Sony PSP 3000 Series Slim and Lite Handheld Console (White)

There are very few new features in this as compared to the previous one: A built-in mic and a better screen.
Otherwise, this is exactly identical in terms of technical specifications to the older generation PSP

Built-in mic means two things:
a) you can skype (also built-in!) etc. any time
b) You can use regular headphones and don't need to buy the special PSP-headset anymore.

There was some concerns about the 'interlacing' lines on the screen and youtube is full of videos that highlight this....and say this is bad and so on.
This is so not true!
To be honest, during regular gameplay you won't even notice the lines...I only noticed them a few times when I was specifically looking for them and not concentrating on the game.

The screen is a lot brighter and colors richer (I compared with my roomie's..he has the old one)

If you are wondering if you should buy this PSP, the choice is really very simple:

1. If you already have a PSP-2000 (a.k.a. Slim&Lite) then you don't really need to, because this isn't much of an upgrade except for the built-in Mic and brighter screen.

2. If you don't have a PSP yet and looking to get one for the first time, this is the one to get!

When there is the likes of the wii, xbox 360, ps3 etc sometimes its nice to be able to play an older console. Ok its not state of the art but i think some of the best games (tales of the world) can be found on psp. Its a hand held console that has given me hours of fun. The console is light and easy to use and the games have many hidden challenges.

I'm only going to address a few specific points in this review, things that I had trouble finding for myself before purchasing or have had little coverage here:

Firstly, the scan lines that are present in the 3000 models, and not the 1000 or 2000s: when I first turned the console on I was quite surprised by how visible they were. However, after a day or two I actually had trouble even noticing them. I am unsure if this was me getting used to them, or whether they actually are more visible on fresh hardware, but either way they are now a non-issue. It was something I was quite concerned about, having seen images of horribly distracting lines and equally damning reports. It's all completely over-hyped. I still do notice them, occasionally, but barely and it's so infrequent as to be unimportant.

Secondly, the "Pearl White" we get here in Europe: it does have some (probably metallic) shiny bits in the casing, which gives it a glimmer in the right lighting conditions. I prefer the "Ceramic White" style the Japanese model comes in, which is a matte-effect, but the sparkles don't show up very often and when they do, they actually look better than they do in photographs. I only generally notice them when a light source s reflecting off the casing directly into my eye.

Finally, build quality: while I never owned one, the old 1000 series always felt like a solid piece of kit, and to a lesser extent so did the 2000. While I appreciate the lightness of this model, it does feel far less substantial and hardy. My left and bottom D-pad buttons both developed a noticeable and vaguely annoying creak within a few days. Perhaps I was unlucky here, but I suspect it's not that uncommon. This isn't deal-breaking stuff, the buttons function correctly and feel fine, plus when I play with headphones in (I often do - no portable games system's speakers are ever much to write home about) I can't hear it - still, something worth mentioning. There's also now a slight bump if you run your finger from the casing over to the screen; the screen and casing used to be one piece of plastic, so it was completely flat. Now, they are separate and the screen is ever so slightly raised from the main body. Again, not a big issue, but it does highlight the lower build quality.

When all's said and done though, I still think this is an excellent console, especially now the price is down in the DSi range.