PSP slim upgrade YES or NO or After E3?

[jkam]

I have a phat PSP and I dig it. I've been really contemplating upgrading to a slim but I'm not sure its really "worth" it. I've done my homework and there are a few things I like about the slim over the phat like the better d-pad, usb charging, and lighter weight. However there is still a little voice in my head telling me these upgrades don't make it worth upgrading. I don't have a problem with the phat and I have no dead pixels or anything that would push me more into getting a slim. I also like having the playgear pocket case over what is offered thus far for the slim. The last thing holding me back is I'm curious as to what E3 will bring. So for those of you that have had the phat and upgraded what are your thoughts?

[doubledown]

Over memorial day weekend I got to compare the slim to the Phat and I would not upgrade. (I have the fat currently, cousin-in-law had a slim).

Honestly, the slim was not THAT much lighter to me and the thickness of it was not really much smaller. There are some good things about the slim, but not enough to warrant a purchase from me. I RARELY play the PSP though, I used it for music and videos, but I just got an mp3 player, so it will rarely get used.

Plus, on the size aspect, I keep my PSP in the Playgear case, so the size is MUCH thicker than normal. I know the new PSP bundles seem cool though....if you could sell your fat for a good amount, then maybe.

[Hibiwa]

I just got a slim to keep updated, and agree the weight difference isn't as great as touted. Having both to compare with now, I feel the slim is a major ripoff.

The skimping on quality parts is what you're getting. Everything about it reeks of cost cutting and it isn't worth the phat upgrade. The faceplate has so many wavy imperfections in material that I get PO'd when it's side by side with big bro. Separating the screen plate from the body face was stupid. The one piece phat front is much better.

Another thing I didn't expect was light leak at the edges of the control pads nearest to the LCD screen.

Unless you need it just to have an extra, pass on this until the true PSP replacement arrives. May take a long time though, if ever.

The phat was beautifully designed with details throughout that can be appreciated. The slim strips it all away for a generic store-brand wannabe. I feel sorry for the original designers -who made it a piece of art-having to bear witness to this lackluster econobox.

[Ryukahn]

After owning a PSP phat at launch, and now having extensive time with a Slim, I'd say it's not a good value to upgrade. Stick with your original model and put the money towards something else.

[62t]

the answer is no.

USB charge is not that useful.
Lightweight is nice but not worth money.

The dpad is imporant but not necessary as you can use the analog stick in most games

[Hostile]

I got lucky enough that I found a great trade for it (my orig. PSP + Lumines II for a new Slim PSP + Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles). I like that it is lighter but it's also slick on the back. Unlike the back of the orig. PSP, the front and back is the same smooth surface so it seems to slip out of my hands a lot (thank god for wriststraps against theft and droppage). I haven't needed to use a USB charge yet and I don't play fighting games on my PSP so the D-pad being better isn't even noticeable.

If you're a true CAG though, unless you can sell your PSP for a great price, it's not really worth it until the price drops.

[cochesecochese]

Wait until E3 for sure. There may not be much of a lineup this year and if that's the case it's really not worth upgrading.

[pinoy530]

My God of War PSP should be here tomorrow from Amazon, now you guys are making me feel like I shouldn't have upgraded. Oh well, It was a great price for me though(birthday gift). I'll see if the upgrade makes a difference.

[cochesecochese]

Well if you have a lot of backlog to play through then go for it all the way. I'm glad I upgraded from my phat to the slim on day one but that was quite some time ago and there's not much new left that interests me.

Let me put it another way. I recently purchased an og xbox and some controllers which for most would seem pointless since there's no new content on the way but a lot of those games are still new and fresh to me so I'm getting my enjoyment out of the system and it was money well spent.

[doubledown]

Wow, I thought everyone was going to say get the slim....glad my original post was the majority.

Also, you CAN charge the PSP fat via USB, you just need a 3rd party cable. I have one that is a split cable....one has a mini-USB to transfer data, the other plugs into the PSP charging spot (yellow input). Very excellent cable.

[Halo05]

I love the Slim. The D-pad and TV out made the upgrade worthwhile to me. As soon as I find a deal on one of the battery covers that allows you to use the bigger PSP batteries, I'll be set.

[VAD3R or Fro]

The rounded corners on the newer system makes it feel more like an actual controller compared to the older one.

[Hybrid5006]

It also has a faster CPU (and I think more RAM)

Just got my God of War bundle from Amazon! W00T!

[Hibiwa]

The rounded corners on the newer system makes it feel more like an actual controller compared to the older one.

What "rounded corners" are you talking about?

Phat has the two curved grip bumps on the back and the Slim is flat as a pancake. Both versions line up equally when set on top of each other so I'd like to know what you are referring to.

[pinoy530]

I love the Slim. The D-pad and TV out made the upgrade worthwhile to me. As soon as I find a deal on one of the battery covers that allows you to use the bigger PSP batteries, I'll be set.

Theres a PSP starter kit in that gamestop sale which has what appears to be a battery cover for the fat battaries.

[mtxbass1]

If you have the fat, I really can't see getting the slim. I personally have the slim (and love it), but I couldn't see upgrading just for TV out and the "slim-ness" of it.

[whoknows]

I say go for it. I upgraded to a slim when it was released, and while it's not amazingly different, between TV out, USB charging, and of course the better d-pad (which keeps me from using the terribly placed analog nub) I felt it was worth it.

Grab the blue slim that's coming out. Looks nice.

[MICHAE2414]

Ah, I was just considering this since I got tired of having custom firmware and hadn't taken my fat PSP anywhere in a long while due the weight of it + the Playgear case. Upgrading to a slim would encourage me to bring it around with me again (as well as obviously get the extra perks of TV-out and USB charging, etc), but the trade-off doesn't sound worth it from the replies here. Hmm.

[Asgardian]

So if I don't have a psp yet, should I get a USED phat or a new slim? How much risk is there to get a used phat from GS.. I have over $130 store credit to use... thanks!

[Hibiwa]

In your case, get a new slim.

As much as I prefer the phatty, buying used from GS is too risky. They aren't too keen on actually checking what they take in, and have no hesitation about passing the buck to you with their 30 day defect roulette return.

Anything passed that can be sent to SONY for $90 to fix though. But why bother if you don't own a phat to compare to. There are happy slim owners after all.

[SynGamer]

I've had both and the PSP Slim is MUCH better. Lighter, but not too light. The extra ram will enable extra features and the UMD Cache greatly helps load times.

[Ryukahn]

So if I don't have a psp yet, should I get a USED phat or a new slim? How much risk is there to get a used phat from GS.. I have over $130 store credit to use... thanks!

If you are buying your first PSP, go for the slim. As another poster said, buying used is not generally a good idea for video game systems. Overall the slim is better, I just don't feel upgrading if you already have a phat is worthwhile.

[Asgardian]

Thanks for the info and advice, I picked up the GOW bundle yesterday from CC with the $40 off coupon, figure I wont get a much better deal than this for a while... but now I need more help understanding the details of getting most out of the psp...

(1) Pandora's battery. I've seen vids on youtube how to make this. I understand that I need to have the psp run on the battery while the CFW installs, and it can take a couple of hours... my questions are: (a) Any suggestions where I might get a cheap battery for the hard mod? I plan to buy a use battery from GS (if they have any). (b) How big do I need for the battery, is 1400mAh enough? (c) once the hard mod is done, can the battery be recharged? If so, how is that done - do I just insert it after the psp is on with ac?

(2) Memory Card. I don't have any pro duo ms now, and I'm planning to wait for a great deal on at least a 4Gb (hopefully 8Gb)... questions: (a) can you play games and watch movies with NO memory card? (b) What is the minimum card size for just saving games and doing the hack, is 256Mb or 512Mb enough? I've brought many games I wanted to play already, so I think I can survive until a good deal on a large capacity pro duo. (c) What's the best deal on a small pro duo? I'm thinking GS used again - since I have a lot of store credit.

Thanks for the help.

[RelentlessRolento]

I say wait due to possible bundle announcements. other than that if you don't care for a bundle, just get it now. the d-pad upgrade is alone worth it.

[Serpentor]

just got me the red GoW PSP, this is the bomb! Awesome,slick and stylish, loving it...

Retiring the phat PSP, just gonna let it sit in the $10 Psyclone speaker thing.

[cochesecochese]

(1) Pandora's battery. I've seen vids on youtube how to make this. I understand that I need to have the psp run on the battery while the CFW installs, and it can take a couple of hours... my questions are: (a) Any suggestions where I might get a cheap battery for the hard mod? I plan to buy a use battery from GS (if they have any). (b) How big do I need for the battery, is 1400mAh enough? (c) once the hard mod is done, can the battery be recharged? If so, how is that done - do I just insert it after the psp is on with ac?

Took me about two hours of reading and an hour to make the battery/magic memory stick (did this while i made the battery) and install CFW.

[Asgardian]

I might have found a good solution to my situation, just want to see what you experts think.

On Deal Extreme, I found these three items:

(a) $10.50 (shipped) Pandora's Battery (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12472)
(b) $22.09 (shipped) Pandora's Battery + 2Gb pro duo (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12710)
(c) $31.84 (shipped) Pandora's Battery + 4Gb pro duo (http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12711)

I'm thinking these are pretty dam good deals, I'm temped to go with (b) or (c) just so I have all I need for cheap... but I do worry about the quality of the ms... what do you guys think? Should I be cheap ass and get (c) and forget about waiting for a deal on an official ms or should I go for (a) and buy my own ms?

PS: DealExtreme is a reliable company, I've purchase from them a few times with no problem, but be aware that the free shipping means you'll have to wait 2-4 WEEKS before you'll get your stuff...

[slidecage]

I have a phat PSP and I dig it. I've been really contemplating upgrading to a slim but I'm not sure its really "worth" it. I've done my homework and there are a few things I like about the slim over the phat like the better d-pad, usb charging, and lighter weight. However there is still a little voice in my head telling me these upgrades don't make it worth upgrading. I don't have a problem with the phat and I have no dead pixels or anything that would push me more into getting a slim. I also like having the playgear pocket case over what is offered thus far for the slim. The last thing holding me back is I'm curious as to what E3 will bring. So for those of you that have had the phat and upgraded what are your thoughts?

the slim model has no metal case that hold the game into the player. it just lies flat in the system now.

i used to miss my old fat PSP but im used to my slim now.

Nothin will happen at E3... no price drop No reason

[Machine]

I have had my phat since launch and I just picked up a slim. I keep my phat in a Pscyclone speaker system - with wireless and internet radio, it makes a great portable stereo. I prefer the slim for gaming though - I noticed a big difference when playing Crisis Core. Load times were much shorter and it seemed like there was less slowdown in some areas.

[-Never4ever-]

Just got the GoW bundle after being PSP-less since last Nov. It looks great, feels great, I really have no prob with it besides feeling a bit "cheaper" than the old fatties. Still, it's better than lugging around one of those big ugly-ass black bricks.

[Darknyss]

Thanks for the info and advice, I picked up the GOW bundle yesterday from CC with the $40 off coupon, figure I wont get a much better deal than this for a while... but now I need more help understanding the details of getting most out of the psp...

(1) Pandora's battery. I've seen vids on youtube how to make this. I understand that I need to have the psp run on the battery while the CFW installs, and it can take a couple of hours... my questions are: (a) Any suggestions where I might get a cheap battery for the hard mod? I plan to buy a use battery from GS (if they have any). (b) How big do I need for the battery, is 1400mAh enough? (c) once the hard mod is done, can the battery be recharged? If so, how is that done - do I just insert it after the psp is on with ac?

(2) Memory Card. I don't have any pro duo ms now, and I'm planning to wait for a great deal on at least a 4Gb (hopefully 8Gb)... questions: (a) can you play games and watch movies with NO memory card? (b) What is the minimum card size for just saving games and doing the hack, is 256Mb or 512Mb enough? I've brought many games I wanted to play already, so I think I can survive until a good deal on a large capacity pro duo. (c) What's the best deal on a small pro duo? I'm thinking GS used again - since I have a lot of store credit.

Thanks for the help.
I thought these coupons excluded game consoles? Did you buy online or B&M?

[micro44]

just got me the red GoW PSP, this is the bomb! Awesome,slick and stylish, loving it...

Retiring the phat PSP, just gonna let it sit in the $10 Psyclone speaker thing.

Just got my Red GOW too and I also love it!! :bouncy:

My old one now belongs to my wife.

[micro44]

I thought these coupons excluded game consoles? Did you buy online or B&M?

They do SAY that they exclude consoles, and they also say that copies are not accepted.

It is a YMMV situation. A lot of CAGs (including myself) had success using the coupon and some did not. Definitely worth a shot though if you are looking to get a new one.

Only works at B&M I think. They need to scan the barcode.

[depascal22]

I've had the phat since launch and I haven't seen anything to make me want to upgrade. I'm marginally interested in the new d-pad just to be able to play the fighters but it still doesn't change the fact that there are only four face buttons. Still makes it hard to play SF.

I'd strongly recommend against buying used from GS. You're more likely to get a scratched up brick than a game system. My cousin went through three used ones and all of them had problems. He eventually returned it and got a new slim.

[necrojustice]

I bought a Used Slim off a fellow CAG and ordered replacement Dpad/Analogs for it from Deal Extreme...the one I bought was $2.75ish after the free shipping and they are amazingly made. Better than the others I've tried in the States!