Modojo has posted an article stating the 10 Things I hate… about the Nintendo DS and The Sony PSP. There are actually only five things he hates about each handheld, but its probably around four to many for each device.

I’ve ignored the DS list, check out the website linked above to get the full picture on that one. Heres the list of things for the PSP however, with some of my own comments.

1. Required firmware updates.

Totally agree. There seems to be a continual requirement to upgrade the PSP’s firmware to play the latest games, with firmware releases often being a cover for secuity fixes.

2. Price.

Again, I agree, but once you’ve bought one, its difficult to complain about it. Originally the PSP was very expensive, but the price has started to come down, and if you are willing to import (and can find an importer) then you can get the PSP even cheaper.

3. Defective pixels.

I’ve not got an issue with this. My PSP has had one dead pixel since day one of ownership, and has since steadfastley refused to add another one to join it. Maybe I’m lucky?

4. Load times.

Again, another one that doesn’t bother me that much. I know some games are notoriously slow at loading (WWE Smackdown vs Raw anyone?), but on the whole, most games seem to load reasonably quickly. I am a fairly patient person though, and having owned both a PS1 and PS2, its something I’ve just got used to. I know Nintendo owners often mock sony products over the slow loading times, given that their devices load instantly, but its not something I’d lose sleep over.

The biggest ‘fix’ for slow loading for me is the fact that I can soft-down the power on the PSP and instantly resume the game next time I turn it on, often removing the initial slow loading of a game as an issue.

5. The analog nub.

Is there anything good about this? Well, in my opinion, yes. I love the analogue nub. Maybe its the size of my hands (large), or my thumbs amazing flexibility (yeah, right), but I find the analogue nub just about right. Maybe I’ve got a good one (I know some people have issues with the general nub movement) but mine is smooth and progressive, as you’d expect. With a DecalGirl skin sitting under it, its even better.

There are a couple of things not on the list that really bug me about the PSP, the first is the lack of a second analogue nub, which should have been designed in from the start given the number of PS2 games that make use of the second analogue controller for that system.

The other thing that annoys me is that its very difficult to use the PSP in sunlight, as the screen becomes washed out. Doubly annoying is all the adverts for the PSP that show people outside watching TV via the location free player – its just not possible!

Is there anything that annoys you particularly about the PSP or its design?