Sony PSP 3000 Specifications:

• Dimensions: 6.7 in x 0.7 in x 2.8 in
• Weight: 6.8 oz
• Color: Piano Black
• Media: UMD (Universal Media Disc)
• Processor: 333 MHz
• Memory: 64 MB
• Display: LCD display, 4.3 in TFT, 480 x 272 pixels
• Sound: Stereo Built-in Speakers
• Connectivity: IEEE 802.11
• Expansion Slots: Memory Stick Duo
• Battery: Lithium ion 1200 mAh

Review:

The Sony PSP 3000 has nearly the same dimensions as the Slim 2001 and is a bit lighter. The build quality is superb, just like the PSP Slim 2001 and is quite capable of facing the wrath of frustated gamers (after they have lost). It should easily last more than a couple of years with normal usage. The build materials are superb and the display build quality stunning. It is very prone to fingerprints though.

The awesome 4.3 inch display is now even more awesome, it now has better color reproduction, better contrast and less ghosting on high FPS scenes and a wider color gamut. Keeping the PSP 2001 and 3000 side by side, you immediately spot the difference. The colors are much more vibrant and lively on the PSP 3000. It does have a few shortcomings too – the screen’s increased refresh rate drains the battery much faster and results in the formation of artifacts and some interlacing issues in intensive games. Hopefully it should be sorted soon.

The button and keys have the same layout. The newer version also sports a built in microphone for Skype calls, works with UMDs, same as the PSP 2000, and comes wih a 4 GB Memory Stick Duo. You can use your 3.5 mm headphones with it and also connect it to your TV using the AV out. It also has Wi-Fi to connect to the internet, and a basic web browser for surfing.

There are not many other differences between the two, both play the same games. The firmware of the new PSP 3000 has actually been hacked yet, so you might want to wait or get the older PSP 2001.

Pros:

• Better Screen
• Built in Microphone

Cons:

• Interlacing Issues
• Lower Battery life

We wouldn’t recommend any PSP 2001 users to upgrade to the PSP 3000 as there simply aren’t many new features. Even if you are a new customer, you may want to consider the PSP 2001 as the PSP 3000 doesn’t support many hacks yet. Other than that, it’s a nice gaming device with superb features. One final piece of advice, you will need to use a screen protector for that beautiful display to avoid major imprints and scratches.

Our Rating: 3.5/5.

Sony PSP specifications:

• Dimensions : 169.4 x 18.6 x 71.4 mm
• Media support : UMD
• 333 Mhz 128 bit processor
• 64 MB RAM
• 4.3″ TFT display 480 x 272
• WiFi 802.11b
• 9 buttons
• Memory slot: MS PRO Duo

The obvious differences from the predecessor are its slimmer design, lighter weight and its also sleek though from a distance you won’t be able to distinguish between the two.The console comes in a black or silver body and has various packaged versions which differ in terms of games bundled and Memory stick included.The ergonomics have changed for the better and their responsiveness has increased which improves gameplay.

The hardware improvements include double RAM ie. 64MB compared to 32MB in previous version.This helps increase startup times and games load faster.An AV output jack has been integrated in the console which can also be used as a headphone jack.The output from the PSP can be displayed onto a TV in DVD quality.Another great improvement is charging over USB which was not available earlier.But the charge time is much more than what you will get with the standard adapter.

Sony could have done much better with bringing in more drastic improvements and also looking at minor issues like fingerprint prone screen and low volume levels apart from firmware issues.

The design is almost the same at the predecessor with controls on its left, right, and bottom side, and we have two shoulder buttons along the top edge of the console.The directional controller is on the left and keys to accomplish tasks like media control have been placed below the screen.The UMD bay also has been redesigned.

Apart from being primarily a gaming platform the PSP also is also a good video playback device.The supported formats are MPEG4 or H.264-AVC, up to 720×480.You won’t have much difficulty in finding converters on the net.Audio playback formats include DRM-free MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, and ATRAC3 files.The device can also display pictures of the format JPEG, GIF, and TIFF.

Internet browsing is also possible on the device by using the unbuilt WiFi and it offers a rich browsing experience but no all sites will be displayed properly due to its limited flash support and resolution.

There are many games available for the PSP but you will be limited to only UMD disks.Many games have been ported from PS2 directly to the PSP.New titles designed specially for PSP are also available and they include titles from various genres like sports, racing, action, and shooter titles.Multiplayer gaming is also possible along with free online gameplay.The console has a battery life of about 3-6 hours of gameplay and about 4-5 hours of video playback which is quite good.

Pros:

• Light weight
• Slim and sleek
• AV output
• More RAM
• USB charging
• Better design

Cons:

• Low volume
• Fingerprint prone screen
• Few additions over predecessor
• Limited flash support

Final Thoughts

The new PSP Slim does offer quite a few improvements over the PSP but it does not revolutionize the device.The device is made for gaming and it surely is a pleasure to game on it. The video and audio playback are also good but the low volume on external speakers mar the experience a bit.The screen is still a magnet for fingerprints.Addition of more RAM has improved the performance level of PSP slim.PSP was definitely worth buying and with these improvements PSP Slim is a better buy if you want a handheld gaming console and also want to watch movies on the move.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD external player is Microsofts attempt to break into the Hi-Def video market and they seemed to have done a good job. This external device connects into your 360 via USB port and then from the 360 to your TV.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player:

• Street price: $179.99
• Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote
• Comes with King Kong plus 5 other HD DVD videos
• Connects via USB

Things I like
The 360 HD DVD external player offers a relatively inexpensive jump into the hi-def video market. At only $180 this is one of the cheapest players to date and it’ll let you view all of your HD DVD’s and regular DVDs. The player can also connect wirelessly via the 360 wireless adapter if you don’t wish to connect it via the USB port. The great thing about the player is that with a little help (installing a few drivers) you can actually connect this to a Windows computer and have it run off there. This means that it’s also the first HD DVD external player for your PC’s.

Things I don’t like
Other than the support for a computer and it’s relatively low price there isn’t anything overly special about the Xbox 360 HD DVD player, especially since it seems that the Format Wars are coming to an end (with Blu-Ray in the lead). There isn’t anything wrong with the device. It works flawlessly and it does it’s job well.

Pros:

• Relatively cheap
• 1080p high-def output
• Can play HD DVD’s on your computer

Cons:

• Blu-Ray might win the format war
• Still expensive compared to DVD’s

Final Thoughts
Unless you already have a large HD DVD collection and want to use your 360 to play them I would hold off buying this for a while. It seems that Blu-Ray has won the Format Wars which means you’ll see very few titles going to HD DVD and most going to Blu-Ray. If you do have a number of HD DVD’s however the Xbox 360 HD DVD player will play them very well and you’ll enjoy the quality.

The Wii Zapper is pretty much a light gun-ish bracket for the Wiimote and Nunchuck. Along with the the Zapper you also get Link’s Crossbow Training which has a number of mini missions and is enormously fun. My big complaint with the Wii Zapper is the fact that Nintendo pursued the tommy gun layout, which is the cause of every one of the Zapper’s problems.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Wii Zapper:

• Street price: $19.99
• Plastic holder for Wiimote and Nunchuck
• Link’s Crossbow Training game

Things I like
This bundle is worth it purely for the game. Link’s Crossbow Training is set in a world in the style of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In order to perfect your crossbow marksmanship, you must pass a series of tests, starting with stationary bullseye targets, before moving onto moving targets and actual enemies. The game features 27 playable levels, each taking on 3 different gameplay styles: target shooting, defender and ranger. All of these styles are really fun and this game in itself makes the Zapper worth while.

Things I don’t like
While the Zapper was a novel idea it just isn’t as well designed as the old NES zapper and it’ll never gain cult status like the NES zapper did. The Wii Zapper just feels cheap to me. The trigger physically pushes against the B button on the Wiimote so if your connection isn’t good you might miss a few shots. The actual trigger doesn’t have a spring and this is the cause of most of the problems. With a quick fix you could put a spring in there and it would fire a lot easier. Nintendo should have fixed this from the start. The actual zapper isn’t the nicest thing to hold either. The tommy-gun layout makes moving around with the Zapper a little awkward. The NES zapper had a much nicer design and Nintendo should have stuck with it.

Pros:

• Very affordable
• Link’s Crossbow Training is super fun

Cons:

• Zapper doesn’t have a nice feel to it
• Trigger doesn’t depress nicely (doesn’t have a good connection against the B button)

Final Thoughts
Link’s Crossbow training is worth the entire cost of the bundle. If the Zapper didn’t come with the game I wouldn’t recommend it but because it does I have to recommend that you pick the Wii Zapper up. The game is just so entertaining that it’s a must have for Wii console owners.

Microsoft though of this and came out with the Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit. The kit will recharge your Xbox 360 rechargeable battery packs (the lithium-ion one) in a few hours and give you over 25 hours of game play. The great thing about this kit is that it comes with one rechargeable battery pack so you don’t need to buy one.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Quick Charge Kit:

• Street price: $29.99
• Charges two Rechargeable Battery Packs
• Includes one Rechargeable Battery Pack

Things I like
If you own a 360 wireless controller and don’t want to keep a stash of batteries around in case your controller dies I strongly suggest that you buy the Xbox 360. I love this recharging station. While it isn’t that quick in recharging the batteries (3 hours) it does provide an easy way to recharge them. The batteries themselves give you 25 hours of play time so you’ll be able to play you’re online matches without worrying about the battery dying.

The other thing I like about the kit is that it comes with a battery. It’s really a win-win no matter what.

Things I don’t like
The only thing I don’t like is the fact that it takes 3 hours to recharge. Clearly this isn’t that big of a problem because you just plug it in over night and you’ll be good to go in the morning. I can understand that this could be a little annoying if you’re in the middle of a gaming marathon but in that case, get more than one battery.

Pros:

• Very affordable
• Charges two batteries at a time
• Comes with a battery

Cons:

• Takes 3 hours to charge

Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit is a must-have Xbox 360 accessory for those who already own, or are considering buying, a wireless controller. For $30 it’s a great value and I strong suggest picking one up.

Unfortunately before now, if you wanted to have a long talk with your friends over the 360 the only way to do that was to plug in a USB keyboard. This was really annoying especially if you didn’t have one laying around the house.

Microsoft has fixed these problems with the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. The messenger kit gives you the full power of a 46 key full QWERTY keyboard that plugs into the bottom of your 360 controller.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit:

• Street price: $29.99
• Chat on Xbox LIVE
• Attaches seamlessly to your Xbox 360 Controller
• Backlit buttons
• Includes the Xbox 360 Wired Headset

Things I like
Finally Microsoft has caught on that people want a full sized keyboard to chat with their friends. Before the Messenger Kit I didn’t use the chat functions purely because it was too tedious to type anything more than a sentence. The new Kit gives you access so you can now talk on MSN or for online games. The thing I like most about the Messenger Kit is it’s layout. The keys are perfectly spaced for thumb typing. I’m a fairly good typer on a normal keyboard and I was worried at first that it would be really hard to type on this keyboard but after a few minutes of practice I was pecking away rather quickly.

The other thing I like about the Messenger Kit is the actual keys themselves. The keys give a very nice feedback when they’re released and I like this because you know whether or not you actually hit the keys. Some keyboards don’t give you this feedback so you’re always wondering whether or not you actually hit it.

Things I don’t like
The thing I like least about the Messenger kit is that it doesn’t sit flush against the controller. The keys sit about 0.5″ above the controller so it can be annoying at times. The other thing I don’t like about the Messenger kit is that it only comes in white! If you have a black (or any other color) controller the keyboard will look a little weird. While this color difference isn’t really a big problem I would have thought Microsoft would have though of it.

This keyboard will take a little time getting used to. Like most laptop keyboards there’s a function button that’s needed to use some of the buttons. If you’re not used to a function button you will need to spend some time getting used to it. That being said it really isn’t that important to use the function button unless you need to type in numbers and such.

Pros:

• Full 46 key QWERTY layout
• Excellent feedback from the keys
• Inexepensive

Cons:

• Keys don’t sit flush against controller
• Only comes in white
• Takes getting used to

Final Thoughts
If you talk over Xbox LIVE then the Messenger kit is a must to have. It’s really inexpensive and it makes chatting so much easier. If you don’t have a white controller it’ll look a little off but this accessory for the Xbox 360 is a must. I totally recommend the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit.

The PS3 was released on the 17th of November (for North America). While the release was hyped up with the promise of ultra-realistic graphics, the hype was shortly lived when people realized just how much the console would set them back.

Even though the PS3 was the middle console to be released it definitely made a splash. While more expensive than the other two consoles the PlayStation 3 is the meanest when it comes to hardware. The PS3 features a blu-ray disk system, high-definition 1080p output, and is powered by a Cell Broadband Engine.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Playstation 3:

• Street price: $399.99 – $499.99
• Cell Broadband Engine
• 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
• 40GB – 80GB hard drive
• Up to 7 wireless controllers

Things I like
The PlayStation 3 is one beast of a machine. When it comes to processing power it kills everything else. Five PS3′s were networked together and were used as a super computer. This is basically where everything I like about the PS3 ends. It does produce great graphics and it is great that Sony finally realized that people wanted to play with more than 2 people. Other than the great graphics and the pure power of the cell processors, the PS3 really has nothing else to offer.

Things I don’t like
The PS3 costs way too much. While it is an amazing machine the fact that it costs $400 for the lowest end is absolutely ridiculous. Remember that this is a year after it was released. When the PS3 first came out it was even more to buy. Unfortunately the PS3 problems don’t just end with the high price. I don’t like the way their SIXAXIS controllers feel in your hand. The old controllers had a good heftiness to them but the new ones feel to light. They feel like you’ll break them with any hard gaming.

The other problem I have with the PlayStation 3 is the fact that there aren’t really any good games. Sure theres Assassins Creed and a few other big names but because of the Cell processors, developers just haven’t had the ability to develop for it. In a few years this will be another story and the PS3 will kill everything but right now I honestly think that the Wii and the 360 are a better choice.

Pros:

• Lots of processing power
• 1080p high-def output
• 7 wireless controllers

Cons:

• Very Expensive
• Not many good games yet
• SIXAXIS controller feels cheap

Final Thoughts
I wouldn’t advise getting the PS3 for another few years. Developers just haven’t really had the chance to make any good games for it yet. Wait until a number of good games come out and then I would say get it. While the PlayStation 3 does have a tonne of processing power and it does produce some ultra-realistic graphics, it just isn’t worth the high price tag that goes with it. I cannot recommend the PlayStation 3 yet.

This time around Microsoft corrected their mistake. The Xbox 360 was released months before it’s competition and left them in the dust. The 360 was the first of the 3rd generation consoles and it is definitely the most impressive.

The 360 features powerful hardware that includes 512MB of unified memory, custom symmetrical triple-core CPU and custom 500MHz ATI graphics processor. Every Xbox 360 title supports 720p and 1080i high definition resolution.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Xbox 360:

• Street price: $279.99 – $619.94
• 720p 1080i high definition resolution
• Three USB 2.0 ports, two memory unit slots, Ethernet port, HDMI port
• Wireless controllers
• 20GB hard drive

Things I like
The thing I like the most about the 360 is the fact that all of the games you play come out in amazing clarity. The 360 just makes gaming look realistic. The first game I ever played was Gears of War. I remember shooting someone and the body jerked back as if it was real. This kind of physics and graphics was basically unheard of before the 360.

Another thing that I really like about this version of the Xbox is the fact that there are so many great games for it. Between Gears of War, Halo 3, and a number of old classics the 360 just has so much more to offer than the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3.

Things I don’t like
The fact that 33% of the consoles are defective is absolutely ridiculous. Microsoft has never been known for their product quality but the 360′s replacement numbers are beyond poor. When you buy a console you shouldn’t have to worry that theres a 1 in 3 chance that your console will be defective. Other than the piss poor quality of the hardware the 360 really doesn’t have anything else that I don’t like.

Pros:

• Realistic gameplay
• Fairly cheap (compared to the PS3)
• So much fun to play

Cons:

• 33% chance of failure

Final Thoughts
The 360 was the first console for the 3rd generation of gaming and it’s definitely one of the best. The graphics are ultra-realistic and the game play is amazing. If you haven’t gotten into the gaming scene yet the 360 is a great choice. I fully recommend buying the Xbox 360, you’ll have so much fun on it.

But what makes the Wii so special. While it doesn’t have the best graphics or the meanest processors the Wii brings back the essence of gaming, fun. The Wii features a number of joysticks that you hold in your hands and your characters move based on where you’re pointing your hands. This is totally different than any other console around and thats what makes it fun.

The Wii comes with, in my opinion, it’s best game, Wii Sports. This has boxing, bowling, golf and tennis and is by far the most fun you’ll have with the Wii.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Wii:

• Street price: $249.99
• 4 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.2 mm deep
• PowerPC “Broadway” processor, clocked at 729 MHz
• Dolby Pro Logic II capable, built-in controller speaker
• Controllers connected via Bluetooth

Things I like
The Wii revolutionalized the way gamers play their games. Instead of the normal controller that everyone is used to, Nintendo went with a risky new design and it payed off. Their controllers are totally wireless and the Wii tracks the movements of the controllers and maps it onto the screen. This means if you’re playing the bowling game you actually move the controller as if you’re bowling.

The Wii is super fun to play. With the ability to have up to four players its a great party console. While there are a number of fun games for it, my favorite is the free Wii sports that comes with the console. The Wii is also a great way to work out. When you’re swinging your arms for an extended period of time you really feel like you’ve been working out. The final thing I like about the Wii is it’s low price tag. At only $250 it’s much lower than it’s competition and this is a large selling point for me. All-in-all the Wii is a fantastic device.

Things I don’t like
There isn’t much that I don’t like about the Wii. The main thing that I think Nintendo should have change is the Wii’s graphics. The Wii only displays it’s graphics in 720p instead of full 1080p. The graphics are also more cartoony than the others, so if you’re into crisp realistic graphics the Wii isn’t for you. This however, is a minor problem since the game play is so much fun.

Pros:

• Small size
• Very cheap
• So much fun

Cons:

• Graphics aren’t up to par

Final Thoughts
If you haven’t bought this yet, get it! The Wii is so much fun and it doesn’t cost a lot at all. If you ever have friends over I know that the Wii will bring hours of fun to the party. I recommend that you go out right after reading this review and buy it.