I have held the future of gaming-on-the-go in my hands, and it's so intoxicating, I can barely set it down long enough to write this. I'm speaking of the PlayStation Portable, the new handheld from Sony, and a piece of technology so sleek and cool, it feels positively anachronistic. Every time I pick it up, I'm suddenly a caveman with a wristwatch.
The much-anticipated PSP runs games, shows movies, plays music, holds photos and grants wishes (given you wish for any of the aforementioned features). The 4.3-inch wide screen has a resolution of 480 by 272 pixels. In layman's terms, when you use this device to play Spider-Man 2 (included with the unit on a tiny universal media disc), it probably looks better than on your regular TV. And at that size, the sight is mesmerizing.
The release of the handheld assuages all concerns about it. Some worried about load times but they're no worse than on a PlayStation 2. Others had issues with battery life but you can get a good four hours of play before recharging. And the device is durable. For a week, I've abused it in every way short of running it through the laundry, and it hasn't skipped once. I can't even say that of my PS2, which hasn't moved since I plugged it in. Disk read error, anyone?
The PSP is launching with an unprecedented 24 games, and they're not all rush jobs, either. Wipeout Pure and Lumines are already standouts, and a new Grand Theft Auto will be available this summer. It remains to be seen whether the $250 price tag will be prohibitive to all but the most hard-core technophiles, but for those who can afford it, the PSP is worth every penny.
Wipeout Pure (E) (4.5 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation Portable
This title is easily the belle of the PSP ball. Nothing showcases the handheld's magnificent graphics capabilities like jetting through these futuristic landscapes, blasting your opponents into beautifully rendered dust particles. You'll spend your first few races ricocheting off the rails, attempting to guide your absurdly fast craft while simultaneously savoring the scenery. Pure eye candy.
NBA (E) (3 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation Portable
A big chunk of the PSP's launch titles are sports games and this is ... one of them. Though NBA is adequate for giving any sports junkie his portable roundball fix, it isn't the most accurate simulation of the game and demonstrates that opposing team AI is proportional to disc size. Graphics are still impressive, and the faces of real-life athletes are fairly detailed in close-ups. During gameplay, however, it's hard to even make out the numbers on the jerseys.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].