simplechild wrote...
I have owned a PSP Go for five months now. I have also owned a PSP 2000 since 2008. Interestingly, I use my Go more than the 2000, and I find that it fits my needs more appropriately. Now, before you declare me insane for even considering to buy the Go, let me say a few things that many of you are overlooking.
First, I'll speak of the price. Yes, it cost $229.99 when I bought it off of Amazon. Yes, I could have gotten a 3000 for at least $60 less. However, think about it: Does that 3000 come with a 16GB memory stick? No, it doesn't have ANY memory to start with, and you have to spend more money in order to match the memory of a PSP Go. In fact, the 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo costs $60 on Amazon.
Second, the UMD affair. Luckily, I do not own many tangible games (eight total) for my 2000 in order for me to be too attached to the system. In fact, I hate UMDs with a burning passion because they remind me of the same clunky cartridges and CDs that clutter my shelves and other shelves across the nation. Additionally, because of the PSN, the available games are at no risk of being sold out. Why else do you think I was attracted to this alternative? Yes, it's not a PSP 2 or anything revolutionizing like that, and perhaps that is being unfairly vented upon the Go. Now, I understand that many other people here are more attached to tangible product and UMDs so that they can either resell them for whatever reason they come up with or just plain like touching the product they own. I can understand why people would not be interested in the Go because of that, and I am not trying to convince you that the Go's better. Just hear me out for a bit because there's a good reason to buy the Go under certain circumstances.
Third, the digital downloading. Personally, I love it. It's the best thing that's happened to me since videogames in general. I have no qualms against digital content, and this is to my own advantage and not yours. I understand that not all of the PSP games (especially not the full version of Rock Band Unplugged) are available on PSN right now. That is made up for by the PS one classics, with FFIX being recently released to be alongside FFVII, FFVIII, and the no-slow-down FFT (though the translations are just as bad as you remember them). Old games like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Castlevania reappear as a portable option too. Additionally, the PSN downloads system is surprisingly flexible. Technically, I can download the game off of my account as many times as possible, and that can lead to some loopholes in the system itself, and it is to my advantage. If I had a PS3, I could have the PS1 classic on both systems.
Another thing I like to point out about PSN is that the Media Go application acts like a sort of iTunes for your media as well as your games/gamesaves. You can use that to download games and such (at a much faster speed than directly onto the PSP, mind you), and from there you can manage games and gamesaves between PSPs. Yes, I know that the regular PSP can access PSN too, and that brings me to my next point.
Fourth is portability.
I do NOT like having a long uncomfortable bulge that is not my erection in my jeans pocket. Even if it's a multimedia machine, the PSP is first and foremost a portable gaming system. The PSP Go meets that definition to a T, being slightly larger than an iPhone while able to hold 16GB worth of media. And it fits comfortably in my pocket. This was an issue that I had with my previous PSP, and I recognize if yo do not have the same problem, so more power to you.
I do NOT like having to risk carrying my UMDs around during extensive trips or basically when I'm not home. Like I described earlier, It's not easy to lose downloaded games on PSN: Even if you accidentally delete the game, you can easily download it again at no cost. That is not the case with UMDs, new or used. If you lose or damage them, that's it. You need to buy a new one.
But wait! Remember how I said that the PSP can also download from PSN and be managed in Media Go? Now think about how much memory you're working with here. If you were like me with the measly 2GB stick, you would understand the limitations of even that. You can probably hold a maximum of... 4-5 games within the 300-500MB range before you start running into problems. Of course, with the Media Go, that problem can be easily solved by rotating the games, so perhaps even a 2GB stick can be used effectively alongside UMDs. But to serve my interests, I would rather have an extensive library at my hands rather than rely on my computer or redownloading directly. That, and you're stuck with either getting the UMD or the digital copy, so a fair amount of people will not be using both.
tl;dr I favor the Go more because:
1. The price is totally justified.
2. It gets rid of UMDs and effectively warrants downloaded games
3. It actually fits in my pocket
4. 16 GB of internal memory from the start (with an additional memory stick slot) is very convenient for my desires.
5. More games on a smaller system.
Now, I'm not saying that you should buy a PSP Go; that's ultimately your choice and your money to waste. If you already have a lot of UMDs and PSP exclusive accessories and you just like having tangible things that you own, don't buy it. If you don't, then it's in your interest to look at each system's advantages and disadvantages before making your decision.