Score PSP Portable Movie Player

Between the battery drain, the low volume levels, and the lack of an integrated stand, watching a movie on the PlayStation Portable is bit more difficult than advertised. Many companies have released stands or speaker systems, but Score, a Pelican brand, is attempting to tackle all of your PSP movie ills with the $15 PSP Portable Movie Player, a stand/charger that allows the PSP to connect to two sets of headphones.

The base of the PSP Portable Movie Player is roughly the same length and depth as the PSP, and the stand adds an inch of height to the attached PSP system. The PSP docks to the Movie Player via the power and headphone connections on the gaming device's underside. Thereafter, the PSP's audio output is available via headphone jacks on both sides of the Movie Player, while a power input on the player's right can accept the PSP's AC cord. The base of the player has a battery compartment that can hold six AA batteries, and a switch toggles the power between AC (the wall charger) or DC (the batteries). The battery backup is a nice option if your PSP's own rechargeable battery needs a boost and there's no wall outlet in sight, but the batteries will add a bit of heft to your on-the-go gaming.

The back of the stand has a switch to change between the headphone and system audio output. It's a bit misplaced and hard to flip over--we were unable to spot it the first time we tested the player. While the logic of its button and connectivity placement is questionable, the PSP Portable Movie Player is still a decent-looking device. If you'd prefer to keep it under wraps, the accessory can be sheathed with the included light silk carrying case.

We tested the Portable Movie Player with the UMD version of Labyrinth. The device's most glaring weakness is that it does not seem to increase the PSP's meager audio levels when playing movies. We had the system's volume all the way up and the UMD volume setting at its maximum, yet still strained to hear David Bowie's soft-spoken voice when we attempted to listen in a public place. Also of note: the Portable Movie Player accepts remote-style headphone inputs--like the headphone input on the PSP itself, it's got that little key slot next to the headphone jack--but it doesn't accept any commands from the PSP's in-line remote when attached. You're stuck using the PSP's buttons to control playback. That's not a big knock during movie viewing--an in-line remote is more useful when you're listening to music and the PSP is tucked away in your bag--it just makes us wonder why they bothered including the remote slot at all.

At the end of the day, it's the battery backup offered by the Score PSP Portable Movie Player that sets it apart from similar speaker stands. If being able to charge your PSP with universally available AA batteries appeals to you, this accessory is an easy and cheap way to get the job done, and it doesn't take up too much space when you're on the road. But as a speaker-enabled stand, it doesn't really deliver--we'd pay a few extra bucks for the SpectraVideo Logic3 Sound Grip or even the Logitech PlayGear Amp instead.