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PSP Slim redesign revealed

Published on 12th July 2007 by Joe Martin

The redesign of the PSP incorporates many much needed tweaks and adjustments to the original PSP design.

What are our thoughts on the PlayStation Portable? We have mixed feelings about it. Sure, it can do movies and music and the homebrew scene is taking off a bit, but it's still a bit too chunky to be truly portable and the games are mostly poor PlayStation 2 ports.

However, a recent redesign may half those problems for us and tempt us to pick the new, improved PSP Slim up to replace our much loved DS Lites. Unveiled at E3, the PSP Slim is slimmer and lighter than the standard model with redistributed buttons and a series of much-needed tweaks to make it more comfortable to use.

As Kotaku point out, it's not a major revision to Sony's attempt at handheld gaming, but more a series of much-needed smaller adjustments.

The Wi-Fi switch has been moved to the top of the PSP and the speakers have been placed above the buttons and D-pad. The D-pad itself has been replaced with a proper, better feeling pad which feels more responsive and reassuring to use. The casing, meanwhile, has seen a coating of DS-alike finish which makes the PSP Slim look even better than before. There's still no indication of exactly how much thinner and lighter the PSP Slim is compared to the original model, but we're expecting this to be revealed soon.

However, many gamers are of the opinion that the adjustments are long overdue and not enough to fight back against the DS Lite, which has been a stormer for Ninty. The DS has reaffirmed the company's place as the lord of handheld gaming, a title it has held ever since the original Gameboy was released.

As for us, well we're still on the fence regarding the PSP - but its hard to deny that Sony's portable gamer just got a whole lot more attractive.

Do you homebrew? Which handheld do you prefer to game-on-the-go with, PSP or DS? Let us know in the forums.

18 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

TTmodder 12th July 2007, 15:24

Do you eat handheld consoles? :)

oddball walking 12th July 2007, 15:36

can't they change the joystick thing, i find it hard to use bacause of poor grip. but overall it looks good but is it much lighter?

DXR_13KE 12th July 2007, 15:53

how much small is it?

wafflesomd 12th July 2007, 15:59

The square looks ugly.

will. 12th July 2007, 16:12

the square button?

Or are you referring to the bad cropping that someone has done? :p

DXR_13KE 12th July 2007, 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd
The square looks ugly.

click ------> http://kotaku.com/gaming/hands-on/psp-slim-277554.php

wafflesomd 12th July 2007, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by will.
the square button?

Or are you referring to the bad cropping that someone has done? :p

Yah sry, bad cropping. I just noticed it.

Goty 12th July 2007, 16:40

My dad's got a PSP and my mom has a DS Lite. Whenever I'm at home and get the urge to break out a portable and goof off for a bit, I always reach for the PSP. None of the games on the DS do anything for me, the screens are too small in comparison (the PSP kind of spoiled me) and the touch-screen is simply too gimmicky.

The better battery life and slightly thinner design might just be enough for me to go out and grab a PSP for myself now.

CardJoe 12th July 2007, 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTmodder
Do you eat handheld consoles? :)

Only the yummy ones.

Mmm...DS lite flavour...

will. 12th July 2007, 17:28

I wonder if they have sorted the UMD's breaking when you press ever so slightly too hard on that silly see through window.. I must have had to use a suction thingy to pull them back out on nearly all mine. I even keep it in my psp case for just that purpose.

The_Beast 12th July 2007, 17:54

I think the old PSP looks better than the new one

dragontail 12th July 2007, 21:14

They can redesign it a million times and I won't care. At the end of the day, if the games for the PSP are rubbish, then I ain't buying it.

HourBeforeDawn 13th July 2007, 00:36

ya I dont know how people say the DS is better, I have yet to see any decent graphic games on the DS aside from the virtual pet like games and well ya I like the features of the PSP far more then the DS, but anyhow this redesign seem interesting but it probably will loaded with the latest firmware so that will be a bummer for homebrewers but it might give them the push they need to redesign some of the homebrew stuff.. me hopes. Im still waiting for the PSP2.0 with the build in camera and more on board memory. ^_^

Morphine-Kitty 13th July 2007, 07:26

No second analog? That was pretty much the most requested thing...

Sony, hear this plea, AND ADD A SECOND ANALOG! GIVE ME FAITH IN YOUR PRODUCT!

mikeuk2004 13th July 2007, 12:15

Just bought me a 4gb duo for £36 from play.com for my PSP. I use mine everyday as a MP3 player ang gaming on lunch breaks. My wifes DS has been sat in her bedside cabinet since january after getting it for christmas with new mario and brain thingy. I keep trying to show her new games in our local shops and none interest her. She still grabs my PSP and I cant find any games that interest me on DS either.

People that say there are crap games or no games on PSP are just brain dead. There are loads of great games.

I might consider selling my Jap PSP that I bought in China and get a UK slim. Any prices?

Zut 13th July 2007, 12:55

At least this shows that Sony is still interested in the PSP, but its too little too late IMHO. The PSP desperately needs a proper refresh as too many people are dissatisfied with its flaws.

A new, redesigned unit with a higher spec, built in flash, and maybe a second analogue stick would be a good start. Next the UMD format ought to be phased out or at least modified to be a little faster. The main issue for me though is Sony's position on custom firmware applications.

I only recently upgraded to a custom firmware and I'm now actually playing games on it, for the first time in months. The whole reason I got a PSP in the first place was because I wanted to play Final Fantasy 7 but didn't want to buy a PS1/2. Even after the 3.00 firmware we still weren't allowed to run PS1 games (I'm not bloody well shelling out for a PS3!). With the new firmware it was just a scant few hours before I was finally playing it! (Hooray!)

Everyone I know that has a PSP has some form of custom firmware, and the all say that they wouldn't use their PSPs without it. Sony needs to wake up to this and stop alienating users.

Blademrk 13th July 2007, 12:57

If the d-pad has been re-designed I might trade my PSP in for one, as that has been the one thing that spoiled the PSP for me. My DS gets a lot more use than my PSP.

Jamie 13th July 2007, 13:36

Looks identical to me, at least, from what I can tell in the blurry photos.