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By John P. Falcone, CNET.com
Sep 10, 2007

When Sony first announced an updated PSP at 2007's E3 show, a lot of people were straining to see what was so new about it. Indeed, from a distance, the new PSP is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. But pick one up, and the differences are more apparent: It's thinner, much lighter, and sleeker than the original. It's also got a few other new tricks under the hood. The new PSP (which Sony calls "the PSP 2000," to delineate from the earlier "PSP 1000" model) has already been announced for selected markets including Japan and North Americas but there is still no word on when it will officially arrive in Asia.

What's different: Comparing the updated PSP to the original

If you're already familiar with the PSP, we'll cut right to the chase. The new PSP is an evolutionary upgrade, with the following key changes:

• Thinner and lighter: The new PSP is 19 percent thinner and fully one-third lighter than the original version of the console. Anyone used to the older PSP will immediately notice the reduced weight as soon as they pick it up.

• Slightly improved cosmetics and controls: The thinner profile offers a slightly sleeker, more rounded look and feel. Even better, however, is that all of the control buttons (the D-pad on the left, the PlayStation circle, X, square, and triangle on the right, and the shoulder buttons on the top) are all sitting a bit more elevated on the chassis' face. As a result, they have a bit more travel and spring to them. They feel just a tad more responsive--and that's a good thing.

• Faster loading times: The new PSP utilizes a system setting called "UMD Cache" that enables faster loading of game discs. The secret is the new PSP's extra RAM--it's got 64MB versus the 32MB on the original model, and just like a PC, more memory enables faster performance. Many games do indeed load faster--while Test Drive Unlimited showed no real improvement in GameSpot's testing, Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 and WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 both showed nice gains, for instance. But don't expect miracles: The UMD load times are still poky when compared to the lightning-fast, Flash-based games of the Nintendo DS and Game Boy.
  
  
  Video output to a TV requires a breakout cable (sold separately), and has a few important caveats.
• Video output: The new PSP features an AV output jack (which doubles as a standard headphone connector). With the purchase of a special breakout cable (composite and component versions are available for about US$20 apiece), you can display the PSP's audio and video on virtually any TV. But there are a few notable caveats--most notably, the maximum video resolution varies according to the content displayed. Video content from UMD discs (prerecorded movies) and Memory Stick (home-ripped videos) can be displayed at DVD-level 720x480 resolutions--though quality will vary depending upon how the compression of the video in question--but games are locked into the PSP's native 480x272 display. So, if your TV doesn't have a robust zoom function, you're stuck with a window-boxed experience for games. Another potentially bigger problem with games is that they don't seem to even work on TVs that can't handle progressive-scan (480p) output. So while nearly any HDTV should be fine (with the component cable), older televisions will be limited to displaying non-gaming video output.

• USB charging: The new PSP can be charged via the USB port, but it's more trouble than it's worth. The resulting trickle charge will take about 5 hours to fully juice up the unit, versus about half that using the standard adapter. Worse, the unit needs to be on and connected to a powered-up PC, and you have to engage the USB mode (as you would when connecting to PC) in order to activate the charge process. If you really need USB charging, opt instead for the Kensington USB Power Tip--the sub-$20 cable lets you charge any PSP (new or old) from any USB-powered jack, including that of an iPod power adapter or the Belkin Dual USB Power Adapter.

In other words, there are a couple of nice cosmetic improvements, but the USB charging and video output additions are something of a disappointment. (Perhaps some of the problems can be addressed via future firmware upgrades.) But demanding gadget fans will note that there's still plenty of room for improvement. Even without a radical redesign, the lack of a second analog stick and some built-in flash memory seems like a lost opportunity. Likewise, some persistent annoyances--such as the low volume levels and glossy fingerprint-prone screen--are frustratingly intact. And while it's more a political than a technical limitation, Sony's continued resistance to the homebrew movement seems shortsighted; we'd love to see the PSP be available as an open platform for third-party game and application developers without the need to hack it.

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