PSPgo review roundup: Boo! Hurrah!

Okay, so maybe Sony didn't manage to keep the PSP hardware update particularly secret, but there's no denying that interest in the electronic giant's handheld console has redoubled since it was announced - not least of all from within Sony itself.

But the bulk of this renewed enthusiasm for the PSP isn't particularly focused around the new PSPgo console design, with concerns over its pricing and lack of a UMD drive.

Pocket Gamer decided to take a look around the blogosphere in an effort to build ourselves a bit of excitement about a device that feels like it's been around for ages, even though it's not actually due for release until October.

Technology magazine T3 kicks off its hardware review with a rather astute comparison to the PSP's previous upgrade, the PSP Slim, which did manage to capture the public's interest from day one.

"We’ve seen the PSP shed some weight before with the slim and lite 2000 series and even get a marginally better screen with the 3000 series revamp," begins reviewer Jim Hill, though it seems he was also hoping Sony might be tempted to light a fire under the device's silicon.

"There’s no 3GS-style performance boost for the Go and no hardware changes that affect gameplay - the joystick, buttons and so on are all in roughly the same place, and gaming feels exactly the same, once you get used to the shoulder buttons being slightly obscured by the open screen."

Sony has been making a big point about compacting the device, focusing mainly on its sliding screen. But the screen is also smaller than the existing PSP model, which has never really been accused of being bulky. Stuff reviewer Mic Wright explains more about the new shape.

"As you can see above, Sony's new PlayStation handheld is about 50% smaller and 8cm narrower than its predecessor. This is partly because it's swapped the bulky UMD drive for 16GB of flash storage, and adopted a new slider design that makes it look remarkably like Sony's ill-fated Mylo messenger.

"It's comfortable in the hand, with your forefingers wrapping around behind the screen to grip the shoulder buttons - though there's disappointingly only one analogue stick, and it's still in an awkward place for your thumbs."

So it would seem the bulk of the PSPgo's purpose - a redesign of its case - comes across as something of a trade off. It fits the pocket easier thanks to play marginally reduced size and removal of the UMD drive, and although sliding screens are quite en vogue at the moment, it seems the control buttons have suffered for want of stylish mechanics.

"The way you download games to the PSPgo is revolutionary for Sony," explains The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury. "you can do it in three ways: wi-fi, you can connect it to your PC, or through a PS3. The good news is, you don't have to be a PS3 owner - that's great.

"What's not great is the price that they're talking about. this little baby is not going to be with us until October and they're already talking about 250 quid, and I personally feel that's too much money."

And he's not alone. All redesigns aside, the majority of the game playing public has been focusing on the increased costs of the hardware, which are being viewed as quite unreasonable given that it essentially has reduced functionality from the existing console.

So early reactions seem to be very much a mixed bag. For every compliment, there's an insult, and cost is clearly going to be a deciding factor in persuading new gamers over to what's essentially a five-year-old system.

But perhaps the real benefit that will come out of Sony's hardware redesign is its own renewed interest in the platform.

It's dropped 80 per cent off the cost of its SDK in an effort to bring in new, independent development blood. It's begun to take digital distribution seriously, and is putting together a PSP app store (though we can only hope that doesn't suffer the same cost issues as the new hardware).

And best of all, it started bringing in the big brands once again, so even if you don't wind up buying a PSPgo, you might still be glad that Sony made it.