Reviews

Capdase Accessories for the Sony PSP

July 1, 2005

Editor’s Note: I had some problems uploading the pictures to go with this review, but hope to have them posted very shortly. If you’re interested in any of these products, you can click on the link contained in each review to see pictures immediately at the vendor’s web site, Play-Asia.

Leather S-Bracket Case

There are several leather carrying cases available for the Sony PSP, so you might be wondering what’s so special about this one. In a word, it’s the S-Bracket attachment system. Unlike most cases, which either secure a device with a slip-in yoke, Velcro, or perhaps elastic straps, this case features a plastic bracket. It’s incredibly easy to attach the PSP, just snap it into the bracket. The small openings over the recessed screws in the PSP casing are filled by perfectly placed pegs in the bracket. And the hold is so tight you can hold the case upside down and shake it without fear of the PSP falling out! Just take a look at the picture to see what I mean— the case is held aloft with two fingers on the tab closure, so the PSP is suspended five feet from the floor. This isn’t the sort of thing I would normally do with a case, but it should give you an idea of just how securely the S-Bracket holds the Sony PSP.

That’s pretty great, but that’s not the only cool feature in this case. The best part is that small flap in the back of the case— it allows you to easily change UMDs without removing the PSP from the S-Bracket. It’s held closed by a magnetic snap on each end; just push it open with a finger and the UMD door is free to open. The design is simply ingenious, and I wonder why no one has thought of it before now. With most cases you have to remove the PSP from the case to change UMDs, so it’s nice that you don’t have to do that with this one.

Aside from the S-Bracket and UMD flap innovations, the case is a nice one. The materials and workmanship are first rate in every detail. It has a magnetic snap on the tab to hold it closed, and there’s some extra padding over the screen, inside the flap. And unlike most gaming cases I’ve seen with open sides, there’s a nice amount of material all the way around the edge. Instead of skimping on the leather and making the case just as tiny as they possibly could to just barely cover the device, this case has a small extra margin that makes it look (and perform) like a better product than the price would indicate.

At only $17.90 this case is a very good value for the money, and it’s available in three different colors: Black,
Pink, and White.

Nylon S-Bracket Carrying Case

This case is virtually identical to the leather case reviewed above, except that is made of nylon and features a zipper closure instead of open sides and a tab closure. The S-Bracket is just the same and works very well. There’s no UMD flap on this case, but you can easily flip up the S-Bracket and open the UMD door to change discs.

The case is extremely light, due to the nylon material, but a stiffener has been added between the fabric layers for extra protection. There’s a belt loop on the back, as well as a carabiner attachment point; a black carabiner is included with the case. The contrasting white stitching is stylish and fun, perfectly in character for the design of this case. The zipper has large teeth for a more playful look, and the Capdase logo zipper pull is nicely done.

The Nylon S-Bracket carrying case doesn’t have any accessory pockets, it’s designed strictly to protect the PSP when it’s in your gear bag. It does a great job for only $14.90. You can get one at the Play-Asia online store.

Twins Case

Here’s another one of those “why didn’t I think of that” flashes of brilliant innovation. Instead of making a really huge case to carry a Sony PSP and accessories, Capdase designed two sleek cases that can easily be joined together or taken apart, depending on the circumstance. When you get the Twins case, you’re really getting two cases; one to hold the PSP, and the other to hold the games, Memory Stick Duos, headphones, AC adapter, and other accessories.

The PSP case part of the set is virtually identical to the Nylon S-Bracket case reviewed above. The accessory case is made of the same black nylon material, but has an interior designed to hold everything you need with a Sony PSP. In the lid of the case you’ll find two pockets that are each deep enough to hold 2 UMDs, for a total of four games or movies. Each of those disc pockets has a small elastic pocket for a Memory Stick Duo. The bottom of the case has two elastic straps to hold headphones, AC adapter, or any other small accessory securely without having anything flopping around loose in the case.

The Twins case is formed by zipping the two cases together; each one has one half of a zipper on the spine of the case. There’s also a small snap on the other side of the case, near the front of the zipper. When fully connected, the Twins case functions as one complete unit.

What I love about this case is the choices that it offers; I can leave the Twins case connected if I like, or I can zip apart the two cases if I’m traveling “light” and just want to carry the PSP alone. Another option is to put the PSP in the accessory case face down and put a couple of UMDs into the pockets on the lid when I want to carry a couple of games but nothing else. Putting the PSP face down protects the delicate screen from touching the exposed edge of the UMDs.

The list price on the Twins Case from Capdase is $29.90, but you can get it as the Play-Asia online store now for only $19.90. At that price it’s an absolute steal and you should definitely pick one up today.

Soft Jacket

Like the leather case, many manufacturers are also making silicone soft cases for the Sony PSP. The Capdase difference is in the extra features of the Soft Jacket, most notably the integrated screen protector and UMD door cover. Other soft cases leave large openings for the screen and UMD door, but the designers of the Capdase Soft Jacket came up with a very clever way to keep you covered.

You “install” the PSP through the large screen opening, carefully stretching the case into place around the edges and corners of the PSP. This case is made of very high quality materials, and I like the grippy “ridges” on the back of the case; they make it much easier and more comfortable to grip the case during extended gaming sessions. Cutouts provide access to the Memory Stick Duo slot, power switch, charging port, and headphone jack, as well as the joystick and gaming buttons. The small buttons underneath the screen such as the Home, Start, Select, and volume buttons, are all covered by the case and easily manipulated by pushing in the right spot.

The screen cover is made of hard plastic and does an excellent job of protecting the screen. It is secured to the case by several small silicone buttons, and once you press the protector onto those buttons it won’t come off until you intentionally remove it. The photo to the left shows two of those buttons, as well as a closeup of the Soft Jacket so that you can get a better idea of how it looks.

The UMD door cover works in a similar fashion, with a long silicone strip at the bottom acting as a “hinge” that allows the cover to flip open when necessary. Two buttons on the left and right and two buttons at the top edge of the case hold the door closed during normal usage. To change UMDs, press up slightly on the protective cover to disengage it from the top of the case. You can then slide the UMD door switch as normal, open it, change discs, close the door, and then press the cover back into place. It works very well and gracefully solves the problem of how to protect the back of the PSP without hampering access to the UMD door.

The Capdase Soft Jacket is available in your choice of white or black for only $14.90 at the Play-Asia online store.

TAKU Professional Screen Guard

Here’s another example of great design; this product comes in three pieces to protect your PSP screen in the best way possible. Several other protectors I’ve seen either cover only the screen or perhaps cover the whole device, but are difficult to apply because they don’t take the shape and curves of the PSP fully into account.

The Taku Professional Screen Guard comes in three pieces, one for the screen, one for the left side of the PSP, and one for the right side. They’re far easier to apply than a single protector, and since there are three pieces there are no air bubbles or gaps around the buttons or along the edge. The clarity is brilliant, and after several days of use I haven’t noticed any wear at all.

A nice bonus is included in the form of a “cleaning strap.” When I first got the package, I wasn’t quite sure what it was—it looks like a small charm with the Capdase logo on a tiny key ring. But then I turned it over and saw that the other side was made of a fuzzy soft material that works very well to clean the screen of the PSP. Any PSP owner knows that this portable console collects fingerprints like nobody’s business, so it’s nice to have this little thing to stick on a keyring so it’s always close at hand.

The TAKU Professional Screen Guard is an excellent value at only $5.99, since many other PSP screen protectors are $10 or more. You can get it at the Play-Asia online store.

UMD Cases

Last but not least, another must have accessory for PSP owners, a UMD case. While I don’t have any strong feelings about UMDs as a platform for distributing digital content, unlike some, I do know that I need something to keep them organized and contained when I’m on the road. With the average PSP game costing $40 and UMD movies running $20 to $30 (generally more than their DVD counterparts) I definitely don’t want to lose any of these suckers!

The Capdase version is available in two colors, black and white, and feature an innovative swivel design. Each unit holds two UMD movies or games in separate compartments. A clear cover lets you see what’s in the top compartment, while the included labels can be attached to the side of the bottom compartment for easy identification. To access the disc, just swing open the compartment and turn the unit over to remove it.

Even better, you can attach multiple UMD cases to each other to create stacks that hold four, six, or more UMDs. Just remove the clear top of the unit you want to attach to the bottom of another, and snap them together. You can separate them again, though it takes a fair amount of force. I was concerned at first that I would break the case, but a company rep assured me that it was very unlikely. I persevered, and they came apart again. Now they’re slightly “looser” and it’s easy to snap them together or apart.

I especially like the fact that they can be separated again for travel, or left attached if you want to have a single stack containing all of your UMD movies and games on a bookshelf or in your media center. This is the sort of thing I’ve always wanted for GBA games, but could never find. There are plenty of accessories out there that can help you keep track of your game cartridges when you’re on the run, but not many that help you keep them organized and contained at home.

And as yet another example of clever design, each unit also comes with an optional foam insert shaped like a UMD that is capable of holding two Memory Stick Duo cards. In effect, one accessory serves two purposes depending on your needs at the time.

You can get the Capdase UMD case in your choice of white or black at the Play-Asia online store for only $5.99 each.

Conclusion

As you can tell by the ratings on these reviews, I’m very impressed with these gaming accessories from Capdase. The quality is outstanding and the designs are simply brilliant. I can’t wait to see what they offer next! They make a variety of PDA and smartphone accessories, including cases, cables, and screen protectors, and I hear that several products for the palmOne LifeDrive are coming soon.

If you’re a little nervous about importing any of these products from Asia, don’t be concerned at all. I’ve imported a few products through Play-Asia before and have always received top notch service and incredibly fast delivery. Even with the shipping charges, these products from Capdase are very reasonably priced and definitely worth the money.

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