Thinking of getting a PSP from Sony? You might want to get all of the facts before sinking your hard earned dollars into this gaming device. According to this article from Ars Technica, the perpetual issues with proprietary hardware could make this gaming device a real pain in the long run. Then again, those are just my thoughts.

I liked the new two-part series on the PSP at Gear Live. The first article runs down the top ten reasons why the PSP will rock when it hits stateside next month. Read it and get fired up about what will no doubt be a very nice handheld entertainment device. Then hit the second article for the inevitable reality check: this is a Sony product, which means that it has a number of headache-inducing, senseless flaws.

1 GB Cards are so expensive. Sandisk offers the cheaper variety, but even those will run you close to $150. And you’ll need a 1 GB if you plan on enjoying a decent amount of MP3’s on your handheld, or if you plan on watching movies with it. Some of the movies I have encoded to MP4 are larger than 650 MB, so a 512 MB card isn’t an option. SD cards are half the price, and even cheaper after rebates. But no, Sony wants to shaft the public with their proprietary standards once again. In fact, if you decide to purchase a 1 GB Sony Pro Duo card, you’ll be paying more than $300. Go you!