Written by Brakken
May 2006
Introduction
NeoFlash who has been known to produce various products for the Nintendo DS system has recently
ventured into the PSP market. The Neo 2 in 1 Converter is their first product released which
enables you to use Compact Flash compatible media in conjunction with your original MS Duo
Pro memory sticks. It’s a novel idea which in theory should save the end user a lot of money
as being limited to only one type of expensive media has left some of us with a bad taste in our mouths.
Features
Compact Flash I & II Compatible Slot
MS Pro Duo Card Slot
Small Form Factor
No External Power Source Required
Contents
Neo 2 in 1 Converter
4GB Magicstor Hard Drive
Velcro
Covering Tape
Installation
To install NeoFlash’s 2 in 1 PSP Converter all you need to do is place the Velcro circle over the
fancy metal logo on the back of the UMD drive and then attach the 2 in 1 converter to it. Next plug
the memory stick attachment into the Duo slot and you’re good to go. The tape they included to cover
the flimsy wire that runs from the base unit to the UMD card from being damaged is about useless. Not
only does it now stick and stay in place, but once you’ve taped down the wire you cannot open your UMD
drive anymore. So I’ll leave the tape off and try my best not to break the wire.
The 2 in 1 Converter sits about an inch off the back of the PSP and with any sort of compact flash
card or compatible device in it will stick up about a half of an inch above the PSP. The device
itself doesn’t get in the way of your hands and barely adds any weight to your setup. It actually
looks pretty cool once attached!
Usage
Basically, all the device does is convert any type of media that has a compact flash interface
into a signal the PSP can understand. Using compact flash compatible media is a lot cheaper then
buying those overpriced Duo sticks so that is the main benefit of NeoFlash’s 2 in 1 converter.
Although the increased space is great there is a slight slowdown issue present when using the
microdrive. Not only do you have to wait around 4-8 seconds for the drive to boot up and start
spinning once it’s turned on or has spun down, but there is also slowdown present when viewing
high quality movies or playing a backup that uses the UMD to constantly stream media from.
I also tested the device with a normal 1GB compact flash card and there was barely any slowdown
present. It just seems the speed of the microdrive is the blame for this. There is no choppy sound
present when playing back music, but when you try to playback a high quality video or a UMD backup
video it will skip and pause which renders the video useless. Once the media was on a normal compact
flash card it worked flawlessly.
One cool feature of the Converter is the fact you can still use your normal Duo sticks without having
to take the Duo card connected to the 2 in 1 out of the PSP’s Duo slot. There is a slot for your Duo
cards right on the 2 in 1 Converter, but sadly there is no toggle button to switch between the two.
Basically, if you want to access the Duo card you will have to remove the Compact Flash/Microdrive
from the 2 in 1 Converter.
I mentioned playing backups from the Microdrive, right? Well, certain titles that depend on streaming
music and/or data from the UMD drive slow major slowdown when using the microdrive. I guess if you
lost your original it’s not so bad, but it is noticeable and gets in the way of your game play. You
can get past the slowdown issues by converting your videos into medium quality, not using backups
which require constant data streaming or placing your media on a solid state device such as a normal
Compact Flash 2 Card.
Conclusion
Although there is some slowdown present the NeoFlash 2 in 1 Converter gets the job done and there
isn’t really any bugs or problems with the device. Its price is reasonable especially as it comes
with a 4GB Microdrive. This is actually one of the only NeoFlash products I would recommend people
paying money for. Until the price of Duo cards drastically decreases I would pick one of these up
if you want plenty of storage for your little old PSP.
Positives
 Price
Stylish Look
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Negatives
 Slowdown w/Microdrive
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Links
NeoFlash's WebSite
Shop@01Media - Worldwide ReSeller
-=[ Review Discussion Thread ]=-
Product(s) were received from the website above. ISO-420 will always link back to whomever sent the
product(s) *respect*, but please remember that the reviews are independently written by our staff
and are not subject to alteration by whomever supplies us with the review product(s).
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