS vs PSP thread, those make me want to throw myself in front of a bus.

[ProgrammingAce]

Meh, product line is getting stale. Too many problems with the developer tools, not enough resources to devote to PSP projects, new releases slowing down to a trickle...

If this is the best sony can do after 5 years of R&D on the PSP project, i'll pass. If i look at what i bought on launch day 2005 for $250 vs what i can buy today for $200, i'm not impressed.

Note: I own 3 psp and play them daily...

[swlovinist]

I HAD a PSP and a DS. Needless to say, I sold my PSP to get a huge TG 16 score. I want a PSP again, but it looks like the 2000 is what I will settle for. I am not here to pan the PSP, it has a plus side, but on the other hand, it has some pretty big minus ones as well. For me, the system just did not cut it for the portable games I enjoy to play. The battery life along with load times just was not my preferance to play on the go. With that being said, I look forward to getting my white PSP star Wars bundle again, as I will use it as my bedroom game system.


all in all, the PSP is a good first attempt for sony, but I just feel in the end they promised too much and gave too little.

[RyanMurf]

Nobody said higher resolution. *edit* Whoops, looks like Ryan said it!

I said sharper, as in "crisper", better quality screen.

All that aside, have you actually used one, or are you just going by picture and video comparisons online?

oopS! :embarrassed:

[mailman187666]

I think the PSP is a fun system but I am also sad about the new releases slowing down so much. After getting Star Ocean, Final Fantasy XIII Agito is probably the only other one I'd be interested in buying. I think I am going to hold off on the 3000 anyways, or buy it when it comes by itself for cheaper, but my 2000 works great and the upgrades to the 3000 don't justify me buying another one.

[fishsandwich]

I'm really interested on how the hacking community is doing with the 3000. The Pandora's battery easily opened up a lot of PSP's and unbricked quite a few more... I understand it doesn't work on the 3000 so it's back to true hacking.

Does anyone know if any of the new releases (few as there are) will require you to upgrade you OS to the newest version that will no doubt be included on the UMD?

[staxx]

From QJ net

Uh oh. Hearing this after all the PSP-3000 interlacing screen complaints and that bit about the PlayStation EU site withdrawing mention of the new PSP model...? It kinda makes you wonder, y'know? Are these mere coincidences or not?

Thanks to a comment made by akedewboy in a previous article, we now hear about Amazon suddenly cancelling pre-orders for the PSP-3000. A thread on the PlayStation US forum posts the following cancellation email from Amazon:

Hello from Amazon.com.

We are sorry to report that we will not be able to obtain the following item(s) from your order:

"PSP 3000 Limited Edition 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack"

Though we had expected to be able to send this item to you, we've since found that it is not available from any of our sources at this time. We realize this is disappointing news to hear, and we apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you.
We have cancelled this item from your order. [see full email in Via link below]

Some forum goers have also confirmed this - they've gotten the same cancellation email, and still, no one has found any reason why this has happened. Quite simply, it could be a shortage in Amazon's supply chain, as the email suggests.

Be that as it may, it's sparked quite a bit of speculation among other people. Some believe that these orders were turned down because they placed too late, either that or only a certain specific PSP-3000 color or bundle has become unavailable.

While some point to Amazon as the bottleneck for the cancellations, the other side of the speculation bandwagon points at Sony. Another theory holds that these cancellations have something to do with the PSP-3000's interlacing scanlines, and that Sony is doing a recall.

We also did some digging of our own, and according to this other guy in the PS forums, even BestBuy has cancelled its pre-orders (too bad he doesn't have a source to back him up though).

Various online retailers, however, seem to still have the PSP-3000 available. This leaves us at an impasse. Are these cancellations universal for all stores - all kinds of bundles and colors? With that, we suggest you follow up with whichever retailer or branch you've pre-ordered a unit from. We'll update you guys as soon as we get word.

A couple of observant people in the PlayStation EU forums pointed out that almost every single mention of the PSP-3000 has been removed from the official PlayStation EU site's PSP section.

True enough, when you go to the website (see Via link) and check out the "Hardware" section of the PSP, there's no whiff nor word about the PSP Brite. Meanwhile, doing a keyword search on the EU site for "PSP-3000" now only gives you a handful of hits: one from an October 15 news item, and the rest being LGC 2008 press material from August. Why is that?

Over at the PlayStation US website, the same section (namely, PSP -> Hardware) does make mention of the PSP-3000, but with a minor tweak. As some folks at DCemu point out, the Ratchet-PSP bundle has a slight word change in the PSP-3000's description:


They also appear to have changed the description on the American site:
Originally
'This system features an improved LCD screen with the widest color gamut'
Now it says;
'This system features an advanced LCD screen with the widest color gamut'

It's pretty hard to deduce anything concrete out of these weird changes - maybe conspiracy theorists are just getting ahead of themselves. For all intents and purposes, we don't have to panic (yet?): maybe the PlayStation EU site is just undergoing some staggered construction for some PSP-3000 blow-out feature in the near future?

The only reason why this comes as a surprise (a pretty bothersome surprise) is because these discoveries were made following all those recent reports about the PSP-3000 interlacing issues features that people have been complaining about. With that in mind, online speculation now holds that Sony might be silently recalling the PSP-3000 and replacing the old units with "advanced" LCDs.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Well,

I wouldn't be surprised if they change the screen.

While I didn't find it to be an absolutely horrible effect ... and while it wasn't always prevalent, it was there.

I suppose I could get used to it if they never fix it.

The broader color spectrum looks absolutely awesome.

I'm really on the fence about picking one up ... now I'll wait and see if they do anything about the screen.

[PapaStu]

Time for the PSP 4000!

[Poofta!]

no frankie i do not have one nor have i actually physically played one, either way it doesnt matter as to me, i will not tradeoff the nicer screen for lack of hackability and scan lines. if they truly do replace the screen in newer shipments, and the hacking community adapts, i will join the ranks. otherwise, my vader psp is all i need in my pocket for now (esp w/ the dual microSDHC -> pro duo adapter im planning on getting, only $18)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

no frankie i do not have one nor have i actually physically played one, either way it doesnt matter as to me, i will not tradeoff the nicer screen for lack of hackability and scan lines. if they truly do replace the screen in newer shipments, and the hacking community adapts, i will join the ranks. otherwise, my vader psp is all i need in my pocket for now (esp w/ the dual microSDHC -> pro duo adapter im planning on getting, only $18)

Yeah no need to dump a 2000 at the moment.

Not until Sony does something with the PSP 3000 hardware that can't be done with the 2000/1000 hardwarwe.

[frap]

The 3000 is my first PSP. I had a ton of games, but I was never happy with the price and screen of the older PSPs.

The new screen is large, bright, and clear. With still images it is beautiful.

The scanline effect isn't terrible, it's just... disappointing. When you play a game like Ratchet and Clank, it's not that noticeable due to the graphical detail. But a game like Loco Roco, with crisp lines and simple graphics, brings out the "shaky" scanline effect on moving objects. It doesn't help that you're constantly moving the whole screen in that game either. It is distracting.

I'm just surprised that they though this compromise was OK. Maybe it's a lot better than the ghosting on previous models. Maybe I'll just get used to it. In any case, I'll be much more wary of future Sony "upgrades."

Try before you buy.

-frap

[kedawa]

Is there a clear explanation available about the screen problem?
All I can decipher is that there are some sort of horizontal lines.
The PSP display is not interlaced, nor does it have scanlines, so the actual problem must be something else.

[frap]

Is there a clear explanation available about the screen problem?
All I can decipher is that there are some sort of horizontal lines.
The PSP display is not interlaced, nor does it have scanlines, so the actual problem must be something else.

It may be a result of the new pixel structure on the 3000, but that's conjecture at this point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Psp_subpixels.png

Here is an video demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cvoljxkYew

Note the pics at the very end of the video.

It's not a perfect example, but it may help you understand. I will say that it looks worse in the video than in reality.

It may very well be the best PSP screen ever, but compared to other consumer grade LCDs in DSlites, cameras, and ipods it's a bit of a disappointment (except for the size, which is really really nice).

-frap

[Poofta!]

Is there a clear explanation available about the screen problem?
All I can decipher is that there are some sort of horizontal lines.
The PSP display is not interlaced, nor does it have scanlines, so the actual problem must be something else.

here look

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/21/sony-looking-into-psp-3000-interlacing-problems/

[tomaitheous]

I'm wondering where the threshold is for the interlacing artifacts. Is it greater than 30fps or 40fps, etc? That would explain why some games don't show them. I'm also wondering if Sony knew about the interlacing artifacts. It's possible that they assumed interlacing the display would cut down on the blurring of the LCD, which it does. But then you have the interlacing artifact as a trade off. I personally hate seeing interlacing artifacts. Once you are consciously aware them, you'll always see them. It's a distraction for sure (not that blurring isn't).

[RyanMurf]

Just felt like I should post this but I completely forgot about the "problem" of the new screens until I visited this thread again. But you really should test it out before you buy it. If you really have a problem with it then you should stick to the more dull less colorful 2000 screen.-Not that theirs anything wrong with the original ones.

[ProgrammingAce]

fun fact: the 3000 screen still has blurring before the screen "warms up"

it looks like they tried to get rid of the blurring of the previous gens by updating every other row on a refresh. since most games update at 30fps (or less), the interlace becomes noticible.

trying to unlock the framerate in so many different games would cause too many timing bugs. sony is kinda screwed unless they want to either spend more money on the screen or change the size to something "standard" to take advantage of mass production.

[frap]

But then you have the interlacing artifact as a trade off. I personally hate seeing interlacing artifacts. Once you are consciously aware them, you'll always see them. It's a distraction for sure (not that blurring isn't).


If you want to really see this effect, play Loco Roco on a 3000 series. I spent a few more hours with it and the interlacing artifacts are all over the place all the time.

Just demo that game if you want to see the problems in full force.

The ugly artifacts and maddeningly repetitive soundtrack make for an interesting experience :-)

-frap

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/10/27/psp-3000-update/

Further evidence that Sony may be quietly looking for a solution behind-the-scenes without actually making a public statement about it.

I'm going to bet we'll see it remedied in some fashion before year's end.

[Leo_A]

I'm not sure I see how you concluded that. I just see that as saying the bundle was much more successful than they anticipated, so they're going to stick to it exclusively this fall rather than have two SKU's on the market.

Now that I've had the chance to use this thing, I don't see the problems. I'm almost afraid to watch videos online (Only seen still, fuzzy screenshots), so I don't end up seeing the problem. I'm half blind as it is, so the better colors (Didn't really think this could be improved on from the original model, but it has been) and the decreased blurring are great for me since I'm not seeing any interlacing artifacts.

I'm impressed all around by this. I'm not sure its a worthwhile jump for someone that owns the 2000 model (I skipped it so I'm unaware how big of a leap this one was), but its a pretty nice upgrade on my original. Improved contours, nicer controls (This d-pad is actually functional for diagonals this time around), great screen, etc. Other than the cheapness of the UMD drive compared to the original, I think its nice.

Been meaning to ask this, but can the PSN store be accessed to buy a PSP game through a PC? I know you can do it through a PS3, and the PSP now can do it individually, but I'm unable to connect wirelessly since a internet tech was out here to fix something a couple of weeks back.

Also heard rumors a while back that the PSP would be getting Flash 9 like the PS3 just got, did that end up happening? Being unable to connect wireless lately, I haven't been able to check for myself. Would be nice to see the version of Flash upgraded far enough so at least Youtube works, though 9 would be nice so Hulu would be functional.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm not sure I see how you concluded that. I just see that as saying the bundle was much more successful than they anticipated, so they're going to stick to it exclusively this fall rather than have two SKU's on the market.

Or, they could be quietly pre-emptively cancelling another retail SKU so they can work to resolve this screen issue behind the scenes.

It's just a theory ... and having seen the screen issues up close and personal, I simply can't see how Sony can deny that SOMETHING should be done moving forward.

Currently the PC PSN Store is being re-organized, but prior to the PSP Store being added to the firmware of the PSP - you could do exactly that.

Once the store goes back online you'll be able to do so again.

[Leo_A]

I'm hoping your wrong, its going to suck for everyone that were early adapters of this. But I guess that's a risk you take when you buy something so soon.

I don't notice it anyways, so I guess it shouldn't matter to me. :)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm hoping your wrong, its going to suck for everyone that were early adapters of this. But I guess that's a risk you take when you buy something so soon.

I don't notice it anyways, so I guess it shouldn't matter to me. :)

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/10/28/new-media-manager-for-psp/

Here's the official update for the PC PSN Store.

They combined it with the official Sony Playstation Portable Media Manager!

It's up for download/use now.

If I'm not mistaken Sony used to sell that software for like, $30!

Neat!

[Leo_A]

Yep, I had a copy of it in my hands earlier in Wal-Mart and was just about to buy it...

For once I got lucky, didn't have enough money with me to get it. :)

Thanks for the help.

Edit - Is this the full version of Media Manager? That link makes it sound like the free version only has some of the capabilities of the retail version, it doesn't mention for example that you can convert videos to play on your PSP.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Yep, I had a copy of it in my hands earlier in Wal-Mart and was just about to buy it...

For once I got lucky, didn't have enough money with me to get it. :)

Thanks for the help.

Edit - Is this the full version of Media Manager? That link makes it sound like the free version only has some of the capabilities of the retail version, it doesn't mention for example that you can convert videos to play on your PSP.

Don't know if it's full or not.

I don't have much need for it as I've got WiFi and can access the store directly from my PSP now.

If you download it and try it out let us know ... I think it could be the full version.

But even if it doesn't have the file conversion elements, there's PSPVideo9 which has been a great standard for file conversion and management.

[Leo_A]

Just tried, its not the full version. All you seem to get is the management side of it, not the other stuff it can do like video conversion.

I've used third party programs to convert videos to the PSP, but they weren't as userfriendly as I'd prefer. Its been a while since I've done it, so was hoping I'd have a official way to do it that was pretty simple now that I have a few new videos I want to put on it.

[Damaramu]

Well, looks like someone figured out the likely cause of the 3000's screen problem: it's hardware.


The smarty pants at French language website Logic Sunrise got out its 40X microscope in hopes of seeing what exactly was causing the PSP-3000's interlacing issues. The problem, it seems, is that the pixels are arranged horizontally, and the blue pixels are much darker on the PSP-3000. Meaning? Those Logic Sunrise people should get a job at Sony or something, and this seems to be a hardware problem. No wonder the company has "no plans" (http://kotaku.com/5066849/sony-has-no-plans-to-fix-new-psp-display-problems) to fix this.Source: Kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/5071833/that-psp+3000-screen-issue-explained)