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Jul 25 2005
Vaja I-Volution Leather Suit Review
PSP Hardware Review | PSP Case
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| Summary: Roles Royce of PSP Cases
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The number of cases available for the PSP is overwhelming. There are many cheapies that do a half-effort job and then one or two that do an incredible job. Vaja, a company known for its line of high-quality cases for laptops, iPod's and other gadget's has taken a liking to the PSP with their i-volution PSP Leather Suit. It's true that with this level of quality comes a much higher price tag, but is it worth it? Let's find out.
Our i-volution case has a mid-grey exterior and orange interior, beautifully matched. The top has a very small and simple, metallic Vaja logo in the bottom right corner, a silent lock clasp in the middle and two snaps on the back to keep your PSP secure. The top of the case has two 'blocks' that are slightly raised and padded. At first, it looks like a design element, but it actually functions as a stand. The firmness of the UMD portion of case is quite strong, but the weight of the PSP is enough to cause the rest of the case to sit comfortably. Look at picture 4 on the left to see how this works. Altogether, the leather is soft to the touch, but it clearly has a firm body to keep your PSP protected.
Inside there are compartments for three Memory Stick cards. These aren't separate pockets that are added onto the internal casing, but rather an actual part of the internal casing. It should be pointed out that except for the portion of the case which sits behind the PSP, everything here is leather. To put your PSP in, you simply undo the two snaps and slide it in. The back of the PSP, nearly up to the shoulder buttons, becomes covered in the lovely grey leather. Once you've snapped the holding snaps into place, your PSP will feel fully secure. When closed, the case gives you access to the PSP's headphone jack.
The design is very conducive to gaming. The shoulder buttons and all other front buttons, as well as the headphone jack, power port and USB port are accessible. To play, you simply hold the PSP as you would normally do, and the back of the case simply flops backwards. If you look at the second picture on the left, the portion of the case which sits directly behind the UMD door is flexible and can flop back. This portion is connected to the top of the case which is what comfortably gets out of your way when you want to play games or watch movies. It's easy to access the buttons and even the analog stick. You might even find that holding the PSP with the case on makes gaming easier as the case is dry and not slippery, unlike the PSP after a bit of tense gaming.
Locking the case together is equally as well thought out as the other features. The lock is in the middle, where you would expect it (think Logitech PlayGear). But wherein the Logitech and other cases requires you to do a press or pull, the i-volution requires nothing but a surprisingly soft opening action. That is, you simply open the case as if you were flipping up the top portion. No unlocking, no snapping. It was incredibly surprising to see how easily and silently the case closed and opened. We did a quick shake test to see if the lock was as secure as it was quiet by holding the back of the case facing up and shaking violently. To our surprise, nothing came undone, everything was perfectly secure.
The case is noticeably light and slim, unlike the Logitech or other cases. Vaja's i-volution leather case provides incredible protection both outside and inside. Playing games with the case on not only feels totally comfortable, it keeps your PSP protected in a way that other cases can't compare. It is clear in so many ways that this isn't your regular off-the-shelf case. When you order your case online, you can choose from over 40 colour combinations. Not only that, you can personalize the case with your name for an extra $10 or even get a logo embossed for $30. You thought people's heads spin when they see your PSP's screen, wait until they see your PSP with the Vaja case on. You're practically guaranteed to have a one-of-a-kind case.
The quality of the leather, modern aesthetic and level of skilled craftsmanship is absolutely unparalleled as far as PSP cases go. You simply will not find anything else as high quality as this. Conversely, at $180 USD, this is the most expensive case you'll find. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for, and the Vaja i-volution Leather PSP Suit is a product fit for that breed of PSP fanatic that demands a case with the best protection and unmatched quality and aesthetics. If you can afford it, get it.
REVIEW IT
PRODUCT INFO
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Comments
great review, looks nice, but for $180.00 wow, very expensive. i like my logitech case.
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I am gonna sell my PSP to get this.
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berg, nice one.
anyhow, it looks like the analog stick would be totally useless with this thing on.. 180$ or not. not worth it at all for me.
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Review states that analog stick is fully accessible and may actually make it easier, but this could be exaggereviewation.
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from the 3rd picture, it looks like you'd have to press down on the analog stick instead of glide on it.. perhaps if they sold a joystick style stick with the case would make it better.. but 180 is still wayy too much..
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digi, just a bad photo angle, trust me, when I say that the analog stick is usable, I mean it is usable.
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Nice review Captain - quick question for you. On Vaja's website they have a photo of this case acting as a stand (using that padding on the top surface). How well does this work? After using Logitech's for so long I'm thinking that a case not having that kind of functionality is sort of a deal-breaker, since I use it that way all the time.
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Captain, are you sure? On their website, the current homepage picture shows it used this way and if you click deeper and get to their "hi-res" image section, there's another picture showing the case in use as a stand. Also shows it this way when you click on their picture montage labeled "stand-alone use" with a caption that says "sit back and relax." If it can't actually be used as a stand, this is misleading and nearly criminal.
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i gotta admit they are pretty.
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wow, they sure are counting on psp owners to be suckers. which, with the lack of any good game support, i'm wondering if we are.
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GT, thanks for the info, you're quite right, it is possible. I hadn't seen this picture. That explains the functionality of the mysterious groove on the top of the case. I thought they were some sort of shock protection. The case didn't come with a manual, so I wasn't aware of this, will add this bit of pertinent info into the review. Thanks again.
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Yeah, Vaja's website isn't great if you like words, but yeah the pics are pretty. Too bad they don't explain their product very well...can't even find a feature list if it's there.
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CitizenSnips said: "wow, they sure are counting on psp owners to be suckers. which, with the lack of any good game support, i'm wondering if we are."
That's an unfair view. No other PSP case on the market compares to this one. Yes, it's expensive, but it is also high quality leather with a level of craftsmanship and quality you won't find in any other case, not even the PlayGear Pocket. But comparing the two is like comparing an economy car and a sports car. Possible, but it's apples and truffles.
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Ha, I'm ordring this right now. It's awesome because for 30 bucks more I put on the FFVII logo. Can't wait to get it.
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