Sony Playstation 3 and PSP Sony PSP 3000 Slim handheld games console

Sony PSP 3000 Slim, £137

Sony's PSP 3000: the third generation of the portable

This is the third generation of the Sony PlayStation portable, the PSP. The PSP 1000 was released back in 2004 and was replaced by the PSP 'Slim and Lite', or PSP 2000, which as the name suggests, was a slimmer and lighter version of the slightly chunky original. 

The PSP 3000 is on first look identical to the PSP 2000, but it has a built-in microphone and a brighter new screen that's less affected by glare.

The PSP 3000 is easy to set up – there are a few bits of basic data, and then you are off and away. Considering that this is a handheld games console, the games are surprisingly accomplished, but don't expect it to be anything near a PS3.

PSP 3000 memory

However, it is soon clear that the PSP 3000 is far from complete. There's no internal memory, and it doesn't come with the memory card – the Sony Memory Stick Duo – which is required to store any information on, including game saves. 

Prices for the memory card vary from as little as £8 for the 1G version to around £50 for the 16G; the size you'll require depends on your needs, but it is a necessity.

PSP gaming is rather good

If you intend to store lots of music or photos on your PSP, you'll need a larger card. We recommend at least 4GB, although if you plan to download a lot of content you may want to consider an 8GB card. 

If you only intend to save game data, a smaller card (1GB) will be fine, and you can always back up game save data on your computer if the card gets full. 

Sony's PSP lacking in useful extras

Another frustrating omission is the lack of a suitable USB lead, which you will need to transfer data from your PSP 3000 to your PC or vice versa; otherwise, you could get a memory card reader.

The PSP 3000 also lacks headphones and a carry case. It's a handheld console designed to be taken out and used on the move, but you’ll soon annoy fellow train passengers if you don’t use headphones. The good news is that any standard headphones will fit the PSP – see our headphone reviews for Best Buys.

The PSP 3000 is much slimmer than its predecessors, but it's still not really a device that can easily be slipped in a pocket, and its bright 11cm screen will soon get scratched if stored in a bag without a case, or at least, a transparent and replaceable screen protector.

Playing movies on the PSP 3000

One interesting aspect of the PSP 3000 is its ability to play movies from UMD discs. You can also download and store films on the memory stick (once formatted) and play them directly. 

Using UMDs to play films can be useful, as you can quickly pick up discs at the airport if you find yourself lacking in entertainment. However, this will be one more disc to carry about, and you can’t use it in anything other than your PSP. 

UMDs range in price from around £5 for older films to £12 for newer releases, but not all films are released on UMD, and they're usually released later than the Blu-ray and DVD versions.

Going online with the PSP 3000

The PSP 3000 is a very versatile device, with its WLAN connector that lets you connect to the internet wherever there's a Wi-Fi connection. The internet browser is pre-installed and set-up is straightforward. 

It doesn't have a fully Qwerty key pad, so text entries can be a little tiring – each letter is inputted via a selection screen where you have to enter characters, much like texting on a mobile phone.

The PSP 3000 is a versatile device, but lacks basics such as a memory card

You can do more than simple internet surfing, though. The PSP 3000 has built-in Skype capabilities, and you can access internet radio, RSS feeds and Sony’s Go!View, a video download service for the PSP powered by Sky.

There are three subscription packs: Sports, Entertainment and Comedy. They cost £5 for one pack, £8 for two packs and £10 for all three, with additional TV and movies available to rent. 

While there is a decent range of content, it's not as large as you might hope, with very few newly released movies available.

The Sports pack is probably the most appealing. With Sky’s dominance in this area, there's a huge amount of content available, covering all the major sports including Premiership football highlights. 

The system itself is easy to use and there's a one-month free trial available, so you can see whether you like the service before parting with your cash. 

There's no contract and you pay on a monthly basis, so if you can cancel your subscription should you find you’re not getting your money’s worth.

It's also worth signing up to Sony’s PlayStation®Network. This is simple to do and free of charge and, if you ever find yourself short of entertainment, you can easily log on and download a game for only a few pounds. 

Pros: Can connect to the internet at any Wi-Fi hot spot, UMD film catalogue.

Cons: Need to buy a Memory Stick Duo, no USB cable, case or headphones are supplied.

Sony PSP 3000 specs

What’s in the box?

Sony PSP 3000 Slim console, battery and charger.

Extras worth considering

To make the most out of your Sony PSP 3000 games console, you may want to think about getting the following extras:

• Memory Stick Duo (essential)
• pouch
• USB lead.

Find out more about Sony PSP accessories.

File types

The following file types can be played / displayed:

• Image: jpeg, tiff, gif, png, bmp
• Music: MP3, ATRAC, MP4, WAV, WMA
• Video: MPEG-4, AVI.