XCM Faceplate Review

Xtender's PSP Faceplate Pack 2
Review Written by Brakken
Photography by Kryptic & Brakken
April 2006 Introduction

An essential part of a modders life is to deck out their original property as much as possible. Be it adding some pinstripes to your car, an mp3 player to your bicycle or painting your XBOX giving your plain old video gaming system a new look sets you apart from the rest. With Team Xtender’s PSP Faceplates you can do just that. Getting bored of that dull black appearance – then these faceplates are your answer. With them you can give your old PSP a brand new look and have something to show off.

Contents

The official package comes in a standard quality cardboard box with five faceplates each individually wrapped in protective plastic so they don’t rub up against each other and get scratched. Each faceplate is further protected with two pieces of plastic wrap on each side of the screen so they won’t get scratched. The package also contains a micro mini Philips head screw driver which you’ll need to remove your original faceplate. Additionally, each faceplate comes with a screw diagram so you’ll know what screws to remove and where to put them back in.

At first glace the faceplates look fantastic. Each is vibrant and the color really stands out. However, they weigh a bit less then the original faceplate and the screen seems more prone to scratches so I guess I’ll have to a do a scratch test to see how they stand up. Other then those two issues all five of the ones I got for review look more then worthy enough to sit on top of my PSP.

Installation

Depending if you just purchased a single faceplate or the official packs you may or may not have received a micro Phillips head screwdriver with your order. Since I am reviewing an official package I already have the only necessary tool to get the job done with.

The installation process is straight forward and takes around five minutes. What I did first was find myself a dust free environment, put on some latex gloves and placed the PSP face down on a soft linen cloth. You’ll want to make sure to be in a dust free zone otherwise you might end up with particles on your screen. The gloves are handy for not leaving fingerprints where they aren’t wanted and the linen cloth (you can use the cloth the PSP comes with) is to protect the original faceplate from being scratched when you’re unscrewing it.

It’s very important that the first thing you do is take the battery out – then you’re left with unscrewing the six small screws. I suggest having something like a shot glass handy to hold the screws in while you do the rest of the work. Oh, make sure the shot glass in empty before you put the screws in it.

So I removed the battery and then the screws. After this I turned the unit back over and gently lifted up on the faceplate. It came up with without a hitch and I set the PSP aside for the time being. The next part of the process is easy enough – I switched the buttons and thumb stick from the original faceplate onto the new one. One should be careful when taking off the thumb stick as there is a small piece of black plastic (a small ring) that you won’t want to lose.

Once the buttons, directional pad and thumb stick are on your new faceplate it’s safe to remove the plastic coating from the button of the faceplate. So I removed it and set it gently down on the PSP, turned it back over and used the diagram to put the screws back in. It’s very important that you don’t put a large screw in one of the smaller screw posts as you could possibly damage the TFT screen resulting in a cracked, unworking display. So just use the extra ten seconds it will take to double check the screws before you tighten them down and you’ll be good to go.

That’s all there is to it. Now you can put the battery back in, remove the plastic from the top of the faceplate and turn your console on. Installation wasn’t really that difficult and now my PSP looks tricked out.

Usage

So how well does the scratch resistant plastic screen stand up to the original? Let’s find out.

I've basically run three tests on the pink faceplate and an original Sony brand faceplate.



The first test I simply put each faceplate in the pocket of some jean pants filled with loose change, car keys and a pencil. Then I shook them around a bit (well, really shook the hell out of them). The original PSP faceplate received a few scratches, but Xtender's was more scratch prone with more smaller ones.



The second test was to drag the faceplates around on a concrete sildwalk. Once again Team Xtender's got more scratched up, but both were pretty badly damaged. I'd say almost tie with this test.





The last test I ran over both faceplates with a few ton car and to my amazement neither one shattered. However, the original Sony faceplate did warp a bit while Xtender's didn't at all. The only thing that happened to Team Xtender's faceplate was that the plastic screen came loose, but easily snapped right back into place.

Even though the faceplates aren't as scratch resistant as the original one they come darn close. Each one looks really good (well, if you like Pink that is - I don't), fit perfectly and does the job right. Of course, if you happen to scratch one you can easily replace it with another and that includes if you've already scratched your original Sony PSP faceplate. You can't beat them for their price!

Note - The Gold faceplate appears to have scratches on it, but only appears this way when the Camera's flash is ON. It looks like the coating of paint dried strangly, but like I said it can only be seen when the camera is flashing on it. In the sunlight or in a well lit room it looks fine.

Positives Great Looking Easy Installation Affordably Priced

Negatives Voids your Warranty More Prone to Scratches

Links

Team Xtender's Website


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