PSP suppliers, shipping, bundles, and warranties

[pseudonym]

christmas period?

no way..

nip over to www.lik-sang.com

Just ordered a US multiregional UK kitted PSP and Pure... and... now I can't sleep.

[Concept]

Yup. Go import once the US launch craziness has died down.

It'll probably be cheaper too online if the £180 pricepoint many retailers are suggesting turns out to be true for Europe.

£150 for a PSP at liksang is seriously tempting, but I want to wait for a US PSP myself and pick one up from VG+ for £130 in a couple of weeks, when the fuss has (hopefully) died down a little, with availability up.

[pseudonym]

i couldn't wait... Easter is around the corner.. four days away from work... what better chance is there to get up to speed with the new tracks...

I cannot believe the large screenshots over at the main site... Astounding. They look like they were taken from a 'real' computer... Are we sure these aren't April Fools shots from the development G5's or something?

[hailstorm]

From my understanding if you import the Japanese version instead you won't have any region problems as Japan shares the same region as the UK (i.e. region 2). That is of course if you care about buying UMD movies to play on your PSP.

£150 does sound tempting. It's just a shame customs stick a fairly hefty amount on top of that. Other worry is returns. If you find your new PSP has dead pixels or some other fault, shipping back to Japan isn't cheap. Same concerns with ordering from the US too.

[Concept]

I'm not sure if UMD media is going to be region-protected in the same fashion as DVD, so it could be that Japan and UK PSPs may not be compatible in terms of media viewing.

But to be honest, if I picked up a US PSP, UMDs wouldn't be my concern, and if they were, I'd most likely order online to circumvent restrictions.

I do agree about the custom charge. It's not vast, but it could easily put £20-30 on the order.

Unless VG+ mark it down.

I just want to play Pure before September onwards, and then pick up a European copy for multiplayer.

[eretsua]

I'm not sure if UMD media is going to be region-protected in the same fashion as DVD, so it could be that Japan and UK PSPs may not be compatible in terms of media viewing.

But to be honest, if I picked up a US PSP, UMDs wouldn't be my concern, and if they were, I'd most likely order online to circumvent restrictions.

I don’t think they will change the region settings for UMDs. I think that would be a bit too much of a hassle plus that I think that for the vast majority of European consumers Japanese UMDs are of little interest. Like there is only a very small group of Europeans that would be interested in picking up some J-Pop UMD album, I think. And when it comes to Japanese (UMD) cinema also a very small number will be interested in picking that up. Even less so if it doesn’t feature subtitles in English or other European language. But it’s not like that is Sony is thinking about the Europeans at all…it will probably another 6 months or so before Sony re-realizes the existence of our continent anyway. :roll:

Personally I am perfectly happy having a Japanese one. I don’t expect much of the European non-game-UMD-market, anyway. And if you are into anime and/or J-pop (like me) then you’d be best served with a Japanese one anyway.

I do agree about the custom charge. It's not vast, but it could easily put £20-30 on the order.

Unless VG+ mark it down.

I don’t think VG+ will mark it down as it probably be sent through UPS or other courier equivalent and they require “the actual costs” to buy you a new one should anything happen to it during transport. Also couriers collaborate fully with the Customs-office in order to make sure that the proper taxes are paid. So count on a tax-hit for your PSP when ordering abroad.

I think also in the UK you can it have it delivered to you from within the UK, pixel checked & with full warranty. I think you would save maybe ₤10 or ₤15 compared to when you import it yourself and include tax & shipping.

I just want to play Pure before September onwards, and then pick up a European copy for multiplayer. .

Same here, same here. Though I’m just hoping that the intercontinental gaming between European games and American games will not be a problem. If they don’t change too much in the programming it should work fine, I think…I hope.

[Concept]

I probably can have a Japanese model delivered in the UK, but the majority of UK importers vastly over-inflate prices so it usually isn't an option.

I'm toying with the idea of getting a Japanese PSP due to a link someone sent me of a decent priced value pack, but I'm kind of stuck on the idea of getting a US PSP (mainly due to the UMD/likely more consistent build quality issues).

Overall though, the UMD side of things almost pales into significance when you realise it's possible to re-encode AVIs on to an adequately sized (512MB/1GB) memory stick.

I've told myself I'm not going to impulse buy from anyone and anywhere in getting a PSP. That's why I've decided to stick to the major exporters in the US/Canada and see when they get their stock back in.

[Space Cowboy]

Im totally with Concept on this one. I too have thought about importing a psp, but anywhere I go the prices seems to be incredibly high. For example, dont even bother looking on ebay, every psp going sells for no less than £200!!!!, and thats without games!
I think VG+ is the best bet, and I hope to acquire mine from there asap.

BTW Concept, if you find a decent importer or someone in the UK that can deliver let me know mate

[hailstorm]

Not true:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...179247435&rd=1

Value pack and RR for £183. I would advise caution when buying off ebay though. Specially with something this expensive.

edit: whooops. Shipping is a huge £28. Didn't see that. oh well. play-asia.com seems a good price though. Roughly £130.

[eLhabib]

Oh sweet liksang!
just ordered my PSP&Pure. It's easy, it's fast, and it's definitely cheaper than it will be in Europe in June!

SO EXCITED!!!

[Space Cowboy]

Wow! how much did that cost in total el_habib?

[Mobius]

I dont want to import, but it might be my only option.

If i import from america additoinal media won't work.
If i import from japan media will but the buttons are different (x is to go back )

But if i wait for the european release i will have a free buss pass by then. :cry:

[eLhabib]

here's my order:

1 Sony PSP Standard Pack (For Sony PSP™) $279.90 (~214.01 EUR)
1 WipEout Pure (For Sony PSP™ / US) $49.90 (~38.15 EUR)
1 Aero Case (Blue) (For Sony PSP™) $8.90 (~6.80 EUR)
1 USB Transfer Cable (For Sony PSP™) $4.95 (~3.78 EUR)
Sub Total $343.65 (~262.76 EUR)
Shipping Cost (UPS) $43.00 (~32.88 EUR)
Grand Total $386.65 (~295.63 EUR)

freakin cheap!

just hope they don't have any problems with the tax office (I heard they do, sometimes) *crosses his fingers*

[Concept]

I dont want to import, but it might be my only option.

If i import from america additoinal media won't work.
If i import from japan media will but the buttons are different (x is to go back )

You can solve that problem by ordering UMD media in the appopriate format for your system online (which is also probably cheaper). That's why the whole region restriction problem is almost a non-issue.

I do agree with you about build quality issues though on Japanese PSPs. I know it hasn't happened to many, but the dead pixel, dodgy square button aspect is something I'm aware of.

[Concept]

BTW Concept, if you find a decent importer or someone in the UK that can deliver let me know mate

No worries. Will do.

I saw someone selling their PSP (just bought unopened) today over at NTSC-uk for £210 along with Wipeout Pure and Ridge Racers. I could have cried - earlier that morning, I'd had £300 cash on me to pay off my credit card.

If only I'd checked the forums sooner.

I think most places are only selling US PSPs bundled with a game at bare minimum to ensure the price is near £200.

I only want Lumines and Pure at first though. I'll keep my eye out over the US/Canadian/Asian exporters over the next few weeks and see who gets stock in first and cheapest.

I could try and forage for a US PSP on some online trading boards but I'm wary about doing so to be honest.

[G'Kyl]

I do agree with you about build quality issues though on Japanese PSPs. I know it hasn't happened to many, but the dead pixel, dodgy square button aspect is something I'm aware of.

Are you saying the US are getting an upgraded PSP? Do you have any sources on that?

Ben

[Concept]

No. Just that the probability is high that the launch niggles/defects that plauged the Japanese launch will have been sorted out for the US launch.

Similar to how the PS2 originally was.

[G'Kyl]

But then the dead pixel issue comes with TFT displays in general, doesn't it? I'd be amazed if Sony (or Sharp, for that matter) would change their QA for the displays just to sort out a rather minor problem...

Ben

[yawnstretch]

eLhabib

Just noticed that you haven't mentioned a memory card there - does the standard pack come with one? - You may well want one for wipeout Im thinking...

[Concept]

G'Kyl - it's to do with the severity of the dead pixels. From early reports of US PSPs, there don't appear to be quite as many popping up.