If you love apple and the ipod touch and you got it for just how it looks; don't be reading this thread

im just going to highlight why an ipod touch is a useless device compared to the psp. AND YES, i did have an ipod touch of my own and i used it for a fairly long time until i returned it when i noticed what i had already had and what was better

To start off this list; im going to list off the pros and cons of both devices

PSP

Pros:
-Actually plays real games that are rendered at near ps2 graphics
-Plays music, video's and pictures
-Web browser enabled
-ps3 compatibility
-Strong homebrew functionality
-Pretty big screen
-equalizers are few; but really nice

Cons:
-a fairly large mp3/video player
-Battery life is pretty wimpy with a small battery installed
-Volume isn't as loud as other mp3 players
-Doesn't seem to have an intuitive mp3/video interface (haven't tried homebrew for this, possible workaround?)
-2 hands to operate (or one hand with the remote; but then you can't see the screen :P)
-Thanks to hacked psp's, a large emulator/app scene

Ipod touch

Pros
-Nice size, and a fairly large screen + resolution
-Only has one button; and its molded into the touch so it isn't in the way
-Web Browser is of high quality and is 2x faster than psp browser
-Ipod touch apps are nice
-Music/video interface owns
-Volume is nice and loud
-one/two hands to operate the device
-some apps are very practical and interesting
-Is a touch screen enabled device

Cons

-Web Browser doesn't have flash (yet anyway
-Memory cannot be changed
-battery can be changed; but that involves solder and ripping off the backplate (which basically doesn't offer portability and practical use of changing batteries)
-Cannot be used as removable device
-Cannot save files from web browser
-Games may have a nice appeal at first but really just suck after awhile; and they are rendered at n64 graphics really
-Emulation is possible; but since there's no buttons, playing anything is tough work
-That stupid donkey Apple EULA of the app store prevents making a kick donkey browser or email client for the public (which means; you just can't make something better than what apple has already made)
-Speakers really S_U_C_K
-equalizers always yield static music for me; so that makes them blow; also they aren't easy at all to switch through them

Now to start with the indepth comparison

PSP vs iPod Touch

So basically wee have two devices; the psp and the ipod touch. I recently went and bought a touch and left my psp for dead. I told myself that i would'nt play a single game and that i needed a very awesome mp3/video player that fits nice in my pocket.

I decided to go for a touch; and i really loved using it. Seems like a happy ever after huh? Well after awhile i saw small gimmicks here and there with my touch; and when i thought about my psp that was collecting dust; i had to question myself about my new toy.

See; i was blown away by the web browser functionality of the ipod touch. It was fast and very easy to browse webpages and the fact that it never seems to run out of memory unlike the psp, until i noticed its "gimmicks". First of all i know flash is "promised" and it isn't out yet, so that the first sucky thing about the browser. The next thing is that i noticed that i couldn't download files (say like a .zip file from some site) as the ipod touch doesn't let you. In my opinion this really sucks, and the reason for it was that the ipod touch wouldn't be used as a removable device, Great; and i thought i could look past such a flaw in the web browser and enjoy it for what it is.

I was also blown away by the music library sorting; ive never had an ipod so i was very amazed by how easy it was to switch and flick through music. The volume rocked too, and those speaker buttons were so accessible which really made switching the volume (which i do very, very frequently) easy. But what was the drawbacks of music? well the equalizers sucked first of all and there were no video equalizers (i have no idea what they're called, im slow today...) and i always happen to look at my screen when im on the bus; don't ask me why :P.  

Videos on the touch were nice; but not exactly as intuitive as music. It was more like a list like the psp so there wasn't much difference between the two. Also the video resolution rocks and the screen is pretty big for a device of its size.

Photo's are work like normal, just boring non moving pictures woopdeedoo

Now going on to apps and homebrew (this is going to be a long fight to prove which is more intuitive and better). Now ipod touch apps are really cool but just don't really have enough -zing- or OH WOW to them. Sure there's a facebook and ebay app but those are really satisfactory things that just make such online experiences a bit easier. The only app that made me go OH WOW that's cool! was the graphing calculator app and some medical apps that seem to cost 50.00; but give me a break, im a darn highschool student and i have a graphing calculator which right now; is better than the graphing calculator. I didn't delve into the app store of the touch but i really didnt install more than 5+ apps on my touch before i returned it.

Games, yeah the accelerometer and the touch seems to open up a lot of possibilities. but.....how much games can you make for a thing with no buttons? Sure labyrinth is fun and super monkey ball is fun on its own, and one of the racing games (GT or need for speed; can't remember what it was called) were pretty fun for a short while. Personally i could really get past the graphics of these games; as im no sucker for good graphics for a good game, but yet i have to point out that these graphics didn't really much stunning factors to them either (i could almost compare them to n64)

Inputting things like text and numbers is also very easy for the touch and is a hell of a lot better than the psp. The only thing that made me feel bad is that i couldn't easily be able to send an email in a portable manner anymore.

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Now this is why i put the nail in to return my beloved touch; and why the psp could do things like; or even better than the touch

The psp has a web browser; sure its slow but very functional; and it allows me to download things like manga or some other .zip file related things and unzip them straight to psp all via homebrew (which means its on the go). Sure i wasn't flicking through webpages; but i could just as easily scroll through them too, and with conserve memory on i really didnt run into much trouble of the "not enough memory" appearing all the time

The music library sorting isn't great on the psp, but that doesn't mean its manageable either. I could easily find the music i was looking for by making folders myself (which i did by albums); and im really happy i didnt have to use craptunes to sort them out either. The volume is adequate and is pretty loud in its own right; and i was able to have video equalizers (still don't know what they're F***ing called!!!!!) to look at while on the bus too. I personally enjoyed music on the psp too and i felt that the ipod touch was just doing the same thing so that where i wanted to return it on its music front.

Now videos. The only thing that won it for me was the screen size; sure the ipod touch doesn't have a more clear res than the psp. But unless you have microvision, the difference REALLY can't be told apart easily. When i played back video on my psp i really couldn't notice much of a difference of video quality between the two devices so i really felt the ipod touch was beaten in the video department too.

Photos, are just dumb and i never seem to use them; they're both the same. I don't really know/care which is better.

Apps, sure id be missing out on some nifty little things; but they were things i found unnecessary and i didn't use them at all really, and i seriously did not feel left out when i returned the touch. There just isn't much "WOW" apps for the ipod touch out there and you know what? people can't make a better web browser or some other app that apple has already made because of apples EULA (read it up; they have an engadget post of why it sucks to develop for that spoon app store). Tell me one app that is just a "MUST" than a "luxury" and ill probably turn it down (well for highschooler student of course; the medical apps are very handy, but those are for doctors durr)

games; oh noes i can't race with touching my screen and i can't accelorate through a game of labrynth. But i could play a full fledged PS1/PSP/GBA game with full functionality and easy of use. Also the games are higher quality and are more of a time waster than a game of monkey ball. I really don't need to explain why gaming is a WHOLE lot better on a psp

Im going to miss hotmailing and emailing on the go; but since i barely do such a thing on the go (and minus the fact that 90% wifi is always locked) i would never have the chance to do it anyway.

The ipod touch's memory can't be expanded; its more expensive and the battery cannot be changed easily. Im not saying that many people like to swap charged batteries on their psp's but im just going to state the possibility, and its use. Also if a battery fails i think wee all know which is the easier one to replace.

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bottom line; the psp plays music, video, games, web browses just fine, i don't see why people need a new device to do these simple things. Also; operating with one hand or two hands arent really a problem because actually you operate both with two hands on both devices; its just more frequent with the psp.(one for holding the touch, and one for touching; the psp is just holding with two hands and using thumbs to select things). Also in terms of portability or use at the gym or some high physical activity, i wouldn't take EITHER device to use for such a purpose.(leave that to small mp3 players, which kick nano's asses anyway!)

I enjoy using my psp for music and entertainment; im sure as hell not as hip as people of today, but im not the one to care about reputation anyway. I enjoy the louder speakers on the psp, the better games, and the lower res but bigger screen on my psp, and also the more fun homebrews to use on the psp.

Im not saying that the touch is a bad device at all; but if you were and early adopter of the psp slim and you got a touch; im just going to say it was rather a waste of money for such a thing. and also; the ipod touch + memory is MORE expensive than the psp. An 8GB ipod touch is 240$$ (CAD) and a psp + 8 GB mem stick is 180$$(CAD), and i seriously don't need to tell you which is cheaper

also if your a rich son of a bitch that can get your hands on any device; this guide is almost made useless to your spoiledness.

The iphone is a diffrent story and debate; and is probably something i would consider a bit over the psp.

Hate? Debate? Comment?
im open :P

(This post was last modified: 03/11/2008 10:32 PM by Tetris999.)

It's long.  Don't know anything about the touch, but I know iPods are hackable - not to the point of the PSP obviously though.

I got the PSP for video mainly, but I find that I use it a lot for music these days too.  With the vshex mod, I can get over 9 hours of music from my 1800mAh battery, and 5-8 hours of video with PMPlayer AdVanCe.  I like how the PSP limits the volume too - it's already pretty loud on its maximum IMO - any louder would probably destroy your ears (if you're having trouble hearing on a bus or something, probably think about investing in some noise canceling earphones - they're expensive, but it's better than damaging your ears IMO).
For video resolution, if the iPod screen can't physically display it, encoding at a higher resolution won't make things look better (does the screen really have 640x480 resolution?).  PSP actually supports higher profile levels than the iPod, so videos are more compressible, but for most people, this probably isn't an issue.

Interface - I'm willing to deal with horrible interfaces - in my opinion, you'll get used to most interfaces, but I also know a lot of people out there like intuitive interfaces.


The biggest issue of the PSP would be its size though.  I have the classic PSP, which is a little heavy (but reasonable), but the Slim should've removed weight issues.

Noticed you're comparing a hacked psp to a standard touch.  Restore your psp to official firmware then rerun your comparisons.

Some things I noticed you mentioned, you listed as a con for the touch that the browser doesn't have flash, but neither does the psp, far as I know, I don't use the slow-donkey browser at all, has this changed?

"When i played back video on my psp i really couldn't notice much of a difference of video quality between the two devices so i really felt the ipod touch was beaten in the video department too."

Wait, what?  No difference in video quality, so the psp wins?

I used the touch as a mass storage device without issues.

And keep in mind, the touch was never meant to be a gaming device, the psp is supposed to be pure gaming.  Its like me saying the psp fails against a blackberry because it can't sync your outlook contacts (at least not out of the box, haven't heard about an outlook program for the psp yet).

Honestly, I don't care either way about the two, I had a touch, but returned it because I didn't want to spend that much cash on it at the time, but may still get one before the end of the year.  You stated in the beginning that you disliked the touch, so your review is about as fair and balanced as FOX News.

Games like a Grrl Wrote:Noticed you're comparing a hacked psp to a standard touch.  Restore your psp to official firmware then rerun your comparisons.

A hacked ipod touch is also something im referring to (i jailbroke a first gen touch before), and yes it still doesn't have any apps that actually make it useful. sorry if i didnt outline that clearly

Games like a Grrl Wrote:Some things I noticed you mentioned, you listed as a con for the touch that the browser doesn't have flash, but neither does the psp, far as I know, I don't use the slow-donkey browser at all, has this changed?

*ahem* flash 6?

Games like a Grrl Wrote:"When i played back video on my psp i really couldn't notice much of a difference of video quality between the two devices so i really felt the ipod touch was beaten in the video department too."

Wait, what?  No difference in video quality, so the psp wins?

As the difference in video quality is not so huge; and that the psp screen being bigger, i don't see why it shouldn't.

Games like a Grrl Wrote:I used the touch as a mass storage device without issues.

really? even when i hacked it i wasn't able to; do you have something you can show me how to do that?; if this can be done like accessing it from "my computer" instead of getting some random program to do it; ill take it back :P (though i do believe that you could)

Games like a Grrl Wrote:And keep in mind, the touch was never meant to be a gaming device, the psp is supposed to be pure gaming.  Its like me saying the psp fails against a blackberry because it can't sync your outlook contacts (at least not out of the box, haven't heard about an outlook program for the psp yet).

The psp is marketed as an entertainment system; don't remember them saying "games" exactly. Also, the ipod touch's slogan is "millions of music, thousands of videos, hundreds of games" whether or not you consider it to be a gaming device; its still something that it is a prominent feature in both; so why not compare?

wee are talking about which device is more capable; it doesn't matter if the touch wasn't for gaming. And even if it wasn't; if you could get something that could do MORE better (like gaming) i don't see why you wouldnt get this device over the other.

Games like a Grrl Wrote:Honestly, I don't care either way about the two, I had a touch, but returned it because I didn't want to spend that much cash on it at the time, but may still get one before the end of the year.  You stated in the beginning that you disliked the touch, so your review is about as fair and balanced as FOX News.

I NEVER said the ipod touch was a bad device, neither did i say i just HATED it for what it is, stop interpreting my words as if im trying to bash the touch; i was just stating of how useless it was to have against something i had already. (which, was also cheaper)

there's also a reason why i posted this in personal threads

(This post was last modified: 04/11/2008 07:16 AM by Tetris999.)

also the psp does have large battery cotrary to zinga i can get more battery than what he gets

i underclock my psp to 20/70mhz something like that i think  (depends)
play music and turn of the screen i was playing music for like an hour and checked my batter and it said like 14 hours remaining :D

Ehh, as to that last comment, I went by you saying the touch was a worthless device, I think you can see how I got to that conclusion.  The rest of it, ok, valid argumrnts on both sides.  I really never knew the psp could do anything with flash.  Thing about the touch, I can carry a bunch of music, movies and tv shows with me and easilly slip it in mah pocket, the psp is too big for me to carry around wherever I go.  I just really like the form of it.
As for mass storage, canlt remember off-hand, its been a few months, I'll dig around, see if I can find it again.

I love psp..
But I bought it for games and homebrew...
I never used it for music but I did watch movies on it, before I got my laptop

I first got my iPod video for music only...

And that's mainly all I will use my touch for..
I am using the touch for this post matter of fact..
The browser is way better then pap aside from flash, but the current psp one don't work well anyway...

I like the touch apps although useless they are still fun to interact with

A PSP and 8GB memstick for $180? You're getting ripped off, my friend. A PSP plus a real 8GB memstick will easily cost more than the 8GB touch.

Also, like Grrl said, it's not marketed as a game device, it's marketed as a multimedia device, whereas the PSP is mainly focused on games, with movies and music as an aside.

Also, the iPod Touch screen doesn't ghost like a motherfucker.

"Also, the iPod Touch screen doesn't ghost like a motherfudgeer."

^^^
That.  I had issues with mah psp doing that, blurring during fast action.