I picked up a Star Wars edition PSP Slim yesterday. I decided it was time for a new one, since my battery was dying off anyway. I really wanted some of the new features, and I’m a sucker for Star Wars things.

Aside from the really cool looks of the white PSP with the Darth Vader image on the back, there are huge number of great refinements to the PSP Slim. Everyone has heard the usual, that the unit is much lighter and thinner, which are both very true. The screen is also brighter and the unit loads faster with more included RAM. But there’s a lot of other features that haven’t been widely discussed that make it that much better.

The speakers have moved from the bottom of the unit to the top, with the sound holes being just above the face buttons. This allows for much cleaner sound when you aren’t using headphones. The buttons themselves and their feedback have been improved and feel more like a PlayStation controller than before. The analog stick also has seen some refinements. Playing shooters using the analog stick and face buttons is much more comfortable on the PSP Slim.

The wireless switch was moved from the bottom left to the top of the unit near the UMD drive. This helps with those fun times when you would accidentally turn off the wireless during online play. Speaking of the UMD drive, there’s no longer an Open slider on the top. It’s now just a hinged door where you just open it from the notch in the top. Much easier to operate and less likely to pop open by accident. The same holds true for the batter cover, which now is hinged from the side of the unit instead of a button on the batter door itself. The memory stick slot is also build into the side of the unit without having an awkward door holding it in place.

The ability to watch UMD movies and play PSP games on your TV with the PSP Slim is utterly amazing. Movies look just like their DVD counterparts and games look better than expected on the big screen. I think this is going to propel PSP gaming while I’m at home, since I can fire it up on my 50″ HDTV.

Overall I’m extremely impressed with the PSP Slim. It’s a welcome refinement to the system. With the amazing games that have come out recently, and those coming out soon (Socom: Tactics, God of War), the PSP has a lot of steam behind it to give portable gaming a shot in the arm.