PSP Star Wars Bundle Impressions

[VideoGameCritic]

I picked up the Star Wars "Limited Edition" PSP ($200) yesterday, for a few reasons:
1. I'm a Star Wars nut
2. It came with Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade - an original Star Wars title for the PSP!
3. The new version of the PSP has an output to a television (with a cable sold separately of course), which I thought was a cool feature.

Here are my impressions.  The system itself is lighter and slimmer than the original model, but not dramatically so.  If someone didn't point it out, you might not even notice.  What I DID notice was the smooth, rounded edges.  It is more comfortable to hold compared to the old PSP with its jagged edges. 

The only thing "Star Wars" about this PSP is the Darth Vader silouette on the battery panel.  It looks pretty cool, but when I removed it, I realized it was just a cheap piece of plastic.  The other openings for the disk and memory card seem kind of delicate as well.

The "ceramic white" casing looks great and doesn't show fingerprints like the black one.  Of course, the screen picks up more fingerprints than a crime scene!

The controls seem the same to me, although the digital pad is slightly raised, and the analog pad is less slippery and clicks a bit.  Despite what you may have heard, the load times and battery life are the same.

As for the Star Wars game, it looks like it offers a nice mix of ground and space battles. A review will be forthcoming.  Unfortunately, Sony cheaped out and didn't include a case for the game!  You just get a tiny cardboard sleeve and a loose manual.

If you're planning to pick this up and it's your first PSP, you should be aware that it does NOT come with a memory card, so you'll need to buy that separate.

[Michael D]

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]Despite what you may have heard, the load times and battery life are the same.[/QUOTE]

In the words of Otto from The Simpsons, "Man, that is flagrant false advertising!"

All you need to do is look at cheap tactics like this, and you really start to see why people now hate Sony's recent video gaming endeavors...

[JasonhasRSI1]

I recently picked up the Daxter PSP bundle, which seemed like an amazing value at the time -- new slim PSP, 1 GB memory card, Daxter, and a Family Guy UMD. However, I became increasingly disappointed as I dove into the package.

Being a pretty avid game collector, I'm pretty picky about stuff like packaging, regardless of how lame that sounds. The PSP itself is packed in one of those plastic cases that's impossible to open without heavy duty scissors, so the console's box is instantly destroyed as soon as you manage to get the package open ( I tend to prefer to hang on to the original boxes for my consoles but this was the first I trashed immediately). Though the new design is admittedly slicker and more comfortable (the D-pad is a MARKED improvement) it feels incredibly fragile and no protective case or even a slip-cover is included. But I was the most disappointed with the packaging of the game and movie. In my naivete, I assumed that, tucked away in that big box, I would find a sealed copy of Daxter and the Family Guy UMD in their full retail boxes (I had visions of opening my Sega Genesis during Christmas 1991 and noting that Sonic the Hedgehog was packed in this manner). What you actually get, as Dave pointed out, is each loose UMD in a lousy, flimsy envelope. I was especially disappointed given the general high-quality of PSP game packaging.

One final disappointment: I, too was interested in the new PSP's TV output. I had visions of using the component cables to play some of the great PSP classic games compilations on my HDTV. However, when you output the video signal to a TV, the image is NOT FULL SCREEN! What a gyp. Stuff like that just irritates me. Am I just too uptight about this stuff?

[m0zart1]

[QUOTE=JasonhasRSI]One final disappointment: I, too was interested in the new PSP's TV output. I had visions of using the component cables to play some of the great PSP classic games compilations on my HDTV. However, when you output the video signal to a TV, the image is NOT FULL SCREEN! What a gyp. Stuff like that just irritates me. Am I just too uptight about this stuff?[/QUOTE]

Not at all.  The TV output was the only reason I considered getting the new PSP.

[chrisbid1]

the controls are much improved

[steerforth]

How much of the screen does it fill? Is it similar to GBA player for GC?

How does it look otherwise?

Star Wars game pretty good Critic, early impressions?

[MigAlley]

[QUOTE=JasonhasRSI]I recently picked up the Daxter PSP bundle, which seemed like an amazing value at the time -- new slim PSP, 1 GB memory card, Daxter, and a Family Guy UMD. However, I became increasingly disappointed as I dove into the package.

Being a pretty avid game collector, I'm pretty picky about stuff like packaging, regardless of how lame that sounds. The PSP itself is packed in one of those plastic cases that's impossible to open without heavy duty scissors, so the console's box is instantly destroyed as soon as you manage to get the package open ( I tend to prefer to hang on to the original boxes for my consoles but this was the first I trashed immediately). Though the new design is admittedly slicker and more comfortable (the D-pad is a MARKED improvement) it feels incredibly fragile and no protective case or even a slip-cover is included. But I was the most disappointed with the packaging of the game and movie. In my naivete, I assumed that, tucked away in that big box, I would find a sealed copy of Daxter and the Family Guy UMD in their full retail boxes (I had visions of opening my Sega Genesis during Christmas 1991 and noting that Sonic the Hedgehog was packed in this manner). What you actually get, as Dave pointed out, is each loose UMD in a lousy, flimsy envelope. I was especially disappointed given the general high-quality of PSP game packaging.

One final disappointment: I, too was interested in the new PSP's TV output. I had visions of using the component cables to play some of the great PSP classic games compilations on my HDTV. However, when you output the video signal to a TV, the image is NOT FULL SCREEN! What a gyp. Stuff like that just irritates me. Am I just too uptight about this stuff?
[/QUOTE]

Sounds like you should have done your research. All of this info was on the web, including the packaging. Personally I woudn't care but hey, I am not  you.

[LS6501]

I hadn't been interested in getting a PSP, but then I tried out my niece's PSP Fatty.  I was really impressed with the ability to watch MP4s on a decent screen.  I picked up a Daxter bundle as well, and I think it's a great deal.  For the same price as the Star Wars bundle you get a silver PSP with a game, but also a 1-gigabyte memory 'stick' and a Family Guy video disc.

I have to say that the battery cover does seem a bit flimsy.  I think if you aren't careful you could break the latches that hold it tight - thankfully removing the cover isn't something you do often.

The mix of games is decent - not as kiddy as the DS - and I really make use of both the MP4 display and the web browser.  I haven't touched my DS Lite since I bought the PSP three weeks ago.