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May 24th, 2006, 04:32 Posted By: bandit
Nyko PSP Theater Experience
Manufacturer: Nyko
Site: Buy from Divineo UK
Price: £54.95 ($85.59 USD)
Overview : The Theater Experience for PSP is a one-of-a-kind case for the PSP. The black, brushed aluminum case features two hi-fi stereo speakers, a rechargeable battery and an angled stand for the PSP. The high fidelity stereo speakers provide sound that is crisp, clean and balanced. The built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery adds 7 hours of additional battery life for marathon movie and gaming sessions. The Theater Experience will even recharge your PSP 2-3 times before needing to be recharged itself. The angled system stand provides an ideal viewing angle for watching movies on the PSP. All of this plus dual headphone jacks, an audio line in port and a power extension cord for using the PSP outside the case are included in the sleek and stylish Theater Experience for PSP.
Features :- Adds 7 hours of playtime to the PSP
- High fidelity speakers deliver full, rich sound
- The case acts as an external power source to recharge the PSP without being plugged into an outlet
- Dual Headphone Jacks
- Form-fitted neoprene lining
- Stylish aluminum case
- System stand angles PSP for ideal viewing
- Included AC and stereo cables allow you to play, charge or listen to the PSP outside of the case
- Uses PSP AC adaptor
Quality/Usability : First, I'll talk about the first version of the case. At the end, I'll talk about the revised version of the case that Nyko released.
Upon opening and taking a look at the PSP Theater Experience, it looks sleek and nice looking made of aluminum. Holding it is a different story. Its a little heavy and long. The front of the case has dual headphone jacks and a DC-IN and DC-OUT port and is protected by rubber inserts. The rubber inserts seem a little flimsy as they come out sometimes and don't really stay in the case.
When you open the case you'll see two amp speakers on the underside of the front cover. One on the left and one on the right. The bottom of the case houses a cradle. Foam is used as protection that is placed at the bottom and underside of the front cover of the case. The cradle that holds the PSP has two plugs that will plug into the PSP; stereo and DC plug. The stereo will transmit sound to the two amp speakers on the case and the DC plug will charge the PSP when it is docked. On the back of the cradle are two stands that fold out to hold the PSP up.
Inserting the PSP is a relatively simple process. Just tilt the cradle upwards, and slide the PSP from the top into the plugs on the cradle. You wont be able to access the memory stick slot. Accessing all the buttons on the front of the PSP are easily accessible but reaching to WiFi or Power switch is a little tough. There are indents on the cradle to reach the switches with your fingers but for someone with fat or big fingers, you'll have a hard time.
The main purpose of the Theater Experience is to enhance the experience of watching movies on your PSP without having to hold the PSP in your hands. Playing games while its connected to the case is not a good idea. You'll have a hard time playing as it was not designed to be played while its in the case. But Nyko lets you use the Theater Experience as speakers rather then using the PSP speakers. Just simply use the included audio cables, plug one end to the PSP and the other end into the Audio-In on the theater Experience. Running low on battery on the PSP? No problem, Nyko also includes a cable that lets you plug one end into the PSP and the other end into the DC-Out. So now, not only can you use the Theater Experience as external speakers, but you can also charge your PSP while playing.
So yes, you can use your CD Player, Apple iPod or any device and use the theater experience as your external speakers. Just use the included audio cable and plug them into their respective ports.
Don't want to disturb people around you or can't hear? Just insert your headphones into the port and enjoy. Your friend can even join in since the case has two headphone jacks.
How's the battery life you must ask. Well its pretty good. It takes about 6-8 hours to fully charge. Solid green light means its charging, blinking green light means its done charging and red means its low on power and needs to charge. Once its fully charged, you can charge the PSP 2-3 times before having to charge the case itself.
While charging the case, you'll hear a humming noise. There is no way of avoiding this as there is no ON/OFF switch. Even when the amp speakers are in use whether its a MP3 playing, movie playing or you playing a game, you'll hear a slight humming. It does get annoying. It also distorts and washes out the sound.
Although it doesnt come with any power adapters, you don't need it. You can use the power adapter that came with the PSP to charge. If you're like me and use a USB cable to charge the PSP, I suggest not to as it requires alot more power then the PSP, so you might get an error on your computer regarding the USB device. Don't worry though, nothing will catch on fire or anything.
Conclusion : Overall, the case is nicely designed. There are some minor flaws such as rubber inserts that protect the front ports (headphones, DC ports). The only major problem I know of is the humming noise. Would of been to include an ON/OFF switch.
NEW REVISED THEATER EXPERIENCE
Quality/Usability : Yes, Nyko released a revised and updated version of the Theater Experience. There are some added features and some flaws that were present in the predecessor that is not on the current version.
First, the case still has the rubber insert problems. They just don't want to stay in. Its not a big problem but it would be nice if they actually worked.
Second, some new additions to the case. There is a ON/OFF switch at the bottom of the case that lets you charge the PSP while its docked in the cradle. If the switch is on OFF, it will not charge the PSP using the built-in battery. And of course, if the switch is ON, it will charge the PSP. Another added ON/OFF is the ability to turn on/off the amp speakers. The button is located on the left amp speaker. By pushing the button in, this turns on the speakers and a red light is indicated. Pushing the button again, pops it out and the red light goes out. This means the speakers are off.
Access to the WiFi and Power switch still lacks the room for those with thick or big fingers. So you'll either have to find something thing to help you get access to those switch or you'll have to take the PSP out to access them.
Other then that, the design of the case is still the same. Oh yea, what about the humming situation? You'll be glad to know that it is no longer there. No humming when the speakers are in use and no humming when the case is charging. No distoration in the sound at all and is crystal clear.
Conclusion : Overall, Nyko did a great job with the revised version. They fixed the major problem with the humming sound. It was a great idea to add the power button for the speakers as well as the ON/OFF switch to charge the PSP. All those other minor flaws were still present but those are really no biggy and nothing is perfect.
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