A back look at 5 fan-designed PSPs and what the designs tell Sony
by on April 1, 2009 at 9:56 am
Sections: Exclusives, Features, Handhelds, Mods-Hacks, Nostalgia, Originals, PSP & PSPgo
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Fan-designed PSP units offer a variety of things. They show us how creative and Photoshop-adept some Sony fans are. They make PSP owners wish for additional features. They give video game blogs something to write about.
One of the most important things the fan designed PSP units tell us is what PSP owners want. These fan designs are more than just “what if” scenarios and an attempt to make some sort of uber-handheld. It’s a means of showing what users want, and how they’d like it to be executed. The exposure given to the more ingenious and innovative designs make it just a little more likely that the people who matter at Sony might see them and listen.
If you look at a few of the fan designs for PSPs and PSP 2s, you start to realize it isn’t all about looking cool. Upon closer inspection, you can see how the designers are or aren’t satisfied with the current unit, and suggestions he or she is making to improve it.
BluezPS’ PSP design
BluezPS’ PSP fan design was picked up by IGN shortly after it debuted on the internet. The thin system looks similar to a cell phone or portable DVD player when it comes to presentation, and looks like it has a PlayStation 2 controller built into the bottom of the unit. The backside of the unit can’t be seen, making it difficult to discern if a UMD drive is part of the deal, but a memory card slot can clearly be seen on the right side and a headphone/headset jack can be seen on the left.
Three things stand out when looking at BluezPS’ design. The first is the large, clear screen. It appears to offer a larger display than the current PSP, suggesting bigger is better. It also displays images when the screen is in place over the controls, suggesting the option and ability to play movies would still be in effect. The second defining feature is the control pad. There are two analog sticks, as opposed to the one on the original PSP. The controls are also set up in a manner identical to the original PSX or PS2. Finally, the system can collapse shut so the controls are completely covered. This suggests that more portability is desired, as well as a means to protect buttons from being pressed when the PSP isn’t being used.
Suggested improvements based on the image:
Sony Ericsson PSPhone design
The next PSP design was created for a foreign magazine and immediately gathered quite a bit of attention at
NeoGAF. The Sony Ericsson PSPhone design combined two Sony products, the PSP and the Sony Ericsson cell phone. When playing games, the device would be held length-wise and a directional pad with mini analog stick would slide out the top of the phone. When a call is incoming, the base could slide down to reveal a keypad and the game could be interupted to answer. The article notes mention that there is no UMD slot, and that games would be downloadable or cart based instead.
The main, and most important, thing people come away with after seeing the Sony Ericsson PSPhone mock-up is the cell phone features. Skype compatibility isn’t cutting it for people, and if a future version of a PSP is going to have phone features, it needs to have an actual cell phone built into it. Another, more subtle point is the lack of UMD drive. The designer here is suggesting that downloadable games or cart based games are the future for this system.
Suggested improvements based on the image:
Samuel Lau’s Sidekick PSP design
Almost a year ago, Gamertell took a look at Samuel Lau’s PSP Sidekick design. It was a fairly simple and straightforward approach which took the current PSP and ever so slightly tweaked it. It still uses UMD games, and looks identical to the PSP units available today. There were two differences, a built in camera and a screen that slid up to reveal a full keyboard.
Samuel Lau’s design is basically calling on Sony to do two things – add in a camera and keyboard. A camera peripheral was already released in Japan, Singapore and Europe as Chotto Shot and Go!Cam. A keyboard peripheral was promised, but never appeared. So this design could be seen as a bit of a reminder – to let Sony know fans haven’t forgotten those two peripherals and would really like to see them sometime soon. Another feature which could be inferred by the full keyboard is the ability to instant message people via the PSP and it’s Wi-Fi abilities.
Suggested improvements based on the image:
Paul Tobeck PSP II design
Kotaku‘s discovery of Paul Tobeck’s PSP II design led the site to set up a PSP2 Concept Design Challenge, and it’s no wonder, seeing the ambitious approach Tobeck took to his vision of the PSP II. The PSP II features two screens, a touch screen on top that flips open to reveal a standard screen and full control pad. The design also features a UMD drive and a relocated power switch.
Paul Tobeck’s PSP II sets out to fix quite a few problems users have ahd with the current PSP, as well as add in an extra feature. First, the power switch is on top of the system, no longer in danger of being accidentally flicked during play. It also is embedded into the top of the system, instead of sticking out. The system also allows for a better and more comfortable grip, getting thicker on the ends where hands will grab. Dual analog sticks return, as they did in both BluezPS and Tai Chiem’s designs, and Tobeck also goes with a traditional PSX/PS2 control pad like BluezPS. The screen also flips down over the unit, protecting the inner screen and the face buttons. The final touch is a touch screen on the top screen.
Suggested improvements based on the image:
Tai Chiem’s OLED PSP2 design
Yanko Design highlighted one of the more unusual, recent PSP2 designs, an incredibly high tech concept from Tai Chiem. The PSP2 of Tai Chiem’s dreams looks like an incredibly advanced and expensive fruit roll up while in storage mode. This design would use an OLED screen that would unroll and stiffen when the unit is turned on. There don’t appear to be any face buttons, but two analog sticks are visible on the front side of the bar and L and R shoulder buttons can be clearly seen on the back. Two volume buttons and two buttons for start and select can be seen on either side of the PSP2 logo. A camera icon appears on the right end of the system, suggesting a built in camera.
The Tai Chiem PSP2 could be seen as gimmicky. It is supporting a new form of technology as the main draw for the system – the OLED screen. It also seems to suggest a desire for a simpler PSP, perhaps one with touch screen controls since the base of the system only seems to have room for analog sticks and shoulder buttons. There’s no need to worry about carrying UMDs. Most likely, the games would all be downloaded onto internal memory. When rolled up, the screen is protected and all of the face buttons are hidden away. It also would have a built in camera, eliminating the need for a seldom-used peripheral.
Suggested improvements based on the image:
Read [IGN] Also Read [NeoGAF] Via [MAX CONSOLE] Also Read [Yanko Design] Also Read [Kotaku] Also Read [Gamertell]
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