Hello. I am trying to decide if i should buy a Caanoo, or a PSP. The PSP will be either 2000 or 3000, as i have heard that the 3000 can now be modded to run homebrew (if this is incorrect please tell me). Which one would you suggest, or would you suggest a different system all together?
Caanoo Or Psp?
Started by
4LPH4 W0LF
, Aug 07 2011 12:42 AM
53 replies to this topic
#5
RetroVortex
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 07:01 AM
I have a PSP 1000 and I used to use that for homebrew.
But I ended up hating the thing, since it was so damn heavy!
(And I never liked the buttons either. The D-pad was stupidly spaced too much, and the buttons felt odd sometimes, and I LOATHED the thumbstick. That thing just grated the skin so badly. But again, this was the original PSP, and I've never used a newer one, so its probably improved a bit)
It did most emulators pretty well though, but the fiddling around and updating custom firmware was also pretty irritating.
Oh, and the memory cards, they are expensive and non-standard.
Seriously, a 16gb Memory Stick Pro Duo is still like £30-35, vs A Micro-SD equivalent of £15 and a SD equivalent of £12.
Then again, this is just my experience. Its probably not as bad these days.
And the emulation itself on the PSP was very good. (much better than the DS's at least! XD)
The newer PSP models are lighter, and you can get one of these adapters to make your life much easier:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-SDHC-Memory-Stick-Adapter/dp/B003RUFL7M/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1312698251&sr=8-24
But I will say that I LOVE my Caanoo.
Its has a nice weight, the buttons are nice, the stick, though a little odd at first, is pretty good once you get used to it.
It plays everything pretty well, and the emulation has improved quite a lot since it was launched.
The only emulators I personally have issues with are Ohboy (not the emulator itself, but the interface. The scrolling is a bit slow for my taste), and DrPocketSnes, (on mine it seems to crash sometimes. But my Caanoo is one of the ones that won't overclock to 800, (I think some Caanoos have CPUs that are slightly better or worse than others)). However, Snes9X4C works with some titles that DrPocketSnes has issues with, and the both together, do a pretty good job.
However, the only slight complaints I got with it is that the shoulder buttons are very odd, the volume slider has a delay (its a very minor complaint though) since its handled via software, the touchscreen and G-sensor is oddly under-utilised still by homebrew.
And the media playback isn't so good. Fortunately this has been improved quite a bit via homebrew though. Mplayer and Ommpc are vital apps.
I think eventually this will improve a bit more, but its still a bit far off.
Well I had to get a new emulation console a while back since, my PSP broke, (well it still works, but it is in poor shape ever since my stupid brother knocked it into the toilet. The Screen is water damaged, the UMD slot doesn't work, the battery was fried, the memory cards are a little dodgy, the buttons were pretty bad anyway, and it became very unstable, (got hot and sometimes used to crash when it shouldn't have)).
And I didn't fancy having to do all of the homebrew process all over again, so I got something that works right out of the box.
In fact the main thing between the two that needs to be compared, emulation wise, is the PS1 emulation.
On the PSP it was suprisingly good. Since it was built into the firmware and could be hacked to play other PS1 games.
There are quite a few games that work on it that the Caanoo doesn't do, and at better speeds.
The Caanoo PS1 emulator is suprisingly decent, but its still a bit off from being brilliant.
The Other main advantage the PSP has, is well, the ability to play PSP games! XD
In the end I think its a matter of preference.
EDIT: And other thing I'd like to point out is that the PSP had a LOT of homebrew developers working on it back then, (not so much now, theres the occasional release, but most devs have moved on to something else), and the Caanoo, well, has not exactly lit the homebrew scene on fire. (Mainly due to it being similar to the Wiz, but not directly compatible, and the Pandora taking the spotlight (good luck getting one of those! XD))
That being said, the few dedicated homebrewers that have released stuff for the Caanoo have done an excellent job.
But I ended up hating the thing, since it was so damn heavy!
(And I never liked the buttons either. The D-pad was stupidly spaced too much, and the buttons felt odd sometimes, and I LOATHED the thumbstick. That thing just grated the skin so badly. But again, this was the original PSP, and I've never used a newer one, so its probably improved a bit)
It did most emulators pretty well though, but the fiddling around and updating custom firmware was also pretty irritating.
Oh, and the memory cards, they are expensive and non-standard.
Seriously, a 16gb Memory Stick Pro Duo is still like £30-35, vs A Micro-SD equivalent of £15 and a SD equivalent of £12.
Then again, this is just my experience. Its probably not as bad these days.
And the emulation itself on the PSP was very good. (much better than the DS's at least! XD)
The newer PSP models are lighter, and you can get one of these adapters to make your life much easier:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-SDHC-Memory-Stick-Adapter/dp/B003RUFL7M/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1312698251&sr=8-24
But I will say that I LOVE my Caanoo.
Its has a nice weight, the buttons are nice, the stick, though a little odd at first, is pretty good once you get used to it.
It plays everything pretty well, and the emulation has improved quite a lot since it was launched.
The only emulators I personally have issues with are Ohboy (not the emulator itself, but the interface. The scrolling is a bit slow for my taste), and DrPocketSnes, (on mine it seems to crash sometimes. But my Caanoo is one of the ones that won't overclock to 800, (I think some Caanoos have CPUs that are slightly better or worse than others)). However, Snes9X4C works with some titles that DrPocketSnes has issues with, and the both together, do a pretty good job.
However, the only slight complaints I got with it is that the shoulder buttons are very odd, the volume slider has a delay (its a very minor complaint though) since its handled via software, the touchscreen and G-sensor is oddly under-utilised still by homebrew.
And the media playback isn't so good. Fortunately this has been improved quite a bit via homebrew though. Mplayer and Ommpc are vital apps.
I think eventually this will improve a bit more, but its still a bit far off.
Well I had to get a new emulation console a while back since, my PSP broke, (well it still works, but it is in poor shape ever since my stupid brother knocked it into the toilet. The Screen is water damaged, the UMD slot doesn't work, the battery was fried, the memory cards are a little dodgy, the buttons were pretty bad anyway, and it became very unstable, (got hot and sometimes used to crash when it shouldn't have)).
And I didn't fancy having to do all of the homebrew process all over again, so I got something that works right out of the box.
In fact the main thing between the two that needs to be compared, emulation wise, is the PS1 emulation.
On the PSP it was suprisingly good. Since it was built into the firmware and could be hacked to play other PS1 games.
There are quite a few games that work on it that the Caanoo doesn't do, and at better speeds.
The Caanoo PS1 emulator is suprisingly decent, but its still a bit off from being brilliant.
The Other main advantage the PSP has, is well, the ability to play PSP games! XD
In the end I think its a matter of preference.
EDIT: And other thing I'd like to point out is that the PSP had a LOT of homebrew developers working on it back then, (not so much now, theres the occasional release, but most devs have moved on to something else), and the Caanoo, well, has not exactly lit the homebrew scene on fire. (Mainly due to it being similar to the Wiz, but not directly compatible, and the Pandora taking the spotlight (good luck getting one of those! XD))
That being said, the few dedicated homebrewers that have released stuff for the Caanoo have done an excellent job.
Edited by RetroVortex, 07 August 2011 - 07:21 AM.
#9
CKeichel
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 12:16 PM
I have a Caanoo and recently brought a PSP 3000. I was pleasently surprised by the quality of some emulators on the PSP, there are fantastic ports of Vice and the Atari 8 Bit machines, 16 Bit Ataris and Commodora Amigas are emulated at roughly the same speed as on the Caanoo, despite the CPU, which I think is slower then on the Caanoo.
The PSX Emulation is perfect on the PSP, the N64 emulation more like a proof of concept, amazing, that it can be done, but still much to slow to be satisfying.
The screen runs in a resolution of 480*272, which makes simple filtering of the graphics possible, overall, the picture is the best I've ever seen on a handheld, much better then on the Caanoo. Fiddling with firmware isn't complicated any more, every PSP can be softmodded, even when you are running the latest official firmware, without any trouble or the need of an additional device like the Pandora Battery.
One advantage is that the PSP lets you the choice, there is a D-Pad and an analogue controller. I didn't have problems with the D-Pad it's the same is on the Playstation Pads.
On the downside, the homebrew community on the PSP isn't very active, don't expect many updates. The SNes emulation currently runs better on the Caanoo and the touchscreen can come in handy here and there too, even if mouse emulation via touchscreen for ST and Amiga emulators is problematic. Another area in which the Caanoo is better is battery life, the PSP battery only runs 4-5 hours.
The cost of the memory cards isn't as high as many may think, an 8 GB card from Sandisc can be bought on Amazon for 19 Euro, which is more expensive, then a SD card, but not this much. The downside is, many of the memory sticks are rather slow. A fast SD card in a card reader is much faster, but if you transfer the data by connecting the Cannoo directly to your computer, you aren't faster either.
Where the PSP performs MUCH better, then the Caanoo is video playback, converted in MP4 format, videos run flawless in 480*272 (16:9).
In the end a tough choice, I brought my PSP used for 90 Euro, which is roughly the price you have to pay for a new Caanoo. Both devices have advantages and disadvantages.
The PSX Emulation is perfect on the PSP, the N64 emulation more like a proof of concept, amazing, that it can be done, but still much to slow to be satisfying.
The screen runs in a resolution of 480*272, which makes simple filtering of the graphics possible, overall, the picture is the best I've ever seen on a handheld, much better then on the Caanoo. Fiddling with firmware isn't complicated any more, every PSP can be softmodded, even when you are running the latest official firmware, without any trouble or the need of an additional device like the Pandora Battery.
One advantage is that the PSP lets you the choice, there is a D-Pad and an analogue controller. I didn't have problems with the D-Pad it's the same is on the Playstation Pads.
On the downside, the homebrew community on the PSP isn't very active, don't expect many updates. The SNes emulation currently runs better on the Caanoo and the touchscreen can come in handy here and there too, even if mouse emulation via touchscreen for ST and Amiga emulators is problematic. Another area in which the Caanoo is better is battery life, the PSP battery only runs 4-5 hours.
The cost of the memory cards isn't as high as many may think, an 8 GB card from Sandisc can be bought on Amazon for 19 Euro, which is more expensive, then a SD card, but not this much. The downside is, many of the memory sticks are rather slow. A fast SD card in a card reader is much faster, but if you transfer the data by connecting the Cannoo directly to your computer, you aren't faster either.
Where the PSP performs MUCH better, then the Caanoo is video playback, converted in MP4 format, videos run flawless in 480*272 (16:9).
In the end a tough choice, I brought my PSP used for 90 Euro, which is roughly the price you have to pay for a new Caanoo. Both devices have advantages and disadvantages.
Edited by CKeichel, 07 August 2011 - 12:31 PM.
#10
Darkknight512
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 03:24 PM
Been playing on my sisters PSP1001 for a bit with SNES emulation, it feels a bit sluggish, and it seems to crash a lot. Another thing that annoys me is that the emulator takes forever to load, while (at least on the wiz) is practically instant. Even including the long boot time on the wiz, it still gets into a game faster.
I can't say anything about the 3000, but I think other then the weight and screen quality it is very much the same.
I can't say anything about the 3000, but I think other then the weight and screen quality it is very much the same.
#11
Reo
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GP32 Hardcore
Posted 07 August 2011 - 03:52 PM
The PSP will give you nearly perfect emulation for every Playstation game that doesn't require analog sticks (unless you have a PSP Go and a PS3 controller), access to cheap commercial games (if you have a UMD drive), and a large amount of homebrew.
Some random other bonuses:
Some random other bonuses:
- The port of Cave Story for the PSP runs at the PSP's native res, which is unusual.
- The SNES emulator runs quite well, it seems to be more compatible than PocketSNES while using speedhacks, and the sound is the right pitch.
- Built in wi-fi (though, I believe it only supports the "b" standard)
- If you get a later model, the screen is (finally) nice.
- Speakers on the front
- Firmware hacks are a simple process, and not even needed if you just use simple homebrew.
#12
Com64
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 05:38 PM
I love playing PSP games like Gottlieb Pinball, Ape Escape, and The 3rd Birthday, the PSP has lots of homebrew apps and plugins, I can run any PS1 game on it, and it's great for media, so I like the PSP. However, there are so many things I can do with the Caanoo; there is a lot of awesome homebrew games and applications like AAAA and Graph2x, you can run many GP2X/Wiz programs through Ginge, and the controls feel much nicer in general. I have both, and I'd recommend getting both if you can. The Caanoo and PSP are very different imho. Also, the PSP has dropped in price recently (at least where I'm from) and it's $129.99CAD and the games have also dropped in price for the most part, and some stores are putting PSP games in clearance bins for $10 apiece.
Almost any PSP can be hacked for homebrew; it just depends on the firmware that's installed. Mine has fw 6.20 and I've installed TN-E v3.
Almost any PSP can be hacked for homebrew; it just depends on the firmware that's installed. Mine has fw 6.20 and I've installed TN-E v3.
Edited by Com64, 07 August 2011 - 05:41 PM.
#13
4LPH4 W0LF
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 08:12 PM
Thank you for your input everyone. As mentioned by Com64, I will try to get both machines, but i dont have the dough right now :/ Anyways, at this point i'm sort of leaning towards the PSP, because of the PS1 emulation being so great. I do have one question for PSP users: if i hack my PSP, canm i ever revert it back to its OFW, and can i still connect to the Playstation Network/Store. Thanks all for your feedbackI love playing PSP games like Gottlieb Pinball, Ape Escape, and The 3rd Birthday, the PSP has lots of homebrew apps and plugins, I can run any PS1 game on it, and it's great for media, so I like the PSP. However, there are so many things I can do with the Caanoo; there is a lot of awesome homebrew games and applications like AAAA and Graph2x, you can run many GP2X/Wiz programs through Ginge, and the controls feel much nicer in general. I have both, and I'd recommend getting both if you can. The Caanoo and PSP are very different imho. Also, the PSP has dropped in price recently (at least where I'm from) and it's $129.99CAD and the games have also dropped in price for the most part, and some stores are putting PSP games in clearance bins for $10 apiece.
Almost any PSP can be hacked for homebrew; it just depends on the firmware that's installed. Mine has fw 6.20 and I've installed TN-E v3.
#14
Reo
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 08:42 PM
The latest version has a HEN (home-brew enabler, no installation) and a LCFW (light custom-firmware), so you'd be able to connect to PSN. LCFWs however, aren't entirely permanent. You have to restore their state after a cold boot by launching a certain program that will "restore" the firmware for you. It's also able to be uninstalled.Thank you for your input everyone. As mentioned by Com64, I will try to get both machines, but i dont have the dough right now :/ Anyways, at this point i'm sort of leaning towards the PSP, because of the PS1 emulation being so great. I do have one question for PSP users: if i hack my PSP, canm i ever revert it back to its OFW, and can i still connect to the Playstation Network/Store. Thanks all for your feedback
I love playing PSP games like Gottlieb Pinball, Ape Escape, and The 3rd Birthday, the PSP has lots of homebrew apps and plugins, I can run any PS1 game on it, and it's great for media, so I like the PSP. However, there are so many things I can do with the Caanoo; there is a lot of awesome homebrew games and applications like AAAA and Graph2x, you can run many GP2X/Wiz programs through Ginge, and the controls feel much nicer in general. I have both, and I'd recommend getting both if you can. The Caanoo and PSP are very different imho. Also, the PSP has dropped in price recently (at least where I'm from) and it's $129.99CAD and the games have also dropped in price for the most part, and some stores are putting PSP games in clearance bins for $10 apiece.
Almost any PSP can be hacked for homebrew; it just depends on the firmware that's installed. Mine has fw 6.20 and I've installed TN-E v3.
#15
4LPH4 W0LF
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Posted 07 August 2011 - 09:24 PM
Thanks for your post. Is it possible for the CFWs that don't uninstall after a reset to be uninstalled? If not, can it connect to the PlayStation Network and Store still?The latest version has a HEN (home-brew enabler, no installation) and a LCFW (light custom-firmware), so you'd be able to connect to PSN. LCFWs however, aren't entirely permanent. You have to restore their state after a cold boot by launching a certain program that will "restore" the firmware for you. It's also able to be uninstalled.
Thank you for your input everyone. As mentioned by Com64, I will try to get both machines, but i dont have the dough right now :/ Anyways, at this point i'm sort of leaning towards the PSP, because of the PS1 emulation being so great. I do have one question for PSP users: if i hack my PSP, canm i ever revert it back to its OFW, and can i still connect to the Playstation Network/Store. Thanks all for your feedback
I love playing PSP games like Gottlieb Pinball, Ape Escape, and The 3rd Birthday, the PSP has lots of homebrew apps and plugins, I can run any PS1 game on it, and it's great for media, so I like the PSP. However, there are so many things I can do with the Caanoo; there is a lot of awesome homebrew games and applications like AAAA and Graph2x, you can run many GP2X/Wiz programs through Ginge, and the controls feel much nicer in general. I have both, and I'd recommend getting both if you can. The Caanoo and PSP are very different imho. Also, the PSP has dropped in price recently (at least where I'm from) and it's $129.99CAD and the games have also dropped in price for the most part, and some stores are putting PSP games in clearance bins for $10 apiece.
Almost any PSP can be hacked for homebrew; it just depends on the firmware that's installed. Mine has fw 6.20 and I've installed TN-E v3.
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