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Proporta PSP Screen Magnifier Review |
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Written by David Thompson
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Thursday, 14 August 2008 |
Proporta is a maker of accessories for a variety of platforms. One of
their recent releases was their Screen Magnifier for the Sony
PlayStation Portable. This sleek, black foldable device holds your
device at a slight angle while holding a magnifying lens about two
inches above your PSP's display. The magnifying screen is designed to
provide a viewing area about 1.6 times the size of the PSP's actual
display.
Now I have been playing video games since the late 1970s so I've spent a good part of my time on this rock in front of a video monitor. I could use all the help I need in trying to stay alive playing a game like Namco's Dead to Rights Reckoning. Trying to focus on a four-inch wide display can be very difficult sometimes when you're trying to keep from getting maimed. That's when I picked up Proporta's Screen Magnifier to see if it could help enhance my game playing experience and this is what I found out.
Magnify Me
Their website says that the PSP Screen Magnifier can increase the display area approximately 1.6 times the original size of the PSP's screen and it does deliver on that statement. While playing Namco's Dead to Rights Reckoning using the PSP's display, the gunfire could be seen as streams of lines coming from the weapon. Now while this was good and you can still determine the action going on around you, there are times that you weren't sure where you were aiming. This is when you need to get a better view of the action.
The Proporta PSP Screen Magnifier is a foldable stand made up from 3 panels. One panel serves as the base and has four hooks built in. Two hooks appear at the top and bottom of the base. The hooks will end up supporting the PSP as it rests on the base. The second panel folds upward and will rest against the back of the two hooks that appear at the top of the base. Then the third panel (the magnifying screen) will flip over and sit parallel to the base.
You simply slide the PSP into the center of the Screen Magnifier. The two upper hooks on the base will snap into the holes that appear on each side of the USB port at the top of the device. The bottom of the PSP will be held into place by the two lower hooks, which hold it down. After installing the PSP, just flip the magnifying screen over the PSP's display and power it on.
The Final Word
While the device is easy to set up and does help view the device. I would have liked to have had the magnified area just slightly larger than the PSP's viewing area to provide a little more real estate for the edges of the screen. An option to adjust the screen's angle would be helpful since the current design leaves you almost sitting upright to play games or watch movies. I wish the magnifying screen was designed a little larger because the magnifying screen is about the same size as the actual PSP display. You will notice a slight blurring around the edges of the magnifying screen, which is a bit distracting during play. The PSP Screen Magnifier does a good job holding the PSP in place. The two upper hooks are positioned to plug into the two holes that appear on each side of the USB port at the top of the PSP. The bottom of the PSP is held down by the two lower hooks on the Proporta Screen Magnifier's base.
The PSP Screen Magnifier does fold up nicely to less than half an inch but I'm concerned about the hooks that hold your PSP in place. The hooks are not protected with the device in its folded position. Because the PSP Screen Magnifier is made of plastic, you have to be very careful how you carry this product and make sure you protect those hooks. They are the only things that keep your PSP in place.
For those who may need a bit of help viewing the PSP's display, the Proporta PSP Screen Magnifier is a very inexpensive device that could provide a boost to your PSP entertainment.
About Proporta
Proporta is about solutions to the real problems and needs of users of mobile devices from the office to the mountains and everywhere in between. We've listened long and hard to find out what our customers are looking for and to provide it. You can learn more about Proporta's products from the company website located at http://www.proporta.com.
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