I've had mine now for a couple days and I'm very happy with it. Initially I bought a different "grip and recharger" for $16 + shipping but one of the four clips broke off after just a week so now it's basically unuseable. Plus the battery in the other device was questionable. So I've been looking for an alternative and for the most part I think I found it.
Pros
• Goodbye hand cramps! No more accidentally hitting the power switch.
• Surprisingly, the air cooling works pretty well (there's a separate on/off switch for this).
• Holds PSP extremely securely.
• Excellent build quality, nothing to break off.
• Comes with a car charger, works with your PSP charger.
• Keeps your PSP charged while not in use.
Cons
• It's huge, very. It can travel in your book bag or laptop case but not in your pocket.
• Will need to undock to access UMD slot.
• Battery status LEDs on top too bright and distracting (I covered it with black electrical tape).
• Speakers are lower quality than PSP's, no way to circumvent except to use headphones. BUT they are useable, just not great...think "tinny."
What I would improve
• Remove the air cooling. It's too big and only somewhat useful.
• Move the batteries to the handles (currently used to direct cooling air) to make the device flatter and more portable.
• Improve the speakers or allow them to be bypassed in favor of the PSP's speakers.
The grip comes with four generic 1600 mAh 1.2 v NiMH rechargeable batteries. I switched them out with my own Rayovac 15 min rechargeable 2000 mAh 1.2 v NiMH batteries. Considering that the PSP's own battery is only 1800 mAh at 3.6 v. Compared to the internal batteries my set-up delivers an additional 148% more battery power. So power plus ergonomics, not bad!
Lastly, I bought mine for $37 + $10 shipping at PSPgripdock.com that somebody had linked to. It seemed kinda sketchy so I called the owner of the website and he sounds like a young guy but honest so I gave it a try via PayPal. He sent it with FedEx tracking and I received it two days later. The label suggests it was sent directly from Vector Manufacturing. So from my limited experience with this guy I would give him the thumbs up as an honest retailer.
I don't think I would ever use this. I might use one that made the "grips" on either side a little bit bigger (not as big as the 4gb hard drive though) but these handles would not work for my hands.
I like the sounds of this...I have huge hands (I'm 6'3" and they cramp easily when playing so this might be a solution. Maybe I can hang out until a better quality one comes out. I think speaker quality is key for me. I like the cooling thing as long as it doesnt drain battery and/or become loud or disruptive of sound waves... Great Review dude, very nice. I think I'll hold off especially since Im not playing too many games lately.
First. Nice review. Well thought out and informative.
I got one of these for christmas. I too was looking for something to help me with my larger hands. This is NOT the answer. It was VERY awkward to hold. Your fingers end up in strange positions and if you get them into the RIGHT positiion your liable to drop the PSP! Also, the speakers are truly horrible. My phone has a better speaker and its 5 years old! The idea is GREAT, the implementation isn't. I returned mine to Target for a full refund.
VERY GOOD REVIEW...
i have this item and everything stated is true. and for people with normal hands this item will truly help.
if u have prince of persia and are finding it hard because of grip this purchace can really help u out.... well it helped me
you must be a member to reply or post. signup or login
PSP411 | Top
PSP411.com is not an official site affiliated with Sony in any way.
Content and graphics Copyright 2004-2009 PSP411.com
All rights reserved. | Contact | RSS
and they cramp easily when playing so this might be a solution. Maybe I can hang out until a better quality one comes out. I think speaker quality is key for me. I like the cooling thing as long as it doesnt drain battery and/or become loud or disruptive of sound waves... Great Review dude, very nice. I think I'll hold off especially since Im not playing too many games lately.