E3 2005: Level Up
Logitech Enters the Portable Accessory Market
Product: Logitech's PSP Products
Company: Logitech
Date: 05/27/2005
Avaliable On:

If you stop and think about it, you may realize that the PSP marks Logitech's first venture into the portable gaming accessories arena - and when Logitech steps into the ring, they come out swinging.

Case in point, Logitech's PlayGear Pocket was met with rave reviews, general approval and some degree of cult following due to its ability to be customized by inserting art of your choice between its layers. This artwork can then be seen through its outer clear plastic shell.

Their new case, the PlayGear Street has a somewhat similar design, but the clear plastic outside shell is fastened securely to the inner lining, presumably making the artistic modification impossible. This may have an impact on its popularity, it's really a wait and see sort of thing. The PlayGear Street offers more space than the PlayGear Pocket, however - with secure storage for four Memory Stick Duos and three UMDs in addition to the PSP itself. An adjustable strap allows it to be carried in three different ways: messenger style, over the shoulder or clipped onto a book sack.

Another new product from Logitech is the PlayGear Visor, Logitech's answer to PSP screen protection. The PlayGear Visor is a polycarbonate armor for your PSP's screen that clips around the edges of your PSP to hold it snugly in place without interfering with access to any keys, buttons or ports. It's even thin enough to be used with the OEM PSP soft case.

The PlayGear Amp (which we just got in-house for some hands on testing) is designed to be a dynamic, portable audio solution for the PSP. It has four speakers (two per side) and folds into a compact storage mode that makes it quite portable. The PlayGear Amp also includes a custom holder to fit your PSP and a carrying case that holds the PlayGear Amp, its cords and the custom PSP holder.

In the headphones department, Logitech has some three new products for the PSP: the PlayGear Mod, the PlayGear Stealth and the PlayGear Share. The PlayGear Share is pretty much a no-brainer; it allows two pairs of headphones to be connected to a single PSP. It's basically an audio splitter designed for your PSP. The PlayGear Stealth is a pair of earbuds with 9mm neodymium drivers for high-quality sound reproduction. It comes with three sizes of comfort seal gels to allow for fitting a variety of ears comfortably. Finally, we're back to the PlayGear Mods. These are headphones that are designed from the same tough polycarbonate materials that are used in the PlayGear Pocket and feature 30mm neodymium drivers for premium audio performance.

Checl back for full reviews as we get them.

Geck0 aka Robert Perkins

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2