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Jun 28 2005
Nyko Theater Experience PSP Review
PSP Hardware Review | Audio
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| Summary: Not Quite
57
After a full day of testing the battery all I can say is, "Wow!" I was able to run Spiderman 2 non stop and the batteries in the Theater Experience ran for eight hours and twenty minutes. Such a long run, well above what was promised, is very impressive. But, when the battery dies you know it immediately. The speakers die with little warning. I never saw the red flashing light that was supposed to let me know what was coming. I did notice an even further loss in sound quality as the batteries weakened. With the already bad sound it wasn't too noticeable. But it was still another blemish at a time when I was starting to be impressed.
It doesn't feel as tough as you would think an $80 device would. I also noticed that Nyko's original statements that the stand would have 5 settings didn't make it to final production. The stand has one position. It's not bad, but I was a bit put off. What else did they decide not to give us? The "tough" aluminum case is so-so. The Playgear Pocket feels far stronger. I think it could be worse though. Making it stronger with thicker aluminum would make it heavier and it weighs quite enough already.
This was important to me as I'm sure it is for many others. I was really afraid it would sound terrible. Let me say this; it does NOT sound as good as the Logitech Playgear Amp. But it does sound decent. It gets loud enough before it starts clipping. Playing my MP3 player through it I could hear it clearly in another room with lots of usual office noise in the background. The bass is weak. It's there, but it could be better. Livable. There is no volume control on the thing! Volume is controlled entirely through the PSP. Actually, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It saves on things to fiddle with all the time.
My only major complaint about it is the system noise. With the PSP in place and the UMD spinning happily there is an audible background noise coming from the speakers. Turning the volume up helps considerably. I'm guessing that the amp is right by the battery and the whole system must be more than a little "microphonic." It actually comes with a piece of paper saying not to use the audio cable and the power cable when using a PSP outside the case at the same time, "for optimum sound." I can believe it. But like I said, with the volume on a decent level, you won't hear it unless you are listening critically. Even with headphones you can hear the noise. The sound via headphones is actually much better connected directly to the PSP.
Hands down, between the Nyko and the Logitech, the Nyko is king here. You only ever need to plug it in when you want to charge the battery. You don't need to fumble with extra cables unless you want to use it with the PSP outside of the case. If your pants' pocket is large enough you can actually carry it there so the lack of any carry strap isn't horrible. You can be up and running watching a movie in a matter of seconds. Timing myself with the Logitech it can take minutes, especially if you don't have the 4 AAA batteries and you need to find a power outlet. Carrying the Logitech involves carrying its case and the PSP separately, probably in a big bag.
But, if you want to use the PSP outside of the Nyko's case, you'll need at least the audio cable and they didn't furnish a spot in the case for that cable (or the external power line) so you'll need something (a pocket would be fine) to carry them.
Honestly, I'm not sure about this thing. Playing with it, I just love how convenient it is to carry and use. That whole "fitting in my pocket" thing is a HUGE plus. The battery can really keep me going for well more than ten hours total and that's just awesome. Especially if it won't explode like the stories we've heard about that Pelican Power Brick. :-) It doesn't feel like the finest of quality, but it should hold up to everyday use.
But it has a massive downside. It should sound better. It should really sound at least a little better. I would prefer if it sounded a LOT better. The fact that it makes my headphones sound bad when they're plugged into it is just ridiculous. Bad design. I know I can be picky, but that is just too much. I'm sitting here now listening to the noise it makes and I just feel disappointed. If the sound was just a little cleaner and all other aspects of the device were all above board I would be happy to keep it. But with the bad audio, the so-so physical quality, and the simple fact that there are better options out there, it just doesn't seem to be worth buying.
I don't think I'll have to worry about paying my girlfriend back. The store will credit her account when I return this thing.
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Comments
After reading your review, I am astonished you gave it any score less than a 75!
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I was just of the opinion that it's abilities as a way to watch movies and play music was it's most important feature and with it's sound it wasn't very useful for that. I did pick up the NYKO Charger Case and I love that one. Reading some other reviews here and around the web I'm starting to really wonder if maybe some of the Theater Experiences are just faulty.
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I waited so long for this case to come out (it was originally supposed to come out in May). I had Best Buy credit that I was saving and saving until I finally found one today. I was impressed by the design and the case itself looks very cool. When I hooked up my PSP I heard some of the buzzing that people mentioned but thought "Well, if it's turned up, you hardly noticed." THEN I was shocked when I tried it out with my head phones. The buzzing is even worse!! Why bother putting two headphone jacks on this thing if it's going to sound like crap? So all this waiting for NOTHING. I'm going to return it as soon as possible. I thought this would be worth the $80 and at first it seemed like it would be. Until I heard the buzzing.
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