Sony PSP-A proud gizmo to own (Small Review)

[sam9s]

Ok Guys, here is a small review of my next purchase a "Sony PSP" (not the slim, slim hasn’t even launched in India yet, though I am not sure about the grey market.) Before buying the PSP, as usual there was a thorough market research for similar kind of products, the only one in India was Nintendo DS. A general survey suggested that PSP is the thing to look for. The main few reasons for me to actually go for the gadget were.....


1. PSP is not only a good Gaming platform, but is a complete PMP (Portable media player),with of course few inconsisties as not having a dedicated HDD

2. The God of hackers have hacked and ripped apart the PSP hardware to its extreme limits. There is almost nothing we can’t do with a PSP with ease and cost effectively. few examples include moview watching and using it as a ebook reader and comic reader.

So Finally I bought it from official Sony Dealer. Was it worth.........go on keep on reading

First impression....

Absolutely amazing piece of hardware. The only color I had as an option was black..........I couldn’t take my eyes off for full 2 minutes when I first saw this gizmo, the shear built quality takes your breath away. Screen is HUGE, no matter how many images you have seen online but when you see the actual stuff, you seriously drop a jaw. It looks high tech, complicated, and beautiful. Screen specs....is a 4.3-inch widescreen TFT LCD that displays 16.77 million colors at a resolution of 480-by-272. The thing to note is 16.77 million colors and wide screen, makes movie viewing a pleasure, and when I say pleasure, it MEANS pleasure. It’s absolute DOT clear, the colors pop, and black is very black. The first time you see one of these in action you will be impressed with it, no question about it (of course you needs to know how to get the conversion done to PSP format, as quality seriously depends on that....more regarding conversion later). PSP includes two built in stereo speakers which in my opinion are poor, they are toooo mild and meek. You can only do casual gaming with them, for proper gaming or movies/music plug in the headphones(not bundled in the India Pack). Listening with headphones changes the entire dimension...... especially for games. It’s loud and sharp and you thoroughly enjoy your gaming with them.
As far as the storage goes, no inbuilt HDD, the only thing you have is the Sony/ScanDisk Mem Stick, on which u store all you movies/Games/songs/Snaps and Save data. So it’s got to be huge. 2 GB does the trick but I still say atleast 4 GB (No mem stick is included in the India Bundle, original is hard to afford, get a fake one but you got to have your PSP with you to try out coz 1 out of every 3 does not work. I got the 1GB for 1100 but only the third one worked).

Sony decided to go with their own proprietary optical media called UMD(Universal Media Disk) and when it was launched UMD was the only way for games but as I said hackers have hacked every bit of PSP hardware so now you can actually rip games from an UMD on to your HDD and convert it to an image ISO or CSO format (or download stright off the net......loads of torrents available) on your Memory Stick and enjoy the game (ofcourse you have to upgrade from the standard default firmware to the custom one. How to do….. is something you need to surf and learn. Loads of tutorials available online........if the need is high I'd upload few).

Now coming to the actual gaming........The face has four buttons on the right hand side, a digital pad on the left, and two shoulder buttons, just like the actual PS2 controller. They even added a nice little joystick (its not exactly a stick but serves the same purpose) on the lower left hand side,
which works and feels good. The moment you pop up a game you actually realize the power of PSP, graphics for games like Burnout Denominator and legend, NFS Carbon, GTA and Rigid Racer are nothing less than stunning for an handheld device. For a moment you forget its a handheld you are holding!!. When playing Burnout Denominator the screen comes alive with
sunsets, detailed backgrounds and crashes. This level of gaming I’ve never seen on a handheld, and there’s almost no compromises made in terms of quality to fit them onto the PSP. It’s even better that it’s in a wide screen aspect ratio — it barely looks like a screen, more like you’re looking out a window into the game world. It’s awesome experience.

Coming to movies, as I already mentioned, movies are a pleasure to watch but u need to know how to encode. The format for PSP here is .mp4, and the only codec supported is H.264 which anyhow is far better than Xvid or DivX. Lots of applications available for encoding like iPSP (Windows and Mac OS X), PSP Video 9 (Windows), and PSP Ware (Mac OS X), but for me the
best turned out to be XviD4PSP. You get an amazing quality under a 500MB file (again you can find tutorials online).
Rest is MP3 and pictures. MP3 sounds as good as it can be if not better than iPod, but you only have 4 preset EQs, which was a major draw back for me plus you can not listen to music and watch snaps at the same time.( Probably some plugin available for that but I havent come across one yet.) Any how still the PSP sounded very decent with acceptable results. Snaps viewing is also absolutely clear with zooming and panning. But as the screen has 16:9 aspect ratio, standard snaps does not cover the full screen you have to zoom it to view it full screen or convert them to PSPs native resolution.

Last but not the least, The PSP offers built-in 802.11b (Wi-Fi). You can play against another PSP over a wireless LAN or the Internet. Up to 16 PSPs can also be connected to one another directly in ad hoc mode for head-to-head contests. You can also browse internet on the inbuilt Browser if an access point is available. There are n number of things you can do with wifi like streaming music and radio stations through your system, playing games off the net etc (My ASUS P5B delux WiFi came in to rescue here).......just keep looking for those......... tutorials ;-)
Finally coming to the battry life. I read on the net that people were pretty skeptical about the battry life PSP offeres but if you ask me, I was pretty satisfied. (probably because of the pathetic battery life iPod offeres when playing a movie.) On an average I was easily getting 4-5hrs at a stretch. With couple of breakups....... 7-10 Hrs is easily possible (which is far far far better than the pathetic 1.5-2 hrs of iPod battry life you get while watching video.) One more thing good in PSP is that the battery pack is removable, so you can always buy an extra pack incase you need one.
Putting the final thought............. PSP is a must own gadget specially when you can have loads of content for it for free, and there are other things you can do like customizing your PSP with themes and wallpapers just like your desktop.
Last but not least is just how great the thing looks, you can’nt play with it without getting the ooohs and aaaahs from the people around you. It looks like something from the future, and you definately feel proud of it.

The price....I got it for 9000 INR Official sony price. (includes just the PSP and the charger)

Few links that might be usefull.......those tutorials.....

http://www.psp-hacks.com/forums/

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation?category.id=psp

Regards
Sammy

Ok Gigacore...that sounds a reasonable suggestion, here r couple of pics from different perspectives.......(not taken by me though, coz I thought that would not make much a difference)

http://i20.tinypic.com/vmxd3q.jpg

http://i20.tinypic.com/2gyab8i.jpg

http://i23.tinypic.com/6xrmeq.jpg

and here is a snap of a game Called Rigid Racer....just an idea how the game looks, but the quality here in the snap is far inferior to the actual quality.

http://i23.tinypic.com/315e7vb.jpg

Enjoy.....

[Gigacore]

Adding few pics would sparkle this thread :)

[deathvirus_me]

you can not listen to music and watch snaps at the same time.
Upgrade to v3.71 ... its lets you do this and many more things .. official one too ..

And , me got a psp few weeks back , and man .. still i'm wondering how i managed to live without such a thing :D ... awesome piece of hardware ...

BTW , me using FW 3.71 M33-2 along with 1.50 Kernel Addon 2 , awesome .. particularly since 3.71 is getting XMB themes now :D ..

PS : uploading a video of Juiced 2 : Hot Import Nights on my PSP ... will post link as soon as it is uplaoded [:P] ..

[ssdivisiongermany1933]

Amazing piece of hardware .... All is about money play

[The_Devil_Himself]

how much it costed you sam?

[sam9s]

Upgrade to v3.71 ... its lets you do this and many more things .. official one too ....

I have 3.52 M33-4. Till now have not faced any issues with it. But m definately gonna upgrade to 3.71.

.. still i'm wondering how i managed to live without such a thing :D ... awesome piece of hardware ... ..

U said it pal, my words, even I am thinking how on earth I bought iPod before PSP. Definately PSP holds much worth than iPod simply because loads of hacks and customewares now available for it.

PS : uploading a video of Juiced 2 : Hot Import Nights on my PSP ... will post link as soon as it is uplaoded [:P] ..

Which app u use to convert....just curious to know???

how much it costed you sam?

I have written the price in the review itself.......got it for 9000/- BTW

Amazing piece of hardware .... All is about money play

yes money does play a role....n I would say PSP for 9000 is worth every penny......same maybe could not be said for Video iPod and definately not for PS3............

[deathvirus_me]

I got it for 8500 bucks :P ... 3.40OE loaded ... and also got myself a 4 GB MSPD Sony original ,,, getting a Sandisk one soon :D ..

[vivekbabbudelhi]

Hey sam glad to see u back here

that’s really a cool piece of hardware which every geek on this planet would love to own..

[ratedrsuperstar]

the new psp will come around for 7-7.5k btw i envy u all psp is the best mobile gaming platform forget the n-gage's and i-pod's i've seen how a movie looks on a psp it leaves u speechless.

[sam9s]

Hey sam glad to see u back here

that’s really a cool piece of hardware which every geek on this planet would love to own..

Thanks vivek....missed you all....and yes PSP i'd say is the very first thing one should look to buy who wants to enter the gizmo world.......hackers have made it truly multipurpose...

forget the n-gage's and i-pod's i've seen how a movie looks on a psp it leaves u speechless.

Absolutely damm right....movie look nothing less than stunning on psp

[max_demon]

I Love Sony Psp , I Relly Love

[anand1]

Good a must gadget !!!!!

[sam9s]

Just thought to let you people know PSP can read TXT and PDF file as well, and it does not just end here........PSP can also read the cbr format with the comic book reader for PSP. So now you can upload all you comic collection to read in those long journeys (if you ever get bored from the awsome games PSP has)

PS:: For PSP owners:: Anybody needs a tutorials on this or any other part like streaming music n radio stations thru wifi.......I can upload few or maybe find you the best one......

[sam9s]

hi sam9s,

i'm planing to go for a Sony PSP slim..u've been using one for a while now so wanted to ask u somethings:

are u useing the original firmware or have u moved to a custom firmware?

what r the complications in using a custom firmware? does it void the warranty?

is it possible and easy to play PSP games that have been dl'ed from the net.

regards
xbonez

I am using custom firmware 3.52 M33-4, and every game I have uploaded has run. Even all simulators for Nintendo, Gameboy advance, PS1. Personally I enjoy most with Nintindo games, the retroactive games like Contra, Mario, TMNT, Double Dragon, TANK, and good old Tetris.

There are complications of flashing your firmware as you definately run the risk of Bricking you PSP, but with so much of online tutorials available and with pendora chances are reduced to just 1-5%, unless you are too careless. However if done correctly the rewards are worth, as you can run virtually every game developed for so many platforms, plus loads of applications like Comic Book reader, Book reader for reading PDFs and TXTs etc can be uploaded.
I have no idea about the slim, which firmware is compatible and which games can run on it, Slim comparitively is new to the market so the hacking research is still in progress as compared to the old one where the hackers have manipulated every code to make it compatible with PSP.
But it definately is a good choise and worth going for.

[Pathik]

^^ Is it possible to revert back to the original firmware if needed? and wat abt the warranty??

[sam9s]

^^ Is it possible to revert back to the original firmware if needed? and wat abt the warranty??

yes you can revert back to the original firmware. Warranty voids the moment you upload custome firmware, but in that way even when we over clock an Intel C2D we void the warrenty, but still almost every body these days OC, atleast to some extent. That is because OC with todays hardware has become very safe. Similarly with PSP, loading custom firmware has become ease and safe. (with pendora etc)

[xbonez]

suppose u revert back, how will sony guys ever know u had once upon a time used custom firmware?

[sam9s]

suppose u revert back, how will sony guys ever know u had once upon a time used custom firmware?

In a similar way an Intel guy would know that proc has been OCed even if you revert it back........hope u know what I mean

u've tried playing .iso UMD game images dl'ed from net?? most fo the torrents for PSP games are .iso

yes I have loads of ISO, CSO, Nintendo, gameboy advance and PS1 games which I have uploaded on to my PSP......not all at one time though coz of storage limitations.

[xbonez]

hmm...though i've finlly decided not to go for the PSP right now oz right now my primary usage is music. plus, if i get the PSP i'll waste too much time watching movies, playing games etc on it which i can't afford with my boards around the corner. i'm gng for the Creative Zen Vision M 30GB now. will get a PSP definitely when i get into a colege

[The_Devil_Himself]

^^that PMP is surely worth every penny,lemme guess the price 13-15k?
well you can consider Zune too,lol it is selling for peanuts now a days and It has excellent sound quality IMO.

[xbonez]

no...i'm getting the Creative Zen Vision M 30GB for Rs. 9.5k from authorised creative sellers - Multilink Computers...that means with guarantee and bill. i even took my creative earphones nd h.phones from them

The PMP and the PSP are costing me nearly the same. since a 2gb memory stick will cost ne rs. 1k and the PSP costs 9k. thats why i was so confuised

[The_Devil_Himself]

there are a lotsa varieties of creative 30gb PMPs then I guess cos some costs as high as 15k iirc.

hey wait do try out cowon before buying any PMP,they have just started selling their PMPs in India and they pwns all iPods.zunes,and creatives in all respects.

[xbonez]

yeah..the one u're talking about is Creative zen vision W 30gb. it costs 15k.

i checked Cowon D2...its entire touch screen and has expandable mem...2gb ver. costs 10k...however, i'm not very interested in it since using the touch screen can be a prob when u're walking, sitting in a bus etc....also one handed operation isn't possible...music quality of cowon and creative zen is more or less the same

[Pathik]

I think u shd rather get a zen vision w.

[xbonez]

dude, its a diff of 5k...even gathering 10k was a bit of a stretch...i would have loved to go for the vision w but its not gonna b possible :(

[sam9s]

^^that PMP is surely worth every penny,lemme guess the price 13-15k?
well you can consider Zune too,lol it is selling for peanuts now a days and It has excellent sound quality IMO.

PSP is 9000/- official sony price. Grey market 7500-8500. Plus Zune is ok if you ask me. I'd prefer iPod shuffle or nano any time over any other MP3 player, because of its shear sound quality.

[MasterMinds]

hello can aybody let me know if the screen is diagnoly 4.3 or the other way

[The_Devil_Himself]

PSP is 9000/- official sony price. Grey market 7500-8500. Plus Zune is ok if you ask me. I'd prefer iPod shuffle or nano any time over any other MP3 player, because of its shear sound quality.
iPods and sound quality?lols.Style bola hota to chal jata.

[napster007]

so in grey market do ypu have any idead how much is it available for??

[xbonez]

@napster : i've checked in Paklika Bazaar, it costs the same, that is Rs. 9000 (try to remember, you were standing right beside me when i asked)

@mastermind : LCD screen sizes are always measured diagonally, so the PSP's screen is 4.3" diagonally

[T159]

@napster : i've checked in Paklika Bazaar, it costs the same, that is Rs. 9000 (try to remember, you were standing right beside me when i asked)

@mastermind : LCD screen sizes are always measured diagonally, so the PSP's screen is 4.3" diagonally
hey its Rs. 8900 on Sony india website

cess charges makes it 9000, damn.

[napster007]

[QUOTE=xbonez]@napster : i've checked in Paklika Bazaar, it costs the same, that is Rs. 9000 (try to remember, you were standing right beside me when i asked)

actually i asked and you were standing remember? now look inside ur brain and u'll probably realize that!!!!)

[xbonez]

a&&, then why the he11 are u asking in the forum when u urself asked the price??

[The_Devil_Himself]

stop this 'domestic' fight guys!school mein hisab barabar kar lena.

[sam9s]

iPods and sound quality?lols.Style bola hota to chal jata.

What the hell am I gonna do with style. Its an MP3 player, it should sound the best. AND iPOD DOES sound the best. Go in the market and compare.....I mean a literal compare and you will know iPod even without the customizable EQs sound excellent. The next best I would say is no other than iriver. The best part with iRiver is that they come with sennheiser headphones, which definately is a plus over iPod. iPod's bundeled headphones are just avg.


@Napster......I like you sig......."All Hail aXXo". Even I agree to that. He is the king of torrent

[The_Devil_Himself]

ipods sux at sound quality buddy compared to other PMPs,cowon and creative beats the hell out of them.They used to be great you know when these players weren't there.

But hey whatever you thinks is the best is best for you.Ans besides sound quality is a highly subjective thing.

[sam9s]

ipods sux at sound quality buddy compared to other PMPs,cowon and creative beats the hell out of them.They used to be great you know when these players weren't there.

But hey whatever you thinks is the best is best for you.Ans besides sound quality is a highly subjective thing.

I am sure that you are one of those who have that "iPod Nervous syndrome", coz it hold that status quality, but that fact is simple, iPod dispite of its over hyped marketing strategy........and style symbol...it sounds equally good. Even I was of the same impression that iPod's success is just a marketing strategy untill I compared like ....100 MP3 players including Cowan n Creative with iPod, and no coubt iPod sounded THE best...PERIOD. Creative not even comes close to iRiver forget about iPod. Agree it suffers other major drawbacks like not able to recharge via normal charger, mandatory use of itunes to transfers files and use of Li-ion battery, but as far as simple sound quality goes iPod wins hands down to any MP3 player existing in the market.

[xbonez]

stop this 'domestic' fight guys!school mein hisab barabar kar lena.

school is closed for winter vacs, yaar :(

[The_Devil_Himself]

^^like I said whatever works for you.its subjective but you can ask someone who really knows what constitute good sound.

iPods are just ok,and I really mean it after listening to each one of iPod.And most people I know think the same.its personal opinion of course and I aint forcing it on you.

@xbonez:I miss the vacations I used to have in School.total masti.

[utsav]

Idhar winter vacs cancelled and extra class.lol

[xbonez]

^^hamare school min bhi yahi plan tha. all kids refused to come in winter vacs. anyways, ab jitni bhi padai karni hai, khud se hi hone waali hai

[Tanmay]

The Slim is available in the Grey Market for only 8000rs !

And after more than 1 and half yr of use, I use the PSP mostly only for Watching all those Unrated Movies over Wifi on the PSP.

PimpStreamer is undoubtedly the must have Application for the PSP, plays any Audio/Video Format (except RMVB) using on-the-fly Encoding. I almost never use my PSP for any other thing these days than watching Movies.

[: SPiRiT :]

HI All, am not a PSP user but yes a hard core modder... Modded my Moto L7, RAZR and now ROKR....

Jus read a review of PSP with the issues of Dead Pixels on the screen is it true... would the PSP owners confirm the same???
Well as a modder.. i suggest PSP is a good piece with its bundles features but as a SONY hardware... i think the after sales services especially for Hardware replacements would be sky high... if u not such a tech geek and jus a audio and video enthu.. go for other mp3 players( u bet u simply cannot beat the competition on the price range)..
i not against portable entertainment however, the video conversions for an portable video player is simply the biggest pain in the wrong place...
Jus my perspective of a portable video player....

Ask the owners of any video players..

[sam9s]

HI All, am not a PSP user but yes a hard core modder... Modded my Moto L7, RAZR and now ROKR....

Jus read a review of PSP with the issues of Dead Pixels on the screen is it true... would the PSP owners confirm the same???
Well as a modder.. i suggest PSP is a good piece with its bundles features but as a SONY hardware... i think the after sales services especially for Hardware replacements would be sky high... if u not such a tech geek and jus a audio and video enthu.. go for other mp3 players( u bet u simply cannot beat the competition on the price range)..
i not against portable entertainment however, the video conversions for an portable video player is simply the biggest pain in the wrong place...
Jus my perspective of a portable video player....

Ask the owners of any video players..

Well no dead pixels for me neither for the two PSPs my friend owns.......Its been running pretty fine till now so no idea about the after sales services. The video conversion thing does seem a pain for a noob, I might say but the reward of getting an absolute stunning picture quality just under 500MB on a PSP seems worth enough to instigate even a noob to try/experiment.

[max_demon]

can we install custom firmware in PSP slim?

[enticer86]

Hey thanks there for writing a detailed review.

[xbonez]

can we install custom firmware in PSP slim?

yeah, though i think it voids ur warranty....but it is possible to install cutom firmware on Slim and run homebrew

[anujsaini]

Can we use Creative's EP-630 with PSP SLIM ???

[Tanmay]

Ofcors yes ! I use my iPhones EarPhones on my PSP.

And PSP Slim does support Custom Firmwares. But to do that you'll need a Fat PSP.

[xbonez]

custom firmwares are available for PSP slim...technically, even PSP does not support custom firmwares since u're not supposed to use them, but there are ways around it.

a cousin of mine bought a PSP slim from china about a week back with custom firmware pre-installed

[apacheman]

any gr8 new features in the PSP slim?

[xbonez]

double the RAM....that should be gud enuff not to mention its much slimmer n lighter

[sam9s]

can we install custom firmware in PSP slim?

Yes its possible, but compatibility might suffer or differ, slim is recently launched and so not much RnD had been done on it (its still in progress). On the other hand lots of add ons, applications, emulators n other stuff has already been floating online.....

Hey thanks there for writing a detailed review.


You are most welcome Enticer....:-)

[sam9s]

Hey dude, I had some queries about the psp.
Which one do u hav? The fatty or the slim?
3.71 m-33 is the latest modded firmware for both right?
M thinkin to get a psp slim now. Is this a good time?
I think I ll get it for 8.5 to 9k.
Did u hav any dead pixels problem?
Which firmware are u using?
Does the slim have any limitation compared to the fatty?
How much does a 2 gb MSPD cost?
what are the accessories u get with the psp?
does it have a standard 3.5mm jack?
Supposing that both r available which one do i get? the fatty or the slim?
is 3.71 m-33 available for both?
also wen do u expect 3.80 modded to be released?
Can we replace the modded firmware with the original one? will warranty be void?
Did u ever have any probs with your psp?
Pls tell in Detail.
Thanks.
Also anything you wd like to tell me about the psp?
...


1.Which one do u hav? The fatty or the slim?

I have the fat one, slim had not reached India when I bought the PSP

2. 3.71 m-33 is the latest modded firmware for both right?

3.80 m-33 is the latest and is out. Checkout the below link....

http://forums.maxconsole.net/showthread.php?t=96734

3. M thinkin to get a psp slim now. Is this a good time?
I think I ll get it for 8.5 to 9k.

Is it a good time???? thats you to decide, there is never a "good" time to buy computer/Tech gadget, coz theres an onlgoing process of upgradadion, today you buy something and its very probable that you will get and updated "better" version tomm, so who know tom we have an Ultra slim PSP with 20GB HDD. So buying is entirly your decission.

4. Did u hav any dead pixels problem?

no neither did 2 of my friends.

5.Which firmware are u using?

I am using 3.51 m-33

6. Does the slim have any limitation compared to the fatty?

Not that I know except maybe that slim is comparitively new to the hackers so the hacks, games, applications, Mods, emulators etc would be less in number as compared to the flood the fatty one has.

7.How much does a 2 gb MSPD cost?

A fake one 1GB costs around 1100Rs NP Delhi price....

8.what are the accessories u get with the psp?

None.....only the charger and the headphones, that too are just avg.

9.does it have a standard 3.5mm jack?

Yes

10.Supposing that both r available which one do i get? the fatty or the slim?

Depends on you, get a slim I guess and wait if any appplication/Mod/Emulator runs in to compatibility issue. Hackers would then soon work out on a solution.

11. is 3.71 m-33 available for both?

Yes I think...

12. so wen do u expect 3.80 modded to be released?

Its released, check out the link I gave earlier.....

13.Can we replace the modded firmware with the original one? will warranty be void?

Yes we can change the moded firmware with the original one. And yes it voides the warrenty if we load the custome firmware.

14.Did u ever have any probs with your psp?

No not at all, but you should be knowing how to load custom firmware. Loading Cust.FW involves flashing the ROM, and that is a bit risky if it isnt done correctly. But once loaded you have an absolute multi purpose PMP, with oodles of features you can enjoy....

Hope I was of some help in getting the doubts cleared.......check out the links for PSP hacks I have provided in the begining of this thread, that would really come in handy while you do the RnD on your PSP.

[Pathik]

K thanks. And also have u tried creating a pandorized battery? how much does a new psp battery cost?

[sam9s]

K thanks. And also have u tried creating a pandorized battery? how much does a new psp battery cost?

better to have another PSP and create the pendora stuff, that way it is more safe and convenient.....no idea about how much does the battery costs....

[Pathik]

Do u hav another psp? Is there ny workaround?

[sam9s]

Do u hav another psp? Is there ny workaround?


No my friend had, I used his to get my PSP up and going.......
If you do not have another PSP you need to downgrade your official firmware to 1.5 in order to load the cust. FW. This is because only 1.5 official FW has the capability/option to load the cust FW. In all other cases where the oficial FW is above 1.5 we need another PSP (already loaded with C FW) in order to load the cust FW.

[napster007]

is there a way of writing a UMD??? (NOT FROM THE PSP)

How much do they cost?(UMD's)

[amitava82]

No, u cannot burn UMD. Sony don't sell UMD burner or Blank UMDs.

[sam9s]

is there a way of writing a UMD??? (NOT FROM THE PSP)

How much do they cost?(UMD's)

No you cant write/burn a UMD but you can definately rip from a game UMD and convert it to an ISO or CSO file. That file then can be loaded on to PSP to run via mem stick. But you got to have a cust firmware loaded for that.

[napster007]

so aleast can i burn it in a psp??

i mean if i want to carry my misic around........don't you think 1gb is a bit less these days?

[sam9s]

so aleast can i burn it in a psp??

i mean if i want to carry my misic around........don't you think 1gb is a bit less these days?

Yes but why would you buy one, I mean a UMD. Loads of game ISOs and CSOs are available on net to download. Also one GB is just bare min. I can load at the most 3,4 games, one movie(500MB is the min size for a decently converted DVD to MP4) and 50 or so songs on 1 GB mem stick....It depends more on the games though. But with the falling prices m sure a 4 GB soon would be under almost everybodys reach.........

[xbonez]

^^ napster says : so, at least I can burn it in a PSP

but, blank UMDs aren't available and PSP only supports UMDs so how can he do that??

btw, currently 4gb is available for 2k

[Pathik]

I think sam misunderstood it. @napster no u cant burn umds.. And xbonez those must be duplicate.

[sam9s]

^^ napster says : so, at least I can burn it in a PSP

but, blank UMDs aren't available and PSP only supports UMDs so how can he do that??

btw, currently 4gb is available for 2k

Well I think what he ment when he said that he can burn it on to PSP is that it can be copied to PSP, and for that I said yes. If he literally means burn then ofcourse not, as I said we cab rip an UMD to a ISO/CSO file that can then be played through PSP......

[napster007]

i ment can i copy the stuff from a card to the umd when both are present in it?

[xbonez]

I think sam misunderstood it. @napster no u cant burn umds.. And xbonez those must be duplicate.

hell yeah....don't even talk about the original ones...they're so damn expensive

[sam9s]

i ment can i copy the stuff from a card to the umd when both are present in it?

nope you cannot copy back to UMD, only from a UMD to card.....

hell yeah....don't even talk about the original ones...they're so damn expensive

yes starts from 2200, the latest one goes up to 4000

[aXisxX]

The Slim is available in the Grey Market for only 8000rs !

And after more than 1 and half yr of use, I use the PSP mostly only for Watching all those Unrated Movies over Wifi on the PSP.

PimpStreamer is undoubtedly the must have Application for the PSP, plays any Audio/Video Format (except RMVB) using on-the-fly Encoding. I almost never use my PSP for any other thing these days than watching Movies.

Can psp play unconverted 700mb movie file over wifi?

[Tanmay]

Yep ^^ ! And any Video format except RMVB ! .avi, .divx, .vob, .mpeg, .dat, etc all work flawlessly !

[sam9s]

Can psp play unconverted 700mb movie file over wifi?

yes it can play quite a few formats as tanmay said, but when you say over wifi I presume you mean streaming video over wifi, if that is the case it can play everything whatever your computer can play as its only displaying streaming video which actually is being played on you computer........

[MetalheadGautham]

Talking about PSPs, I have a few emulatory questions here:

1. Is there a Nintendo 64 Emulator ?
2. Is thare an NES emulator ?
3. Is there a Nintendo DS Emulator ?
4. Is there a Gameboy Advance Emulator ?
5. Is there a DOS Emulator ?
6. Is there an Atari 2600 Emulator ?

I am asking about these emulators because I know it can play PSP CD Images, as well as PS1 CD Images offitially, and I want to know if it can do even more than that.

[sam9s]

Talking about PSPs, I have a few emulatory questions here:

1. Is there a Nintendo 64 Emulator ?
2. Is thare an NES emulator ?
3. Is there a Nintendo DS Emulator ?
4. Is there a Gameboy Advance Emulator ?
5. Is there a DOS Emulator ?
6. Is there an Atari 2600 Emulator ?

I am asking about these emulators because I know it can play PSP CD Images, as well as PS1 CD Images offitially, and I want to know if it can do even more than that.

ans is yes to all, except DOS emulator, I am not sure. BTW what would that be used for........

[MetalheadGautham]

ans is yes to all, except DOS emulator, I am not sure. BTW what would that be used for........
does it emulate them full speed ?
and DOS is for novelity and to play dos games.

[sam9s]

does it emulate them full speed ?
and DOS is for novelity and to play dos games.

what do you mean by full speed..... I can play all nintendo games (contra, mario, tank, tennis, TMNT, double dragon ect) without any glitches.....
when you say DOS games you mean like Duke Nukem, if yes I would really like to try and find out this dos emulator works or not, there are few dos games like shadow warrior, Blood I'd like to have them on my PSP....

[aXisxX]

I have Wifi router and pc? Im just wondering which ip should I use in psp to connect to my pc. and for all psp users! Is psp screen so bright enough to watch movies,videos without straining our eyes. do you guys feel eye strain when you watch a movie or video on psp. and how do guys know what is fake and what is original memory cad.

[amitava82]

You do not need to specify an IP in PSP. If your wifi access point is setup correctly, it connects automatically. And the screen, its the best I have seen on a portable gaming device.. Insert the card in PSP, from XMB select memory card, press "triangle" button and select information. It should say MagicGate supported. Fake cards do not support magicgate. Stay away from them.

Regarding DOS emulation, use PSP DOSBox..

[aXisxX]

I have another similar question can psp play a unconverted eg:700mb movie file dumped in psp.

[sam9s]

You do not need to specify an IP in PSP. If your wifi access point is setup correctly, it connects automatically. And the screen, its the best I have seen on a portable gaming device.. Insert the card in PSP, from XMB select memory card, press "triangle" button and select information. It should say MagicGate supported. Fake cards do not support magicgate. Stay away from them.

Regarding DOS emulation, use PSP DOSBox..

All information correct except staying away from the fake one....I agree fake ones do not support magic gate plus only one out of 4 works but the only adv I could find with magicgate was higher transfer rate. Also once the card is working its stays that way even if it is fake. I am using a 2GB and a 4GB fake one for months now without any problem what so ever..........

PSP Dosbox....mmm leme try that....would dos games like Duke Nukem, Blood, Shadow warrior work with this......

I have another similar question can psp play a unconverted eg:700mb movie file dumped in psp.

PSP can only play a file compressed to resolution 480x272. Compressed using h.264 codec with MP4 container.............and good converter can convert a DVD file in to 500MB with amazing quality.

[aXisxX]

does you eyes get strained when you watch movies on psp?

[sam9s]

does you eyes get strained when you watch movies on psp?

Nope....nothing that I felt......However I play all my videos at second brightness level.....

[amitava82]

Well, I had a fake 4GB card and I could not play any ISO from it. Also I used to get error message while copying files. I returned it and got a 4GB Sandisk Ultra II. So, I think its better to stay away from fake cards to be in safer side..

[aXisxX]

^ whats the cost? Im assuming that sandisk makes only original mem cards ? and should i look at any specific version when buying a psp and
which screen guard should i get. Note: im gonna mod it *ahem* and u guys gonna help me to do it lolz.

[amitava82]

I paid $46. Sandisk cards are faster than sony. Sandisk makes different models depending on speed, there is Ultra III but very expensive. Use Hori screen protector. They are so transparent that you can't make the difference. Also you may wanna buy a carry case. Regarding modding, we really can't hep you from here since you need a Phat PSP battery. I had to buy a Phat PSP battery and hardware mod it in order to install custom firmware into my Slim.

[sam9s]

Well, I had a fake 4GB card and I could not play any ISO from it. Also I used to get error message while copying files. I returned it and got a 4GB Sandisk Ultra II. So, I think its better to stay away from fake cards to be in safer side..

yes and this is the reason I took my PSP along with me to NP when I bought my cards. It was easy to test right then and there :-)........ and as I said he gave me 4 cards to test and the 4th one worked....and is still working perfectly....

^ whats the cost? Im assuming that sandisk makes only original mem cards ? and should i look at any specific version when buying a psp and
which screen guard should i get. Note: im gonna mod it *ahem* and u guys gonna help me to do it lolz.

sony's 1GB costs around 3000 and the fake ones around 700-800, no idea about scandisk........I got no screen guard, but you can get it laminated, that should be fine..............

[aXisxX]

I paid $46. Sandisk cards are faster than sony. Sandisk makes different models depending on speed, there is Ultra III but very expensive. Use Hori screen protector. They are so transparent that you can't make the difference. Also you may wanna buy a carry case. Regarding modding, we really can't hep you from here since you need a Phat PSP battery. I had to buy a Phat PSP battery and hardware mod it in order to install custom firmware into my Slim.

We can install Custom FW on psp slim, and play *ahem* games right? I thought that psp version doesnt matter anymore! whats this pandora's battery thingy? how much does the fat psp costs now?

[Tanmay]

To Install CFW on a Slim PSP you compulsorily need a Fat PSP, The fat PSP's battery can be converted into a Pandora Battery, i.e. used to bypass all protections and access the PSP without restrictions and recover it.

So get a Slim PSP only if its already Custom Firmwared or if any of ur friend has a Phat PSP !

[amitava82]

If you don't mind spending little extra for a spare Phat PSP battery, then get a Slim. Make sure its a original battery, not a fake one. You can mod the Phat battery n install custom firmware. Google for pandora's battery.. u'll get the info

[╬Switch╬]

Whats the cost of the new PSP slim in India??
Im planning to get one this summer.

[smit]

Well guys here are my 2 cents i prefer DS over PSP though i own neither of them but i have seen both of them in action but DS is better manily many great camps are on DS e.g Legend of Zelda & some other nice features but PSP is also good but i like Nitendo DS.

[Tanmay]

Whats the cost of the new PSP slim in India??
Im planning to get one this summer.

8500 Grey Market !

[sam9s]

We can install Custom FW on psp slim, and play *ahem* games right? I thought that psp version doesnt matter anymore! whats this pandora's battery thingy? how much does the fat psp costs now?

As I said......

If you do not have another PSP you need to downgrade your official firmware to 1.5 in order to load the cust. FW. This is because only 1.5 official FW has the capability/option to load the cust FW. In all other cases where the oficial FW is above 1.5 we need another PSP (already loaded with C FW) in order to load the cust FW.

[aXisxX]

^ what about psp slim can we install CFW downloaded from net via USB.

[xbonez]

Whats the cost of the new PSP slim in India??
Im planning to get one this summer.

8900 showroom price with Sony india warranty

[sam9s]

^ what about psp slim can we install CFW downloaded from net via USB.

I guess we can, I cant assure you as I do not own slim PSP, but google and you will get all answeres..........

[amitava82]

^ what about psp slim can we install CFW downloaded from net via USB.
No you cannot. You need pandora kit i.e., you need a special battery that enables Slim to boot into service mode and you need a specially created Memory card which contains the firmware and some other stuffs. The stuffs for the memory can be downloaded from net and the battery, you need a Phat PSP battery which has to be modded to be able to boot into service mode.

[sam9s]

No you cannot. You need pandora kit i.e., you need a special battery that enables Slim to boot into service mode and you need a specially created Memory card which contains the firmware and some other stuffs. The stuffs for the memory can be downloaded from net and the battery, you need a Phat PSP battery which has to be modded to be able to boot into service mode.

well you can still load CF without pandora if you have 1.5 official firmware which is what I said. You just need to unpatch 1.5 firmware by running patch tool (its just enable homebrew in there) then we need the 3.52 official firmware image(can be downloaded through net) and 3.52 m33 installer tool so we can make 3.52 m33 installer. After that just run and install.

I am doubtfull in case of slim as I never have tried that on slim, but as I said should not be much of a difference in the way we mod slim.

[amitava82]

First of all: Lowest firmware version for slim is 3.60 and Slim firmware does not support 1.5 kernel. Therefore forget about getting a Slim with 1.5 firmware. You must need pandora kit.

There are only two way to mod a Slim: Either find someone with a Phat PSP with custom firmware installed in it. So that you can convert his battery to a pandora battery and once you are done you can revert it back to normal battery. Second option (my case) buy a Phat PSP battery break open it cut the 5th leg of EPROM chip and you will have a pandora battery. unfortunately you cannot use it as normal battery again.

[sam9s]

First of all: Lowest firmware version for slim is 3.60 and Slim firmware does not support 1.5 kernel. Therefore forget about getting a Slim with 1.5 firmware. You must need pandora kit.

There are only two way to mod a Slim: Either find someone with a Phat PSP with custom firmware installed in it. So that you can convert his battery to a pandora battery and once you are done you can revert it back to normal battery. Second option (my case) buy a Phat PSP battery break open it cut the 5th leg of EPROM chip and you will have a pandora battery. unfortunately you cannot use it as normal battery again.

mmmm so you cant downgrade to 1.5 on slim, is that what you are saying........if that is the case then yes the only option left is to get another fat one......As I said I have not done any RnD on slim so was not sure...........

[Tanmay]

Yep the Slim will brick if 1.5 is tried on it !

[aXisxX]

My dealer doesnt have psp slim in stock, he has psp fat! Whats the current price of psp fat? and which version is good? and how to check the version??? should i get psp normal over psp slim?

[aXisxX]

1.How much time should i charge psp slim for the first time. can i use it while charging?Should i leave it overnight for charging help!

2.and i dont have installed screen guard coz the dealer doesnt have em, he said the screen guard will available in 2 days. should i wait or get it laminated if yes where can i get it laminated in hyd?

3.how to protect the screen from dust and all kinds of particulars, any guidelines till i get the screen protector.

[Pathik]

So is there any need for a pandorized battery to mod a Phat PSP?
Or can we directly downgrade to FW1.5 and install 3.52/3.71m33?

[max_demon]

purchased a psp slim :) yes via ebay , w8ing for psp to come

[sam9s]

So is there any need for a pandorized battery to mod a Phat PSP?
Or can we directly downgrade to FW1.5 and install 3.52/3.71m33?

We still need pandora to load CF, but if we do not have another fat PSP we can downgrade to 1.5 because only 1.5 official firmware has capability to make pandora. Once pandore is loaded we can load the CF on to PSP.

[aXisxX]

1.How much time should i charge psp slim for the first time. can i use it while charging?Should i leave it overnight for charging help!

2.and i dont have installed screen guard coz the dealer doesnt have em, he said the screen guard will available in 2 days. should i wait or get it laminated if yes where can i get it laminated in hyd?

3.how to protect the screen from dust and all kinds of particulars, any guidelines till i get the screen protector.

help!

[amitava82]

1. Till battery information says 100%. There is no hard rule regarding how long it has to be charged. Yes u can. You can even take out the battery n keep the charger plugged in and play. Do not over-charge any electronics device.

2. Instead of laminating, get a screen protector.

3. No idea. May be you can keep it in a safe vault till u get the screen protector.

[aXisxX]

Thanx a lot...u cleared 75% of my doubts!

1. Can i use microSD on psp with adapter, If yes are there any adapters in market ( i got sandisk 2gb micro sd card i want to use it with psp).

2. if there's no microSD adapter for psp? which memory card should i get! 2gb or 4gb sony or sandisk.

3. how to check the memory card genuine or not any tips on this would be helpful.

[xbonez]

will u get a microSD to memory stick pro duo adapter??? i've never seen one

[aXisxX]

Its available but not in india! can anyone confirm this?
http://videogame.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00424&dept_id=006&cat_id=007

been searching to install CFW on psp slim without phat psp and pandoara battery, reading every guide, tutorial theres a catch at the end says u need either pandora battery or hard mod the psp which risky!

which memory card is better sony or sandisk for psp slim.

[sam9s]

Its available but not in india! can anyone confirm this?
http://videogame.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00424&dept_id=006&cat_id=007

been searching to install CFW on psp slim without phat psp and pandoara battery, reading every guide, tutorial theres a catch at the end says u need either pandora battery or hard mod the psp which risky!

which memory card is better sony or sandisk for psp slim.

you cannot load CFW without another PSP unless you downgrade to 1.5 WHICH as we already discuessed, confirmed by amitava is not possible on slim. SO you got to arrange another PSP. AFA I know you have to have pandora, otherwise there is no way you can slavage if your PSP bricks. Do not take the risk, go pandora way that is the safest.

Sony original I guess would always be better, but thats very expensive. Atleast get a 2 GB, I have 3, 2GB cards for different purposes.....

[amitava82]

Yes, Only way is pandora. today I installed original 3.90 firmware which has Skype (only for Slim) and Internet radio... Both are cool. Since I have Pandora Kit I can go back to any firmware I want including new M33 3.90. So having a Pandora kit is very handy. IMO Sandisk makes better memory card. You can check some benchmarks online, its faster than sony and price is also less.

[yogi7272]

got sandisk 4gb for 2.4k

[aXisxX]

Are there any fat psp users in hyd. need help on installing CFW on psp slim.

[aXisxX]

Yes, Only way is pandora. today I installed original 3.90 firmware which has Skype (only for Slim) and Internet radio... Both are cool. Since I have Pandora Kit I can go back to any firmware I want including new M33 3.90. So having a Pandora kit is very handy. IMO Sandisk makes better memory card. You can check some benchmarks online, its faster than sony and price is also less.

what do u guys say? should i get 2gb two cards or single 4gb card! im also looking for a dude who can install CFW on my slim Im in HYD BTW!

[sam9s]

one 4 GB, unless yoiu want to keep your colelctions on different cards......else one 4GB, coz changing cards become a pain on regular purpose......

[max_demon]

Any Dude With Phat PSP or Pandora Battery in Nagpur can help me in installing CFW in my PSP ?

[aXisxX]

one 4 GB, unless yoiu want to keep your colelctions on different cards......else one 4GB, coz changing cards become a pain on regular purpose......

Atlast got 4gb card man it was pain is ass! ( i got psp 3 to 4 days back) today
got the memcard and still no one is comming forward to help me to to install CFW.

1.I connected the psp to my pc and formatted the card and again formatted
the card by using psp's format option is this okay?

2. the first time when i formated thru pc the all psp folders gone! now they are back again when i formated the card by psp options.

3.I can watch videos on my psp right? but where shd i drop them which folder? and what resolution shd i use and software?

4. can i play demo's and ps1 games on psp without CFW installed? or can i run
any emulators without CFW?

[max_demon]

Atlast got 4gb card man it was pain is ass! ( i got psp 3 to 4 days back) today
got the memcard and still no one is comming forward to help me to to install CFW.

1.I connected the psp to my pc and formatted the card and again formatted
the card by using psp's format option is this okay?

2. the first time when i formated thru pc the all psp folders gone! now they are back again when i formated the card by psp options.

3.I can watch videos on my psp right? but where shd i drop them which folder? and what resolution shd i use and software?

4. can i play demo's and ps1 games on psp without CFW installed? or can i run
any emulators without CFW?

1. Okey

2.No Problem

3.Use PSP Video 9

4.Yes u can play Demos , but not Emulators or PSX games

http://www.pspblenderblog.com/2007/09/07/free-psp-demo-game-downloads/
http://www.pspblenderblog.com/2007/01/20/psp-blender-every-psp-demo-game-free-downloads/

here r links which i used for downloading demo games

[aXisxX]

ok thx man!

one more query!

1.should i erase i mean format again, when i want to install CFW.

2. which way is better format using windows or format using psp inbuilt options!

[max_demon]

to install CFW on PSP use mpspformat.exe tool

[aXisxX]

Should i format it myself! before i give it to a friend for CFW installation.what other things should i look out for.

[teknoPhobia]

My account was having some probs so I could not post earlier, so here's some quick info.

1) You don't need another phat PSP, however, you do need a PAndora Battery if you are going to install custom firmware. If you have a PSP 1000 with CFW, then you can turn any batt into a Pandora Batt. (You can try Phiine.com, they ship to india)

2) You do need a spare 256 MB+ MS Pro DUO, Sony/Sandisk are guaranteed to work, others could brick your PSP.

3) A Win XP machine (Sorry, no Vista) as the Pandora easy installer does not work reliably on Vista.

You use Pandora easy installer to turn your memory stick into a magic memory stick with the necessary firmware updates. Plz note that installing Kernel 1.5 is not recommended for Slim.

Use PSP Video 9 for video conversion, it works well.

I own a Slim PSP. I have not converted to CFW as I do not feel the need to yet, but I have the makings :P In any case you can get PSP games between 500 to 1200, which IMHO is pretty reasonable. (Also there are all of 3 games I (want to) play on the PSP :P)

Buy the biggest memory card you can afford (You can get a Sony 8GB stick for about 6k) as I very quickly ran out of space on my 4GB card.

[aXisxX]

1. My Slim doesnt glow green even after 100 percent charge, it glows orangish when charging but after charging complete it doesnt glow orange or green. when i switch on the psp and check battery info it says charge 100 completed.
Is this normal? same thing happens when charging by usb power.

2. which is best for charging USB or Adapter(psp) which one charges fast?

3.Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the fingerprints off my psp screen? i got colin and one yellow soft cloth shd i use these to get them off my screen and before applying screen gaurd?

4.should i get hori screen protecter or nomal mobile shop screen protector which one is better are there any alternatives?

[teknoPhobia]

As far as point 1 is concerned, it's perfectly all right. Adapter charges faster. Leave the fingerprints as they are. any screen protector works

The lights are normal, adapter charges faster, ignore fingerprints and any screen protector works

[MasterMinds]

can anybody tell me the required tools other than the psp(not slim)to flash it to custom firmware and provide me links to download the required files. . .
and to some tutorial and one more question is there any performance difference in psp slim and the normal psp?
Ad what memory card format dose psp use.. . . .do v need to use cfw to play video files from memory card and run downloaded games means te image files from net(torrents). . . .????

[girish.g]

any way to remove scratches from PSP screen

[ratedrsuperstar]

anyone in mumbai with phat psp.i'm buying psp slim on sunday.AFAI've understood u could return the psp fat to the fella when u're done modding your slim one.anywhere in mumbai i could get the CFW one slim?

[max_demon]

in nagpur phat psp anyone?

[Pathik]

Is there any place in Mumbai to get a CFW (3.52/3.71/3.80/3.91m33) PSP Slim??
And also if we get such a modded PSP Slim then do we need the Pandora Battery / Phat PSP again to upgrade it to newer m33 CFWs?

[max_demon]

i m in urgent need of finding Phat PSP in nagpur . please i need to recover my bricked psp

[ratedrsuperstar]

got psp slim from lamington road mumbai with 2 4gb sony cards for 11.5k.8.5k for psp hacked 3.71 m33-2.for more info pm me

[Pathik]

^ygpm ;)

[teknoPhobia]

can anybody tell me the required tools other than the psp(not slim)to flash it to custom firmware and provide me links to download the required files. . .
and to some tutorial and one more question is there any performance difference in psp slim and the normal psp?
Ad what memory card format dose psp use.. . . .do v need to use cfw to play video files from memory card and run downloaded games means te image files from net(torrents). . . .????


You don't need CFW to play movies

[crack_head]

@ratedrsuperstar...hmm 1.1k for 4GB sony Memory stick. Mind posting the pictures of them. Just wanna help you check whether they're the original ones.

[PSPGURU]

^^^
Yes thats a fake one. Original 4GB card from Sony cost 3340/- includes Taxes and warranty.

[ctrl_alt_del]

@ratedrsuperstar...hmm 1.1k for 4GB sony Memory stick. Mind posting the pictures of them. Just wanna help you check whether they're the original ones.

Just check in the PSP Systems menu to see if it says "MagicGate Enabled".

If this message is there, then its a genuine memory card or else you have been duped.

[Pathik]

Isn't it obvious that they are fake? He also knows it I think.

[PSPGURU]

Just check in the PSP Systems menu to see if it says "MagicGate Enabled".

If this message is there, then its a genuine memory card or else you have been duped.

If its original it will display in the psp as

Magic Gate : Supported

If its a fake one it will show as

Magic Gate : Unknown

[superboysahil]

ok thx man!

one more query!

1.should i erase i mean format again, when i want to install CFW.

2. which way is better format using windows or format using psp inbuilt options!

go in psp settings. do not do this with pc

[girish.g]

how to run iso files on PSP(fat one)