PowerGrip battery pack solution for PSP

If you had to, say, build an extension on your house, you probably would expect to have to bring in a builder, an electrician, a plumber and possibly a plasterer (or decorator, at least).

That's not to say individuals who will do all of those jobs don't exist, but those that do them all competently – you know, so you don't electrocute yourself when plugging in your new room's first appliance and then have a wall cave in on you to secure that trip to the morgue – are extremely rare.

As such, we approached Joytech's PowerGrip peripheral with some trepidation. The unit is primarily a rechargeable battery pack designed to prolong your PSP playtime when you're beyond reaching distance of a power socket.

Yet its design cleverly enables a further four functions: namely, a screen protector, a sunshield, a 'comfort grip' option and movie viewing stand.

Installation is simple, with the PowerGrip quickly attaching itself to the top side of the PSP with the aid of two screws driven into the two holes either side of the USB output. It's a firm fixing (though care should be taken not to overtighten the connection), which then enables the unit to rotate around its attachment in order to fulfil its various functions.

When flipped over the front of the PSP, the handheld's lovely screen is protected by the PowerGrip's hard (albeit cheap) plastic backing (and in contact with its stiff foam interior lining to prevent damage).

Naturally, this combination inevitably makes things more bulky than just carrying a standalone PSP around, though it's not as cumbersome as you'd expect. Part of this results from the PowerGrip's concave design, which successfully thins the unit's presence but also contributes to a pleasing ergonomic feel when carrying the PSP in this mode.

Surprisingly, the same sensation isn't entirely replicated when the PowerGrip is flipped back up, rotated and flipped down to cover the PSP's back in its comfort grip configuration. Things initially feel promising, with the player's hands naturally cupping the unit's contours and rubberised finger sections, but the realisation that this encourages the thumbs to naturally sit too high on the PSP's face buttons becomes apparent the moment you decide to play a game.

To be fair, it's a problem the actual PSP itself already suffers from (and the major reason why the analogue nub feels way too low for our liking) but here it's simply accentuated by the increased curvaceous nature of the PowerGrip's design.

Thankfully, a quick adjustment of your hands repositions the fingers more comfortably with regards to button usage and you soon get used to the increased thickness brought on by the presence of the PowerGrip. In fact, the lack of substance when you go back to holding just the PSP is likely to feel disappointingly flimsy – the thicker set up may obviously be undesirable when designing a portable device but it unquestionably suits the hand better.

Not that you have to always be holding your PSP if you have the PowerGrip attached to it. The unit isn't particularly heavy, true, but when watching a film (or uncommonly lengthy cut-scenes), opening it up from its comfort grip position sees it perform as a handy stand, with the viewing angle adjusted by simply altering the angle of the unit in relation to the PSP.

The same principles govern the PowerGrip's function as a sunshield, when it is lifted from its screen protector mode, albeit with less successful results. In fairness, in harsh sunlight the ambient brightness makes it impossible to see much of the screen other than by bringing the PowerGrip so close to it as to make it unplayable. In other situations, the effect ranges from marginal to noticeable but it's hardly something you'll be boasting about.

Besides, the boasting should be reserved for the unit's primary function because, as a portable battery pack for the PSP, it is without criticism. Well, almost.

Handily, the unit charges up using the PSP's own power adaptor (taking around three hours for a full charge), and can then be used to recharge the handheld once it's run out of juice. Again, this is a two- to three-hour process – after which point you will need to recharge the unit – but there's obviously nothing to stop you playing while you're doing this (it'll just take a little longer, logically).

The only issue, then, is with the charging itself. This is done by connecting a power cable housed inside one of the grips to the power input on the PSP. Unfortunately, the length of the cable is such that the only way it will reach its destination is by having the PowerGrip in its comfort grip position – and this could obviously prove restrictive in certain situations.

Still, that's a minor niggle. Retailing for around £18, the PowerGrip works out cheaper than an official replacement PSP battery yet also offers a selection of additional features. It's not the perfect all-in-one solution but you can trust it to perform most of its functions well, which is more than you can say of many such peripherals.