Which PSP ?

[loki]

Im thinking of getting a PSP for my son for Crimbo and he will be nearly 8 at the time. He loves his DS and is kind of getting the hang of the consoles in the house so im thinking the PSP would be a nice gift. But will the extra money on the PSP Go justified ?

The retails price seems a bit too steep and I am thinking for the same price I could get him a real good 3000 bundle nearer the time with some games.

[Streeteh]

I wouldn't bother with the Go at all tbh, it's apparently more comfortable to hold but that's the only real benefit i can see (which certainly doesn't justify the price tag). How do you feel about naughty things such as modding? If you're ok with it i'd actually suggest getting a fat/psp-1000 as they can be modded to play homebrew stuff (some games of which are brilliant), PS1 games copied onto a data stick and dodgy psp games also copied onto a stick. As well as saving some cash there's also other legit benefits such as the battery life is vastly improved when playing PSP games as the motor isn't needed to spin up in order to read a UMD and there's some really good homebrew apps out there too.

I bought a second hand fat PSP for a pittance and it took me about 5 mins to mod it, all i needed was a good quality produo stick (as in, not a dodgy knock off) and a firmware file.

[KennyBhoy]

The PSP Go can never justify it's retail price but if your willing to wait 3 years, I'm sure Sony will eventually price drop it. I'd suggest a PSP Slim & Lite. The 2000 series. Not the new 3000 models if your looking to mod the PSP with custom firmware etc. I picked one up recently from AVForums for £70 and it was mint cond. 8Gb Pro Duo was only £20 from some mob in Jersey :D

[loki]

I wouldn't bother with the Go at all tbh, it's apparently more comfortable to hold but that's the only real benefit i can see (which certainly doesn't justify the price tag). How do you feel about naughty things such as modding? If you're ok with it i'd actually suggest getting a fat/psp-1000 as they can be modded to play homebrew stuff (some games of which are brilliant), PS1 games copied onto a data stick and dodgy psp games also copied onto a stick. As well as saving some cash there's also other legit benefits such as the battery life is vastly improved when playing PSP games as the motor isn't needed to spin up in order to read a UMD and there's some really good homebrew apps out there too.

I bought a second hand fat PSP for a pittance and it took me about 5 mins to mod it, all i needed was a good quality produo stick (as in, not a dodgy knock off) and a firmware file.

I don't have much of an issue with modding and homebrew per se. When I had my 1000 model I had quite a few home brew apps.

As it's for my son and for a Xmas present then I want something a little more substantial and don't mind paying for games to give him a bit of responsibility so he can earn them.

I saw a good deal on Game for £159.99 that had two UMD's and the Half blood prince game

[NokkonWud]

I honestly can't believe they are still so expensive. Currently I'd rate an iPod Touch as a better gaming machine as I've not seen anything hit the PSP since God of War: Chains of Olympus over a year ago that made me want to play it (and it is good).

If you're set on going for a PSP then I couldn't recommend any of the newer models, the cheaper you can get one the better, they are definitely over price and underwhelming in terms of games, I can count the games that interested me on one hand (Daxter, God of War), but where it is useful is as an addition to a Playstation 3. I like the idea of being able to wirelessly play games games over the Internet or Network that are purchased from the PSN or old PSone games in the drive.

If I had to choose a machine I'd probably go for an iPod Touch though, it's a better media player and you have some really clever games support (most are very cheap too).

[Streeteh]

I couldn't count the number of good games i've played on it on both hands and feet tbh, way too many.

All the Disgaeas
All the Wipeouts
Both Patapons
God of War
Crisis Core
Locoroco
Final Fantasy Tactics
Katamari
Lumines
Both Grand Theft Auto games (though certainly not suitable for a youngster so don't really apply tbh)
Ridge Racer
The Metal Gear games
Burnout
Daxter
Ratchet and Clank
Jeanne d'Arc
Tekken
Street Fighter
Syphon Filter

I could go on but should also point out that some amazing games will also be coming out on the PSP in the future, the next (proper sequel might i add) Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo PSP due at the end of the year, little big planet, motorstorm etc. I did have a go on a mates iphone and was impressed with the minigames but i really wouldn't compare it as a gaming machine to the PSP, the amount of depth in many PSP games just outdoes what i've seen of the iphone immensely.