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Counterintuitive Design Choices in Gaming: PSP's USB Mode
Because it Makes ANY Sense
by Coop
There have been many times this generation where we’ve gone to do something, be it charging a controller, installing software, or simply playing a game, and been met by horrid and counterintuitive design. These moments are incredibly frustrating not because the product isn't working, but because it is working precisely as intended. At one point, someone thought that these ideas were completely acceptable, sensible, and downright good choices to make. Looking back, this obviously isn’t a new phenomenon, and people have been making terrible choices for a while now, dating back to the earliest days of gaming.
Counterintuitive Design Choices in Gaming: The PSP's USB Mode
This isn't a debate on the PSP's current stance in the handheld war - that has nothing to do with this. While sales are down and content is slipping, there is an even bigger issue with the PlayStation portable, and it seems that, over three iterations, Sony doesn't see it as the issue it really is. No, not the short battery life, but the fact that that same battery is a pain in the ass to charge.
There are two ways to charge the PSP. One way is to use a charge cable, which plugs into a port specifically made for it, and the other way is plugging it into the Mini-B, which is used for just about every other PlayStation branded product currently in production. The problem is that the PSP has to be set to “USB Mode” to charge via USB, and has to be turned on in order to access that mode. In other words, if your PSP battery is totally dead, and you don’t happen to have your charger, you’re shit out of luck. There's no external switch, no small other way to access it, and if you don't have access to a specific PSP cord there's nothing you can do other than pray. When everything that Sony produces seems to be so dependent on the Mini-B to charge anything, it’s sort of counterintuitive to require the system be powered on in order to charge its battery.
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Comments
Totally agree with this. I didn't care until I got stuck in a situation where I needed my PSP and it was dead. I didn't have my charger, but was near a PS3 and USB cable, so I figured I'd be fine. Not the case! Combine this problem with a short battery life and it means you're carrying your bulky charge cable everywhere if you want your PSP to work for more than two hours.
a very short battery life indeed.
I have to agree with this. Your logic is not flawed. Only thing I have to say in defense of the USB Mode is that you can set it to auto-detect the USB cable. Only issue, yet again, is that you can't be completely drained because you need the software to detect the USB cable.
When you get stuck in situation with psp then just reset it. You will have the problem solved and use the best powerful battery.
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