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Review by J.D. for PSP 3000 Core Pack – Black
Rating:
The all new slimmer PSP 3000 comes in with a couple of new upgrades over the 2000 model. Primarily for the Skype functionality, a microphone is onboard along with a reduced glare 4.3″ screen. Its a given that fingerprints will still be a continued issue for the PSP line. Thankfully, the age old problem of ghosting has yet to appear on my new PSP 3000.

One of the sweeter features now is an upgraded (AV) video output support. Owners can now operate their systems with regular (NON HD) TV. I suggest buyers pick up a good composite or component cable. With the usual collection of great games, improved graphics is a major plus.

As with all previous models, control buttons layout are very much like the classic Play Station. One area of concern is that load times for the UMD (Universal Media Disc) seemed to drag a bit. Its a given that purchasing the kit which includes the proprietary MS Duo Card is more cost effective in the end. Its obvious that Sony missed the boat when it went with its own proprietary format instead of the more widely used and less costly SD standard.

Even though Wi-fi capable, the unit is outfitted with possibly the slowest version (802.11b) on the planet. It powers up via a 5 volt ac adapter or USB. Video playback is great as long as you copy your favorites on the memory stick Duo Card. Going any other way is definitely a slow dragged out process. When it comes to television, Sony’s own version of Slingbox allows for free tv viewing.

This PSP won’t get confused with your IPOD anytime soon but music play is generally good. Another added feature is that it will even support music art. If one is going to display photos on the PSP I strongly suggest compressing your files. Photo display can be via slide show or singles.

Of note, the PSP is also a web browser. However, its hit and miss for flash. Streaming internet radio via Shoutcast is a freebie. PSP offers a regular schedule of firmware updates. As with the earlier editions, via a network or the internet the unit can pick up audio, video and photo files that are stored on a PS3. The PSP 3000 comes with the standard 1200 mAh rechargeable battery. Battery life runs almost a full 5 hours whether one is gaming or watching a movie.

Necessary accessories such as the Memory Stick Duo card, protective screen cover, headphones and a carrying case are not included. Not all PSP headphones are compatible with the PSP 3000. When purchasing headphones read the specs carefully.

Even without the included accessories, the PSP 3000 still brings it on. I would definitely recommend this model as a gift or as a personal purchase. After all, it is Play Station.

Review by ice grizzly for PSP 3000 Core Pack – Black
Rating:
With a wealth of games and movies, the new refined PSP is a big bonanza. It is slim, sleek and bright. Either if you are new to PSP or upgrading from PSP1000, this one has a lot to offer. Inbuilt microphone, bright LCD scree, better battery life, smoother inputs and more ergonomic placement of master controls. This is a very well designed machine, if you have checked the past PSP history they have very long life. Perfect for both adults and young ones. 08 had more than 10 block busters for PSP. 09 is promising to be another great one with more goods coming from Japan and EU. Most important of all Little Big planet and Resistance Retribution. All the PSP2000 accessories are compatible with PSP3000, every thing from case to car chargers. As with PSP2000 this one sport a larger RAM. With additional hardware resources it supports a wide variety of media including 720x480p H.264/MP4 DVD quality movies, wma, mp3 and more.

Now one important warning. Memory Stick Duo is one of the most pirated card in black market. Pay up and buy from trusted vendors. Cheap cards sold in ebay and other 3rd party vendors are slow and less reliable. When you put the card in any device like PSP check for magic-gate info. If it says magic-gate: unknown, return it back. You are better off buying Lexar or other cheaper card from reputable vendor than buying fake card. Dont promote fake sellers, if you find any fake seller report to Amazon and authorities.

http://reviews.ebay.com/FAKE-Sony-Memory-Stick-Pro-Duo-MagicGate-Cards-Exposed_W0QQugidZ10000000001236041

Review by A. Dent for PSP 3000 Core Pack – Black
Rating:
We’ve been a PS3 household ever since the 60GB version came about so, with two pre-teens in the house, we were ripe for a PSP adoption. We actually bought the Ratchet & Clank Pack for a few dollars more because one of my kids was a fan of the game.

The Core Pack includes the following:

- The PSP 3000 itself in shiny black (a fingerprint magnet)

- Manual, promos, registration card, etc.

Given the PSP’s built-in Wi-Fi and its PS3 integration you can do quite a few things out of the box if you have Wi-Fi or a PS3 but, for a better gaming experience you are going to need a memory stick and, of course, some games. Our bundle came with a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card but we are planning to store a few movies when taking it on the road so we ordered an 8GB. Movies take about 0.5GB. We can still use the 1GB that came with the bundle in a camera.

First impressions:

I was surprised of how good and versatile and elegant this little console can be. It has most of the PS3 buttons, including one analog joystick, the display is large and bright, the resolution is good (480×272), and it responds quickly to controls. It appears to be solidly built. Unlike prior models, this one comes with a built-in microphone while the sound output can be either through the internal speakers headphones (not included). After charging the battery, my kid was up and running and happy in no time. But, let me proceed with a more structured discussion.

Stand alone operation (disconnected):

The PSP 3000 will play games or movies delivered on UMD discs or off a Memory Stick card. In addition, it will display photos and play music stored on the Memory card.

Networking and Internet connectivity:

The built-in Wi-Fi allows the PSP 3000 to access the Playstation Netowork and Playstation Store directly. Off the box, there is an Internet browser, a Search (the Internet) function, several Internet Radio applications and the ability to use the PSP as a Skype phone for as long as one has a Skype account and the PSP happens to be within the range of a Wi-Fi hotspot.

PS3 Integration:

After the PSP is paired with the PS3, the PS3 can ‘push’ video, photos, music and even PSP games downloaded from the Playstation Store when connected through a USB wire. When wireless, the PSP can basically take over the PS3 – actually display the PS3′s own screen and display photos stored on the PS3, play music stored on the PS3. Movie play is not supported.

Interestingly, when playing music, it’s possible to play it on the PSP’s on speakers/headphones or have the PS3 play it itself, the PSP therefore acting as a remote control device.

I suspect that additional capabilities exist that I am not aware of yet.

PC integration:

Through a USB connection, the PC will see the PSP’s memory card as an attached drive. This will allow for music, photo or movie files to be transferred directly to the PSP.

Room for improvement:

The PSP 3000 comes very close to being the perfect portable game-playing (and more) machine, at least in the Sony universe. Perfection would be achieved if the ‘keyboard’ interface were improved – it’s awful now – if it had touch screen capabilities and if file transfers from the PS3 were possible wirelessly. Also on the wish list, I hope that there were more legal ‘digital copy’ movies available for the PSP.

Rating:

It’s a 4.5 stars plus, rounded up to 5.

Review by N. Ramos for PSP 3000 Core Pack – Black
Rating:
This PSP is my 2nd one after my first generation PSP broke down. And that was after countless business trips and travel for about 2.5 years and our 16 month old grabbing it and “playing” with it from time to time. The new PSP 3000 is much lighter and the screen is noticeably better than the previous model. The internet interface is also pretty good but for a gaming system IMO I don’t think you get much better. Also – I bought a larger memory stick (8GB) to store movies and video and it is really nice when I’m on the plane. If you have video in itunes you can easily just copy and paste them into the PSP folder like you would move any file within your computer or to an external drive. I use this for gaming nearly 95% of the time and I wouldn’t get anything else. Definitely worth the money and the best portable gaming device that I have used bar none. Highly recommended.

Review by Siklootd for PSP 3000 Core Pack – Black
Rating:
The PSP is a great little device capable of not only playing games, but also managing photos, videos, music, as well as allowing the user to browse the internet. With its unique media format, known as the Universal Media Disc (UMD), the PSP brings innovation to the handheld world dominated by cartridges. The PSP allows for great user customization, such as custom wallpapers, icons, etc. The PSP has built in WiFi and can be utilized to gain full access to the built in web browser or to the PlayStation Store to download extras.

The added benefit of the PSP-3000 over the PSP Go is the ability to own physical copies of the games/media purchased. In case the console ever becomes damaged, it would be a much simpler, and quicker task to simply purchase another 3000 that can read your UMDs immediately upon purchase, as compared to the challenges one may face when switching over from one PSP Go to another. The smaller price-tag of the PSP-3000 makes it an even more optimal choice over the Go. The PSP has access to tons of great UMD games, many of which have not been added to the PlayStation store yet, making this yet another pro for the PSP over the Go. Many users also like the added benefit of owning physical copies of media because it allows them to feel like they actually own the media rather than simply feel like they are renting it from the developers. Licensing issues in the past have made Microsoft pull off a few games from Xbox Arcade after only a short amount of time after their initial release. Situations such as this can cause high levels of paranoia amongst the owners of the media since they do not know whether or not the developers can remove the media just as quickly as they offered it.

The PSP is very comfortable, fitting the forms of the hands quite nicely. By using the familiar layout associated with other Sony consoles (square, triangle, etc.) the controls are very easy to adjust to and make playing games such as God of War Chains of Olympus an easy transition from their console counterparts. The major complaint I have with the console is the small analog “stick” that protrudes from the bottom left corner of the console. The stick is rather small and does not have a great range of motion, this makes it difficult to maneuver properly in games that use the stick. The lack of a second stick also makes mapping of buttons quite awkward in certain games as well, especially when compared to console versions of the same game. This takes some time to get used to and is simply a minor nuisance when weighed against all of the benefits of the console. I highly recommend the PSP-3000 over the PSP Go to anyone who’s ever been curious about the capabilities of the PSP consoles.