Red PSP 3000

The Current Release of the Red PSP

People often question what the differences are between the red PSP 3000 and the previous generations of the red PSP. Some of the differences are incremental improvements that are not really visible to the average user while others are substantial enhancements. We will try and highlight the key changes that result in what we now see in the red PSP 3000.

The most striking change that is obvious to the user is that the that the screen quality is so much better. This has been done by improving the contrast ratio of the red PSP 3000 LCD screen by around five times its original capability. In addition, Sony has successfully reduced the level of reflection that you see when using the console in bright lighting conditions, and they have also improved the level of brightness that the screen can output to help compensate for conditions where there is strong background lighting (like when using the red PSP 3000 outdoors).

The Sony engineers have also improved the response time for the LCD screen by around two times its original rate. This makes a significant difference in terms of getting rid of blurring/smearing effects during video play back or gaming sessions. They have also managed to get minimise the ghosting effects that were sometimes experienced when the screen displayed fast changing scenes.

There were also concerns that the red PSP 3000 would draw a lot more power as a result of the brighter screen which would cause a shorter battery life. The message coming from Sony is that the battery life for the PSP 3000 is much the same as the previous PSP because of the way in which they have re-engineered some of the components.

This combination of factors resulted in a playing experience well beyond the previous generations of the PSP.

Other new features for the red PSP 3000 included a built in microphone which enables people to use services like Skype when playing games. TV output was also improved on the PSP 3000.

The layout of buttons and switches on the red PSP 3000 remains almost exactly the same as on the previous version. There are a few tweaks to the look and feel in terms of visual design. For example, the black version remains a gloss finish whereas the silver and white PSP 3000 models have a matt finish that reduces smearing and finderprint marking. The designers have also make some subtle changes to the physical shape of the product by softening some of the edges and moving the logos around, but these are fairly cosmetic differences really.

Red PSP 3000 - Conclusion

The red PSP 3000 was released only 12 months or so after the previous generation, so Sony was clearly well advanced in their plans for the new red PSP 3000 during the development of the red PSP Slim & Lite. Our conclusion is that they have made worthwhile changes by improving the screen brightness and overall performance of the LCD display which are good reasons to go for the red PSP 3000 over the previous models.

(Note that Sony has now removed from distribution the previous models of the red PSP so major retailers are now only stocking the red PSP 3000. If you want to find an older model you will need to find a specialist stockist or buy one second hand).

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