SAMUEL SAYS: The PSP is not a portable console. I find the idea of carrying the machine to be a frightening prospect, and I don’t believe that Sony has fixed anything with this redesign. The leap between the DS and the DS Lite was justified, for sure, but Sony has merely seen this as an opportunity to repackage the PSP just in time for the Christmas rush.

Experimenting with the PSP Slim & Lite proved that there was barely any difference between the two SKUs. I see no reason to upgrade, especially with the horrifying lack of a video-out cable in the box, and I doubt that the mainstream is even aware of this feature.

I was hoping for a shorter length on the Slim & Lite. Granted, the screen is too nice to be downsized for any reason, but this begs the question: why remake it at all? It’s all very well asking how the console could have undergone changes, but if there’s no feasibly beneficial way of this happening, scrap the idea and market the original with more spirit. Lord knows we need better marketing tactics than a couple of blobs talking over some gameplay footage of Ratchet & Clank. Sort it out.

Aside from that, it’s business as usual for the new PSP. Sony implied that using the old battery in the new console would be easy, but even my small arms had difficulty lodging it into the console or, for that matter, yanking it out. Once people realise that this is no alteration from the previous model, it’ll simply go down in history as another failure for Sony.

CHRIS SAYS: There has been a lot of criticism directed at the PSP Slim & Lite, which really begs the question: what were people expecting? Sony has reduced the PSP’s weight by a considerable 33 per cent, slimmed the depth by 19 per cent, cut loading times and added a video-out port. When Nintendo redesigned the DS it cut its weight by only 21 per cent, and added virtually nothing in terms of extra features.

Of course the Slim & Lite barely looks any different from the PSP – Sony had no reason to drastically change its appearance. For all the original PSP’s faults, it most certainly cannot be criticised for its looks, and if Sony had reduced its overall length then it would have had to crop the 4.3-inch screen, which surely would have inflamed critics even more.

The PSP has always been about bringing home-console experiences onto a handheld, so the addition of a video-out port was an enlightened move by Sony, effectively turning the PSP into a home console that can slip into your pocket. The addition of extra RAM may not have a dramatic effect on loading times currently, but you can be sure developers will be taking more advantage of it in upcoming games.

Ultimately, the appeal of the Slim & Lite depends on how heavy and cumbersome you found the original. All I can say is that Sony has definitely delivered to expectation and it is ridiculous to say that anyone looking for a more portable version of the PSP would be disappointed.