Pinpoint PSP Accessories

With Christmas fast approaching, gaming accessories might be just the thing for stocking fillers. We were given the opportunity to take a look at a few PSP accessories from Pinpoint to see if they’ll bring smiles of joy on Christmas morning, or the look brought about from a rotting Satsuma.

The somewhat muffled sounding PSP speakers are one of the handheld’s less impressive features, but unlike the PSP’s ghosting screen (although I still think it looks lovely), the sound quality can be easily improved with a decent set of earphones. I, for one, am not a fan of earphones/headphones as I like to be able to hear what else is going on around me and this is why the Gamexpert Sound Case appealed to me. The device is exactly what it sounds like – a case and a speaker in one.

Setting up the Sound Case is very simple. Insert two AAA batteries (supplied) into the case, plug the audio plug into the PSP’s headphone jack and then turn on the case’s power. The sound is now outputted through the Sound Case’s NXT Flat Panel speaker. The sound level is controlled using the PSP’s controls and there is nothing fancy or complex about the setup. The case is designed to house the PSP, which is held in place by the case’s padded interior. The case has holes so that the shoulder buttons are accessible even when the PSP is inserted into it.

The Sound Case is billed as a device to improve the audio quality for movies, music, and games, but after some testing it became obvious that using the device for anything other than music was rather impractical. With the PSP inside the open case, the screen can be seen, allowing you to play games and watch movies. The problem is that the lid that contains the speaker doesn’t have a hinge of any kind, so it can’t be secured in an open state. This means that tilting the PSP towards you will result in the top of the case falling shut, making the device pretty useless for gaming and movie watching. For music this isn’t a problem as you can leave the case in any position as long as it’s open.

The audio quality when playing GTA: Liberty City Stories was far greater than that produced by the PSP’s speakers – most noticeable was the clarity of the once muffled voices coming from the radio stations. On further testing of the Sound Case I found that if the PSP was taken out of the case, but left plugged into the speaker, I was able to tilt the PSP into a far more natural playing position, and retain the higher clarity of sound from the NXT speaker. Far from ideal though.

One far more serious problem I had with the Sound Case was the power switch located on the inside of the case. The switch is made of hard plastic and is totally exposed, just waiting to do some damage. With the PSP inside the case and the lid closed, the switch is directly above the PSP’s screen. If the PSP was secure this wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s held so loosely that it can easily wriggle free, potentially resulting in a rather nasty scratch to the screen. With all its problems and a £29.99 retail price I simply cannot recommend buying the Sound Case, which is a shame as the much improved sound quality offered by the NXT speaker did impress.

I also took a look at the Gamexpert Starter Kit and the GameDR Motorised UMD Cartridge Cleaner. The Starter Kit is a 5-in-1 package that contains a screen protector, four UMD cases, USB cable, car power adapter and leather wrist strap. I started with the Screen Protector which is a clear film that adheres itself to the PSP screen. Like any thin adhesive material, no matter how carefully it is placed, air gets trapped inside the material and creates unsightly bubbles. Pinpoint were clearly aware of this as they included a squeegee (a piece of card), which can be used to work out all the bubbles by pressing it along the surface. However, when I came to use it after carefully applying the protective screen, I couldn’t seem to shift the bubbles. To make matters worse, the squeegee began to leave marks on the film and I was worried it would tear through it, possibly damaging the screen of my PSP. After several attempts of removing the screen guard and reapplying it I gave up; the bubbles could not be removed and the once clear film was now covered in scratch marks.

Thankfully the rest of the Starker Kit was of more use. I had no problems using the Car Power Adapter, which enables the PSP to be played and charged in the car – a great utility for long journeys. The USB cable also worked well and is a must for transferring media files and game saves to and from the PSP. The UMD cases held firmly shut and are very useful if you normally carry around a number of games in a bag. The cases will prevent damage to your delicate UMD disks, as well as preventing dust and whatever else may be in your bag from lodging inside a UMD’s shell. Finally comes the leather wrist strap which you might want to use over the supplied strap bundled with the PSP Value Pack. At £19.99 it’s reasonable value, but the poor screen guard lets down the otherwise solid package.

The GameDR Motorised UMD Cartridge Cleaner is a battery powered (2x AAA not included) UMD cleaner. After a small bit of assembly, which requires you to unscrew a panel and install two AAA batteries, the device is ready to go. A UMD is held in place by a magnet and then you simply press down the power button. After around 15 seconds, release the power button and remove the UMD to find it spick and span. I can’t fault the GameDR Motorised UMD Cartridge Cleaner, and for the £14.99 price tag it’s definitely something worth investing in if you want to keep your UMDs in their optimal clean condition.

To find out more about these accessories as well as others, be sure to check out Pinpoint’s official website.