95
I just got my Red Asterix Faceplate in the mail today, and it looks incredible. The paint has a very nice color with no runs, and the screen is just as good as the one on the stock faceplate. The printing (volume, on/off, mem card, etc.) is identical to that of the Sony faceplate. Also, did I mention that the color is phenominal!
Overall very good quality. Much more than I had thought when I purchased it.
Color: 9
Quality: 9
Value: 10
50
After reading the favorable review of the Asterix faceplate at this site, and checking out the manufacturer site, I decided to order the liquid silver version (the liquid platinum being unavailable.)
Unfortunately, my impression is not so favorable as others'. My faceplate shows distinct uneveness across its surface. Any place where the plastic is thicker, like where various pins and buttresses protrude from the underside, there is a faint dimple on the surface of the faceplate. Anybody who has spent any time building plastic models will know what I'm talking about. Maybe a non-reflective finish wouldn't show these subtle depressions, but with the silver, they are very noticeable.
Add to that a little pinching along the thin bottom edge, between the screen and the "home row" buttons, and the result is depressingly cheap looking.
The fit is not as good as it might be. I wasn't able to figure out exactly where it was binding to the PSP chassis, but after installing the Asterix faceplate, my right shoulder button no longer has the same range of motion, though it still works okay.
The pits over the front speakers are not open, but since I usually play games with the sound off anyway, I can't say how being covered in plastic affects the speakers.
All the posts on the back that hold the button clusters and their rubber gaskets are much smaller than on the original faceplate, which lets the buttons slide around, and they are not squarely aligned along any axis with the Asterix. In other words, looking at the PSP face-on, the buttons will look all a-kilter, and if you tilt it so that you are looking across the face from the bottom edge, it can be seen that the buttons don't rise to a uniform height. My O button is much lower in profile than the others in the same cluster.
After about a week of use, the printing for POWER and HOLD is already starting to wear off.
I had also ordered a set of red buttons, which were a total loss. The buttons are clear plastic with paint on the bottom. Unfortunately, when I opened the package, some of the paint had already flaked off one of the buttons, and just picking them up caused some of the others to flake as well, so I just binned them and used the original buttons.
Over all, I am quite disappointed with my Asterix. Maybe successive iterations will improve the quality, but as they stand now, I would not recommend them. How about a real metal faceplate, or carbon fiber? Now that would be cool.
One final caveat: the screws holding the original faceplate on were insanely tight. I sheared the tip off one of those miniature Philips' heads trying to loosen them. Luckily, the screws were undamaged, and once I realised what I was up against I fared better with the remaining screws. But if you are going to take your PSP apart, be warned, these little monsters are a trial.
96
This product does destroy any chance to fix your PSP if it breaks, but you can't beat the price if you're into the cutomization. You can purchase about 5 different colors with the matching colored buttons for only $50.
91
It looks sweet. Not as good quality as the original one, but still good, pretty much what I expected. It's not like those cheap phone covers at all, it feel solid.
The general look of the faceplate is great, it really stands out. I think it was a bit overpriced for what it is, but if you want it you have to pay, simple. The screen is great nice and clear and it runs flush with the rest of the face, no complaints here.
The control pad felt a little 'clicky' and I was a little bit disappointed with this at first, but after a couple hours gaming it felt just like the original one, same goes with the buttons. The gaming buttons that is.
It all lines up perfect with the body of the PSP, very snug indeed. It would have been nice to have the SonyPSP logo on it, but I guess there would be a copy write issue with Sony. A nice custom logo would be cool.
Installation was easy, the online instructions cover it well, except. The bottom row of buttons (Home volume etc) need to be cut separately for them to work. The first time I assembled it the volume buttons were pushed down on the home button and rendered them useless. I thought I just didn't line them up, but I tried again and then same thing happened(grrrr) So, anyway, after cutting them separate it all worked fine so this wasn't really a big deal at all, it just meant I had to go through the installation a couple of times.
The analog controller looks a bit cheap as there is a plastic bit on the back that can be seen as it is clear(the pic might show this), no big deal, but still…
Note: be careful not to tighten the screws too hard. Make sure you have no dust on the inside of it, and take your time.
Overall I'm glad I got one. Here are some pics of mine. If you have any questions just leave them here and I'll try answer them for you.
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