Despite not having that crucial second analog stick (as I expected it wouldn't), the PSP Go is a vast improvement on the PSP system. Unlike previous iterations, the PSP Go will not replace the PSP-3000. This makes sense. The PSP-2000 had the same basic design with nothing but improvements to the system; there was no need to continue the PSP-1000. Similarly, the 3000 model was a definitive improvement over the 2000 and therefore the PSP-2000 was discontinued. But now we get to the fourth version. Although completely redesigned, it was the loss of the UMD drive that allowed the PSP-3000 to continue production. They simply cannot deny UMD owners their content.
On the Loss of the UMD Drive
The PSP Go does not have a UMD drive and people can take that either way. With no UMD drive, PSP owners with UMD disc's will not be able to play their games or movies on Go. How do you play games, you may ask? PlayStation Store. Since one of the newer firmware updates allows direct access to the PlayStation Store from your PSP, you must use that to purchase and download games onto the systems hard drive (you can still transfer content between your PC and PS3 as well). If you have already purchased and downloaded games onto your current PSP's memory stick, you can always redownload them to your PSP Go's drive for free by managing your downloads, as long as your signed into the account that downloaded the content in the first place. Hopefully, to address the issue of UMD owners that want to move to the digital-only PSP Go, they will impliment a program so that you can download the UMD games you already own for free from the PlayStation Store as soon as they become available. Although, that may prove difficult because people will then have the downloaded version in addition to their UMD disc. UPDATE: Sony is, in fact, planning on having a "goodwill" service for those that want to ditch their UMD discs and go digital. Not many details so it's not clear if your gonna' have to trade in your UMD's or not.
As easy as it will be to buy games directly from the PlayStation Store, some people like to have a physical product (I am one of them). The only suggestion I have for this issue is to do exactly what they did with Patapon 2. It was download-only, so you could only get it by downloading it from the PlayStation Store. In addition to that, they also shipped out game cases of Patapon 2 to store shelves. This is the perfect example of what would please me. I bought Patapon 2 off the shelf at Fry's Electronics for $17 (online is $20). It came with the case as any UMD game would. It also came with the instruction booklet as any UMD game would. However, instead of a UMD disc, there was a voucher code for a free download of Patapon 2 from the PS Store. This does two things, it gives buyers the physical product they care about and lets face it, you'll only see sales like the one I found at Fry's at a retail store.
On the Position of the Analog Stick
The analog stick on the PSP Go has been moved from below the directional pad to the right of the directional pad. This may or may not be an improvement. It all has to do with the feel. Personally, my thumb can begin to feel strained when playing racing games like Wipeout Pure after a short while. I won't know until I try it, but I'm sure it's gonna' be more comfortable. So I'm optimistic about that. A lot of people might feel awkward when using it because they are used to the old position. Even certain games might feel better or feel worse than before.
On the General Improvements
Now for the definitive improvements over the PSP-3000. The PSP Go comes equiped with a 16GB hard drive as well as an M2 memory stick slot to add even more memory in the future. This is a must if your going to have to download all of your games. Physically, the PSP Go is reportedly 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the PSP-1000. It sounds more impressive than it is since they are comparing it to the old fat PSP (which happans to be the one I have). I'm sure it's still lighter and it certainly looks smaller than the PSP-3000. It looks to be a lot more "portable" than the old PSP's. Bluetooth is a much welcomed addition. With Bluetooth, I'll be able to listen to my music while on a jog or whathaveyou with a Bluetooth headset without haveing to deal with wires. A big deal for someone whos only MP3 player is the old fat PSP with a short wired headset. I assume that, with the loss of the UMD, it will have a substantially improved battery life. And load times will be dead silent without a spinning disc.
On the Negetive Side
The PSP go will retail a bit higher than I would have wanted. $249 compared to $169 for the PSP-3000. I would have expected $199 since it's technically only a revision. However, it's still $50 cheaper than the 16GB iPod Touch which retails at $299. The smaller screen is also a concern. They say it didn't impact the games too much, but I will have to actually see it for myself, first. It most likely won't be an issue.
Overall, I believe this will most definitely be something to consider if you're looking for an upgrade.
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