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The new PSP 3000 - Is it time to upgrade your hand-held?

by Steven Williamson on 2 September 2008, 10:42

Tags: PlayStation Portable, Sony Computers Entertainment Europe (NYSE:SNE), PSP

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Perhaps a microphone will tempt you?

Improved Communications

If you use the PSP for communication with friends and relatives using the likes of Skype, you'll now be able to use the built-in microphone, which can also be used for games that make use of the mic, including the likes of Killzone Liberation and Syphon Filter Dark Mirror. The new microphone will certainly come in handy for those who don't like wearing an uncomfortable headset, but personally, whether we're talking on Skype on the PC, or gaming on Xbox 360 or PC, we prefer to use a headset, otherwise we just feel stupid talking to thin air. You can buy a headset and microphone for as little as £10, which does the job perfectly.

There's not that many games that make use of it anyhow and we could count the amount of people we've heard speaking online on one hand. It's a feature that does little to tempt us to part with extra cash, but we can see how others may find the convenience of not having to search around for a headset welcoming.

Does it looks sexier?

Aesthetically, the PSP 3000 looks almost identical to the PSP 2001. The anti-reflecting case, however, will ensure that we don't get the glare from the side-panels, so there should be no flickering distractions that take your focus away from the screen. You'll also notice from the picture below that the metallic ring on the casing has been made smaller. However, in this respect, we still think the PSP 2001 actually looks more stylish with its thicker, more prominent metallic ring.

There will be two new colours available with the new PSP, the “Pearl White” and “Mystic Silver", so you can totally change the look if you so wish.



If you're the type of person who has to have the latest and greatest gaming console/hand-held, then the PSP 3000 will probably appeal to you and at around £100 after trade-in, it's not the worst purchase in the world.

With the phasing out of the PSP 2001 happening in the next couple of months, if you're in the market for a fancy new hand-held then it's the perfect time to start your PSP experience. If you own one of the previous models however, we don't think it's worth £100 to upgrade to a model that is essentially the same as the PSP 2001, albeit with a better quality screen. Personally, our PSP looks just fine in that respect. All in all, the new PSP 3000 just doesn't offer enough new features to get us that excited.

* Trade-in prices quoted are for base models, if you have 1GB pack etc, you'll get slightly more.



HEXUS Forums :: 13 Comments

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hopefully the new screens will be able to be placed in the older models :)
bledd
hopefully the new screens will be able to be placed in the older models :)

Definitely, I wonder how much they'd cost?
a decent amount of built in memory would make it more tempting.

also come on sony, throw in the better battery as standard!!
I used o have a psp quite a while ago, this is pretty tempting to get back into it :)
Certainly a waste of time “upgrading” - but for new customers, sure, why not..