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Are UMD PSPs reliable?

Topic started by Pikapichu on Oct. 18, 2009. Last post by ahriman22 1 day, 1 hour ago.
Post by Pikapichu (37 posts) See mini bio

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With GT out now and soon Tekken 6, I'm considering a PSP 3000. Are the UMD drives in these things pretty reliable? My PSOne CD drive started crapping out in a couple years and the DVD drive my PS2 (fat) stopped working after about a year and a half. My PS2 (slim) still runs like a champ and I've still yet to buy a PS3.


Post by FunExplosions (482 posts) See mini bio
337 ACH / 5070 P

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PS3's and PSPs work great. My PS 2 broke 3 or 4 times. My PSP and PS3 have never broken, and I got both in their release years.


Post by MAN_FLANNEL (590 posts) See mini bio
665 ACH / 11077 P

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reliable yes. durable no.


Post by DanielJW (1,679 posts) See mini bio
481 ACH / 5220 P

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I've had my PS3 for a long time now, still works fine.  
 
I've heard some say it's really easy to break. I've dropped mine a few times and it's been OK, but people are having problems with that.


Post by Wolverine (3,350 posts) See mini bio
75 ACH / 1680 P

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I never knew anyone who had a problem with them. The thing is many PSPs have dead pixels. At least me and all of my friends that had PSP 1000s did. I don't know many people who bought PSP's recently so...


Post by Pikapichu (37 posts) See mini bio

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Nice. Thanks for the input! I hate dead pixels, but I guess I wouldn't have a problem if there were just 2 or 3. I'll check it out tomorrow and hopefully pick one up. If I don't plan to hack it, use homebrew or pirate/emulators at all, what's a decent memory stick to get. 2GB seem to sell for $20, but that might be overkill if all I'm doing is saving games. I do plan to pick up Beatorator sometime later. Does anyone know if the tracks in that game take up much space?
 
edit: oh yeah, one more thing. Is the PSP Go worth buying over a UMD-based PSP? I can't seem to access the PS Store without a compatible PS product, so I have no idea what their product catalog is like. Are there a lot of games listed? And are the prices pretty fair?


Post by JakJ (406 posts) See mini bio
1095 ACH / 24830 P

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I only have my experience to really go on. My launch unit from '05 still works just fine, and there haven't been any widespread reports of any failings. So a fairly confident "yes."


Post by AgentJ (6,533 posts) See mini bio
295 ACH / 5815 P

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@Pikapichu said:
"  Is the PSP Go worth buying over a UMD-based PSP? I can't seem to access the PS Store without a compatible PS product, so I have no idea what their product catalog is like. Are there a lot of games listed? And are the prices pretty fair? "
NO. Sort of. NO.


Post by JakJ (406 posts) See mini bio
1095 ACH / 24830 P

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@Pikapichu: Stay away from the PSP Go. Seeing how you're just getting into PSP the smart thing to do would get a 3000 so you can enjoy the cheap PSP UMDs. The store has a great selection of games, but they're mostly priced higher than what you would pay used and even sometimes new at retail. 
 
Another thing is the PSP Go only accepts Memory Stick Micro (or Mini, whatever), which cost considerably more than their Memory Stick PRO Duo counterparts, adding even more overhead to the system. If you don't plan on downloading PSP or PSone games, 2GB should be good, but it wouldn't hurt to step up to 4 or more GBs if you can afford it, as you never know what will happen in the future.


Post by TooWalrus (2,919 posts) See mini bio
1364 ACH / 24611 P

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They're reliable, in the sense that they will work for a good long time... but they aren't reliable as a format. We've already begun seeing games release exclusively as digital, and that's not  a trend that's going to change, so if space is an issue you may want to spend the extra cash for a Go. Also, the UMD's are awful for battery life, so that may also be an issue you want to consider. Also... I hate swapping UMD's, the disc trey feels so... fragile. Actually, since my PSP is a 1000 model, they may have fixed that.


Post by Pikapichu (37 posts) See mini bio

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I don't think I'll be downloading much from the PSP store. At most, I'll probably load a couple songs onto the stick for use in the games that support them. Looks like I'm going to stay away from the Go. I can't wait to pick up a new PSP tomorrow! Thanks again for the helpful advice!


Post by Tw1stedL0gic (12 posts) See mini bio

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I have a PSP-1000, and one thing that realllyyyy annoys me is the brrzzzrrrr every few seconds when the game is loading. It really got on my nerves after a while.  
 
With a console, it's different cause the machine is so far away from you, but when the PSP is thirty centimeters away from your face, it's very noticeable :(


Post by oldschool (4,469 posts) See mini bio

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No problems with my 2 PSP-1000.  Since they are lucky to get 20 hours play time between a year, I have hardly tested them out.


Post by Void_Wizard (16 posts) See mini bio

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If you have a PSP 1000 it accesses the UMD much more often than if you have a 2000 or 3000.


Post by Subject2Change (1,178 posts) See mini bio
750 ACH / 6810 P

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My PSP1000 isa little loud but generally i have earbuds in when I am playing it anyway. 2GB is fine, i a 1GB stick and its just for save files, a rare demo and sometimes a few tv show episodes or some other video. Really don't need more than that unless you plan to bring a catalog of stuff with you.
 
I have no complaints about my 1000, if my 1000 breaks for whatever reason i'd buy a 3000 to replace. I prefer hard copies of games over digital.


Post by Al3xand3r (7,088 posts) See mini bio

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You can ask for a new PSP if there are more than like 5 dead pixels on the screen, I think. My 3000 has none, but my 1000 had several.

As for the drive, mine still works fine, but it got very minimal use anyway. Then again so does my PS1's drive, so maybe there's something in your house that causes them to bust (you?). You could buy the games through PSN also (if they're available) as it's something all PSP's are capable of despite being the Go's main draw in marketing. Of course you'd have to buy a decently sized memory stick then. I'm pretty happy with the service though, I bought Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny much cheaper than in local stores. They just seriously need to put more games on it, the selection is pathetic, at least on the European PSN.


Post by Liamguy01 (10 posts) See mini bio

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@Pikapichu: Do not buy a PSP Go. 
It costs at least $90 more than a PSP 3000 and you have a limited selection of games due to the fact that there is no UMD drive and everything is digital downloads.


Post by Fbomb (281 posts) See mini bio

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Mine's hardly been used. So, super reliable. In fact, want to buy mine with 4GB memory, 11 games and 2 movies collection for like $200? :P


Post by AgentJ (6,533 posts) See mini bio
295 ACH / 5815 P

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Also don't forget that if you want to import games from other regions having a PSP GO makes it legally impossible. Just get a 1000 or 2000. It makes things much easier., 


Post by Pikapichu (37 posts) See mini bio

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I picked up a PSP3000 the other day and am having a blast with it! Rockband unplugged about as fun as the console version, despite the lack of multiplayer. Once I can find them on sale, I plan on picking up God of War, Crisis Core and Gran Turismo. I wish I had a PSP sooner so I could've gotten in on that buy 2-get-1-game-free sale at Toys R Us. >_<


Post by Emandudeguyperson (1,642 posts) See mini bio
239 ACH / 4123 P

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This + this vs. This?


Post by ahriman22 (1,811 posts) See mini bio
845 ACH / 12260 P

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I've dropped mine many times, the drive still works perfectly. I have a 2000 if you're wondering.





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