It's hard to put into words just how pretty the PSP is, but it doesn't matter; words become meaningless once you turn on one of the handhelds for yourself. With a shockingly clear 4.3-inch widescreen display, a deftly designed analog stick, and the ability to play games, movies, and MP3s, the PSP is a massive leap. Nintendo purists will scoff, but that company's latest handheld, the innovative in its own right DS, has been soundly outclassed less than a year after its release, and with monolithic publishers such as EA throwing heavy weight behind Sony's gadget, the company Mario built is no doubt feeling a tad concerned. The future of handheld gaming is now--too bad it's the new kid on the block providing it.
Still, it's the games that make the machine. Of the handful released so far, my favorite is EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour, a perfectly designed port of the popular home console games, complete with sharp commentary and the ability to design your very own golfer. Chances are you've seen the hideously addictive arcade game Golden Tee at a bar--now imagine that game with sharper graphics, a better control scheme, and the trump card of portability.
Wipeout Pure, developed by Sony's Studio Liverpool, is a future racer awash in stunning pastels that are more than pleasing to THC-friendly eyeballs. The play is fast but intuitive, with controls loose enough to give you the tension of possibly careening out of control at any moment, yet tight enough not to become too frustrating. And though gameplay can become repetitive (as it does in all racing games), upgrades of vehicles and heavy track variety keep your interest.
Then there's 989's so-burly-it's-frightening Major League Baseball, which contains complete rosters and schedules for every team, gorgeously rendered ballparks, and surprisingly deep presentation. Pitching can be slightly irritating (thanks to the control scheme, holding a pitch in the strike zone is an often reckless affair, leading to far more passed balls and beaned players than necessary), but both batting and fielding are smartly conceived. For those who find baseball as addictive as crack (ahem), 989's game delivers the ultimate fix.
Though the PSP is not without problems--battery life is limited, and some owners have complained about lost pixels in the display--these minor stumbles are more than made up for by the sheer promise the handheld offers. Now that the PSP has arrived, portable gaming will never be the same. The future, as the dusty marketing blurb goes, is now. Hopefully Nintendo can catch up.
