The quick verdict of the PSP:
It is the most amazing gadget ever! It is so much more than a portable game device - especially considering its $195 base price. The Value Pack with more accessories is about $250. It will play videos, .mp3s, display photos, etc. It has 16:9 aspect ratio which is great and the screen is really bright. The feel is very solid, but not too heavy. It's smaller than I thought it would be, too. And it is unbelievably sexy. The Nintendo DS feels like a cheap toy compared to the PSP. The DS is cool, but Sony hit a grand slam with the PSP and it's going to quickly crush Nintendo I think. The games are incredible so far and the sound quality is too. It also sports wireless capabilities for challenging others and has USB 2.0 capabilities. It can also automatically download updates to the OS from the Internet, too. It also takes a Memory stick as well as the the new media format (UMD). Battery life appears to be about 4-6 hours. There's room for improvement there...
iPod is no longer the must-have gadget.
I've included more pictures and some crappy attempts at getting some videos of the unit as well as a couple brief ones when I was in line.
On my way to Yodobashi, I wandered through Kabukicho and the red light district and came across ( /u) this sign. I thought it was awesome looking.
Right after cruising through Kabukicho, I stopped at this little sushi joint. It was an inexpensive conveyor belt style place, but it was the graphics on the signs outside that drew me in.
Another of the sushi place...
The line is already around the block as I arrive at 4:00pm!
Another of the line.
Around 10:00pm the line started to move. I was really excited because I thought Yodobashi had changed their mind and decided to sell at midnight instead of 6:00am the next day like they said. But all that was happening was that they were moving the people to another location away from the entrance. *Sigh* This is where I spent the next 8 1/2 hours.
Another of the final waiting area. It was interesting because unlike the USA (or most other place for that matter), you could leave your place in line and go take a piss, get a snack or whatever. The guy right next to me had a bag full of electronic devices like an iPod, laptop, Nintendo DS, etc and he just got up and walked away. That's how honest and trusting the Japanese are. He knew no one would rip him off or take his place in line. He was gone for a good 10 minutes, too. After seeing this happen with some others, I finally mustered enough confidence to leave for a bit to search for food. I ran to a convenience store and came back within a couple of minutes. Everything was fine.
A security officer holding a sign guiding people to where the end of the line was.
At around 3:30am another security officer went down the line and was conspicuously counting how many people were waiting. About 20 minutes later a Yodobashi employee came around and handed a small number us a voucher stating that we were the
This is the picture of the line around 5:30am. You can see people like 4 abreast. This is because the line wrapped around the entire block 4 times!!! I heard that over 3000 people were in line, but only 500 units were sold.
Finally around 6:15am the line started to move!! People were chilled to the bone from sitting on damp concrete for hours. We were wiped out, but adrenalin kicked in immediately.
This was it. The front of the line. All of the Yodobashi employees had their blue Yukata-style uniforms on and were amping up the crowd with really loud yelling about the sales process. :)
Just to my right were a ton of TV cameras, etc that were still interviewing some boy who was the first to purchase a PSP. He had instant celebrity status.
The goods as they were packaged up! :D
Another of what I had in my bag. It was my PSP Value Pack, some stickers, Ridge Racers game, a demo disc, and my sales receipt. I should point out too that *everyone* paid by cash except me. I didn't get that memo. Just as I was approaching the sales counter, I saw everyone with their cash in hand. I about died. I thought after all I had gone through that if I were turned away because I didn't have cash, I would have screamed. Sure enough, I handed the girl my Visa and she gave me a blank stare. Uh oh. She called to some other co-worker and they discussed it for a second or two and came to me and the guy said 'no cardo, but we will accept for you *smile*'. I've never bowed so many times in my life. That was a close one. I think they were just pitying the ignorant gaijin. ;)
The contents of the value pack.
Even the back of the PSP is cool. :)
This is what the UMD discs look like. They're clearly smaller than a CD and a bit smaller than a Mini-disc.
This is where the UMD discs get loaded.
Here are a few videos as well. They aren't very good in quality, but it will give you an idea. They are take a while to load, but they will play. Also, don't be fooled by the bluriness. It's just the camera:
in-line.AVI
This one shows the line starting to move at 6:30am.
yodobashi-sales.AVI
This one shows the Yodobashi sales people yelling near the checkout counters and for the media.
battle.AVI
This one shows an awesome robot battle sequence.
ridge-racers.AVI
Finally, this one shows a quick race on Ridge Racers. This one takes even longer to load.
