It seems like Sony crammed a bit more magic juice into the upcoming PSP Brite (PSP-3000). Before, they claimed that the upcoming hardware revision would have a slightly shortened battery life. However, a new post on the PlayStation.blog says otherwise. John Koller admits that the "screen of the new PSP draws a little more power" but he claims that "our engineers in Japan worked to reduce the power consumption of the overall system including its components." As such, final battery life on the Brite series will be nearly identical to that of the previous model: "about 4 to 6 hours for games and about 4 to 5 hours for UMD videos," says the post.
Posted Aug 29th 2008 2:30PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
PSP main man John Koller went to Gamespot to talk about the upcoming PSP Brite, and revealed a few key facts. He admits the change is "minor," one in a continuing series of changes the PSP may see along its proposed life cycle. Most revealing of all is his comment about battery life: the brighter screen will draw more power, diminishing battery life by 20-30 minutes.
He does say that the now-discontinued extended life battery will make a return, possibly rebranded for use with the PSP-3000 series.
Well, this sucks. According to SCEA's Al de Leon, the extended battery life kit for PSP is discontinued. The product nearly doubled the battery life on PSP-2000 systems, but came at a slight aesthetic price: a larger battery cover would be installed, creating a bulge in the system. However, with battery life as impressive as 12 hours or more, we were absolutely satisfied with the peripheral.
"Yes, we are discontinuing this product as we look for other opportunities to service the consumer," notes de Leon. Hopefully, we'll see something else that can augment the PSP's battery life.
We love Sony's extended life battery for PSP. Although it protrudes slightly out of the system, it offers so much juice for the system that we can't complain. However, this third party effort doesn't really compare, does it? Watch as you discover the "biggest PSP battery ever."
A Michigan schoolboy was burned by his PSP earlier today. According to the report, "Police said the the fire burned a hole in his pants and the child suffered minor burns." Police determined the PSP battery overheated and exploded, causing the child to be sent to the hospital.
PSP explosions are rare to find, but some third party batteries have been known to do just that. Police will still be investigating the case.
Do you trust third party batteries? (Because we don't.) If you do, you may be interested in two new battery options discovered on DealExtreme. The first will have any green freak squeeing with glee. It's a solar-powered rechargeable battery solution. We don't know how well it works, but it seems fairly reasonable at $30. The other option is a mega-powered battery cradle for use with the PSP-2000. Supposedly, it'll offer a whopping 4800mAh of power for only $14. Something smells suspicious, potentially burning, at a price like that.
It looks like Sony's releasing an official external battery charger. At least, that's according to photos unearthed from SCEA's press site. An external charging solution is great for those that have more than one battery -- quite possibly because of the purchase of a new extended-life battery. No official details on price or release date yet, but we're sure that Sony isn't really rushing to get this peripheral out into the wild.
[Update: The only difference between this and a previously released charger is that this Sony official peripheral is also compatible with the PSP-2000 series. At least, according to the packaging. We're pretty sure the original chargers will also work with the new systems. The old battery chargers do not work with the PSP-2000.]
For use with both the PSP-1000 and PSP-2000, this extended battery kit will increase your PSP's battery life up to 80% more life. It'll create a small bulge for owners of PSP's slimmer model, but the significant increase in battery life may make it quite worthwhile.
It's now available for purchase at GameStop for $45. Use coupon code SAVER to get free shipping.
Sony's official extended life battery cover for PSP-2000 owners doesn't come out for another few weeks. However, 1_blue_pixel from the PlayStation forums has purchased a third-party cover from DealExtreme. He offers some truly insightful pictures of the system with its battery bulge. (For those that aren't in the know: longer life PSP batteries are larger than the current batteries in the PSP-2000, and will protrude out of the system slightly.) From the looks of the picture, it doesn't seem like the bulge will be too noticeable. In fact, we think it's worth it just for the 11 hour battery life (pictured after the cut).
You asked for it ... and now you got it! The PSP Extended Life Battery Kit will work on both the old and new PSP-1000 and PSP-2000 models. This 2200mAh battery will offer 20% more battery life on the older models, and 80% more life on the new slim line. This battery will bulge out slightly on the slimmer PSP systems, so new battery covers will be included. However, those with Star Wars Ceramic White systems are out of luck: doesn't appear a new battery cover is being made for that particular model.
Update: The peripheral is releasing in mid-December for a MSRP of $44.99. We'll have a hands-on in the coming weeks.
... that will accept the larger batteries from the old PSP model. Why would you want to use the older batteries? Well, they'll increase battery life of the system. No official Sony peripheral supports this, but if PSP-Vault is right about these third-party covers, this is what you've been waiting for. At less than $4, there isn't much risk involved in finding out.
One of the biggest victories for the homebrew community was the development of Pandora's Battery, a device that allows hackers to unbrick and downgrade nearly every PSP on the market. Reverting systems from later firmware releases from Sony allows hackers to exploit the system and run homebrew on the machine.
The usual method of producing a Pandora's Battery required multiple systems and a rather cumbersome software installation process. Quite possibly even more nerve-wracking than the current solution is a new hardware-based one, which requires actual disassembly of the PSP battery. Supposedly, only a single wire needs to be soldered in order for any standard PSP battery to turn into a service one. Quite a fascinating find!
We wouldn't be able to muster up the courage to open a battery and start playing around with its innards. However, for the inquisitive, this is yet another fascinating discovery about the particular workings of the PSP.
Oh no! You're in the middle of SOCOM: Tactical Strike, and as you're about to infiltrate the terrorist stronghold, you see your PSP's power indicator flashing. You haven't reached a checkpoint yet, and you certainly don't want to give up now! What are you to do? Act like Batman.
A cute new device in Japan allows users to charge their PSP (and other mobile devices) simply by connecting it to a handy wristband. The inconspicuous accessory will provide an extra 3.5 hours of battery life for your PSP when you need it. We're hoping that future versions of this peripheral will allow you to shoot a grappling hook, spider webs, and lasers. Considering this is from Japan, we're nearly certain it'll happen.
Posted Jul 19th 2007 12:00AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Tips
There appears to be some confusion about the PSP Lite's battery life. The system can go up to 8-10 hours ... but only if it's using the battery from the regular PSP. What?
The upcoming PSP Lite will include a smaller battery for the smaller system. The battery that's included with the system will run for about 5 hours while gaming. However, if you have the battery from your original PSP, you'll be able to get 8-10 hours. The problem with this solution? The battery will bulge out of the system. Sony will offer a new backplate for those interested in adding the old battery to the new system.
It's not too much of a deal ... especially because you have to buy a new PSP system. However, Best Buy is now smartly offering an extra 2200mAh battery with the purchase of a new PSP console. The 2200mAh battery contains about 20% more life than the standard battery, which will allow you to squeeze in some more playtime out of your system. With games going to utilize 333MHz soon, an extended life battery doesn't sound like too bad an idea ...
A Michigan schoolboy was burned by his PSP earlier today. According to the report, "Police said the the fire burned a hole in his pants and the child suffered minor burns." Police determined the PSP battery overheated and exploded, causing the child to be sent to the hospital.
One of the biggest victories for the homebrew community was the development of Pandora's Battery, a device that allows hackers to unbrick and downgrade nearly every PSP on the market. Reverting systems from later firmware releases from Sony allows hackers to exploit the system and run homebrew on the machine.
