The holidays are right around the corner, and many of you are probably looking for a gift for your loved ones, or better yet, are expecting a special something from a certain someone, hah!

Whatever the case may be, PSP 3D is here show you the hottest PSP products out on store shelves this holiday season. We'll cover all aspects of PSP stuff in this wrap-up, from hardware, to accessories, software, and games. Lets first start out with the...

Hardware



Well it all starts out with the hardware. If your viewing this site right now, you most probably already have one of these babies on you right now. But if your just another adult lookin' for something to buy the kids this year, well, this'll send them running. The PSP is by far the best gift of the season right now, suitable for ages from as low as 10 to as high as...well, anything really. The diversity of uses, applications, games, and audio/video capabilites makes it one heck of a portable media gaming device. What else could you ask for?




Want to take your PSPs media capabilities to the next level? If so, this is exactly what your looking for, that is, if your willing to shell out the big $$. At a retail price of around $219, the Datel 4GB Hard Drive is the ultimate PSP storage module currently available. With this particular hardware addon being almost the price of a new PSP, most people won't be daring to look at this, but those who truly want to enjoy their PSP, or really want to brighten up their loved ones' day, might consider it. Although it adds an extra inch or so to the bottom of both sides of your PSP unit, it definitely keeps up with 4 Gigabytes of storage space, enough for MANY PSP-converted feature films, and tons of media and music to keep you going for hours. It also comes with Datel's X2 battery, which offers 3600 mAh, versus the standard 1800 mAh. Quite a boost, but due to the power draining hard drive, you won't see too much of a difference.



Can't afford a PSP hard drive? Well a memory stick will do the job much more efficiently. Not only are there no seek times on these babies (since they are flash memory), they are also considerably cheaper and much more portable (since you don't have an inch of stuff sticking out the back of your PSP as with the Datel 4 GB Hard Drive). 512 MB is more than suitable for many songs, music videos, and other media. Memory sticks for the PSP are currently available up to 2 GB, but as the capacity increases, so does the cost, so most people just stick with a 512 MB or 1 GB stick. A memory stick is an essential for your new PSP, or your buddy's new PSP. Without it, consider all the the media capabilities of the PSP useless. The standard 32 MB will not cut it.

Games



One of the most embarrasing things you could possibly do when buying that PSP that goes under the tree is forget...games. That is by far the purpose of the PSP. But first you got to know what kinda games he/she is interested in. You'll also want to pick age suitable games. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is by a mile one of the essential PSP games released so far. But beware, this game is rated Mature, so don't go out buying it for your 11 year old unless you can control how much he 'gets into it'. When you see him doing a drive by with snowballs at your next door neighbor's daughter this winter season, you'll know he has kinda gone a little too far. But otherwise, LCS is just another wonderful port of the GTA series on to the PSP handheld, with great graphics and a superb story line.



Not interested in violent, gory games, but still want that wonderful adrenaline boost? Then check out Burnout Legends. Definitely one of the PSP's greatest driving simulators out there, Legends combines racing (fun) and crashing (more fun) into one great, action-packed game. Good graphics and although at some points in may seem just repetitive, once you let go of the game for two days, you'll be having a fit to get it back in your palms.



Want to hit the slopes with your family and friends, but you just can't find any snow around you? Well you won't have to go pretty far to enjoy that freshly-packed snow. SSX On Tour is a great addition to the SSX series, offering quite the same feeling action, on the small screen. Although it doesn't have the greatest sense of speed, it's great for some on-the-go fun, and definitely makes it a fantastic game. Good for all ages, I'm sure the kids will enjoy it too.

Accessories



Sometimes it's good to throw in some stocking-stuffers that will actually help your loved one better enjoy their actual gift. How about a nice protective case for that shiny, new, black toy you bought for him/her? (no, not that black Lexus with a ribbon on top you bought for your wife). The Logitech PlayGear Pocket protects with style. This thing is amazing, it really is 'virtually indestructible' as Logitech claims. It is a little bulky, but the amount of protection you get with this case is outstanding. Plus, it is highly customizable too! There are many websites on the net which have "PlayGear Pocket Skins", little print-outable skins that fit the front top of the case, which go under the plastic cushion. You can even make your own skins too, if you get the right template size.



OK. So you don't want that added bulk from the Logitech PlayGear Pocket. Slim and slick is your style. But you don't want to scratch that beautiful, 480x272 resolution screen? Then what you need is a screen protector. Pelican makes some decent ones at that. They are easy to apply, nice and thick, and are pretty good at reducing bubbles that may form under them due to dust on the screen during application. Sometimes, they can distort the screen's fantastic quality just a little, but in the long run, the $5 investment may in fact save you big $$ on a damaged screen. Get one of these, you can't go wrong. And if you happen to find any Hori brand screen protectors left in stores, grab them. They are crystal clear and easily reapplyable.



To transfer data (music, movies, whatever) from your PC to PSP's memory card, your going to need a USB cable (or an external memory stick reader). Many people forget about this nesscessity, making the expensive memory card they bought with the PSP useless until their they head back to the store and pickup a PSP USB cable or a PC memory card reader (which can be a pain on Christmas morning). Therefore, don't forget one of these, you're loved one will need it!

Conclusion

This brings us to a wrap-up of the PSP 3D 2005 Holiday Wishlist. We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we did writing it, and we wish you good luck on your holiday shopping madness.

~Happy holidays, from the team at PSP 3D!

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