http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/episode27.jpg
Despite illness and an overall pissy attitude, we managed to crank out another episode of the Sarcastic Gamer Podcast. In this episode we talked about all of this stuff and more in only about a half an hour!
Rock Band guitar issues
Hot selling PS3 games
Dedicated servers make all the difference
Do you pre-order anything?
Devil May Cry 4 rumor: 20 minute install?
Sarcastic Gamer News w/Paul Christy
"Hot" Topic: Exploding PSP
Mass Effect DLC is inbound
Upcoming Mass Effect SG Special Podcast
Strange/confusing DLC implementation
Beer goggles during character creation
CoD4 vs Halo 3
CoD4 maps, modes, and gripes
Playstation Home "Pre-launch Makeover"
When will PS3 make voice comms standards?
What are your thoughts on PS Home?
Humpday Update...Ummm.... Update
Gratitude is and Attitude
DTUO
Martini Time If you liked this episode, please consider giving us the honor of your subscription in iTunes (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=260079519) or RSS (http://feeds.feedburner.com/SarcasticGamerPodcast). If you insist, you can always just download the mp3. (http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.libsyn.com/media/sarcasticgamer/SarcasticGamer-Episode27.mp3) If you are currently using a computer with iTunes on it, would you mind heading over there and leaving us some feedback? (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=260079519) Much obliged. Oh, by the way... HEY! What's wrong? Why haven't you taken our QUICK podcast survey (http://www.podtrac.com/audience/start-survey.aspx?ver=1&pid=pKGDw9NEEq8$) yet?

I hope the SG gang gets ps3s soon.

I love RFOM that was the only game that had cluster $&%*ed multiplayer.

The whole Mass Effect DLC thing bothers me as well. Before the game came out i was under the impression it was supposed to bridge the gap between the 2 games not add more story to the first game.

When I tried to download this episode, I got an error message. Is anyone else having a problem with this?

Nevermind...It's working now.

Probably my favorite podcast, but then again I'd be a bit biased.
Great work as always, guys. And thank you.

I agree with dave:

"If my Dave Take us Out's are so bad why don't you do them!"

Lono should be "the failure" from here on out!

Oh, gosh, I wonder why you think that Derek...

First I got to say I'm so HAPPY THAT YOU GUYS USE MY GREETINGS IN THE INTRO thanks allot.

I can't wait for the Sarcastic Gamer Mass Effect special, it's going to be a very interesting episode.

Dave keep doing great "Dave Take Us Out" and thats your first good take us out for the year... just forget about the six failed "Dave Take Us Out" just pretend that it never happened.

Another great podcast. The Dave take us out was great.

Great show onces more guys. :D

I still don't fully understand home..
How the hell do you get furniture for your home?
DO you have to actually real money? Or will there be some stupid virtual money?
..so complicated.

animathias you play WoW? No.. just no.. :(

great episode guys!


I gotta go finish mass effect before the episode...

great episode guys!


I gotta go finish mass effect before the episode...

Thats the great thing about podcasts... they are there when you are ready for them. Like Tivo except its supposed to be that way.

When I tried to download this episode, I got an error message. Is anyone else having a problem with this?How were you downloading? iTunes or just straight off the website?



animathias you play WoW? No.. just no.. :( I know right? It's like finding out theres so Santa

First I got to say I'm so HAPPY THAT YOU GUYS USE MY GREETINGS IN THE INTRO thanks allot.
You're the one who took the time to make that for us. THANK YOU.

Remember all, send your greeting to dave@sarcasticgamer.com

Demon dont hate on lono with out lono the podcast wouldnt be entertaining any more with lono screaming all the time.

it was nice you can do better guys (:

Great show!


Sweet a Mass Effect episode! Im to lazy to finish it so a few spoliers might get me back into it.

As for home I don't have a PS3 but it sounds pretty pointless.

*high five for wow players*

I think we should start a revolution!

Great episode btw ;) Still gotta complete mass effect soon..... just need to grind a bit more honor on wow first......

I tried playing Mass Effect a second time through, but after the 1st conversation I powered down and sent her on back to GameFly. The fighting would have been fun again, but all the dialog was killing me. If I still had the game I think I'd pass on the DLC anyway.

Dave, Dave, Dave. We went through this already. Take us out works only with Dave on the front. Remember how we all protested when there had been the threat that D.T.U.O. was going to be dropped?
There can be only one.
Nice job on this week's.

Great show guys and Thanks :D

Maria get to the Choppa!!!

Oh and mark me down for a pre-order on a SG T-Shirt (size - XL)

I tried playing Mass Effect a second time through, but after the 1st conversation I powered down and sent her on back to GameFly. The fighting would have been fun again, but all the dialog was killing me. If I still had the game I think I'd pass on the DLC anyway.

Dave, Dave, Dave. We went through this already. Take us out works only with Dave on the front. Remember how we all protested when there had been the threat that D.T.U.O. was going to be dropped?
There can be only one.
Nice job on this week's.

Great show guys and Thanks :D

Maria get to the Choppa!!!

Oh and mark me down for a pre-order on a SG T-Shirt (size - XL)

You do realize you can skip through all of the conversation... just keep on pressing X...

You do realize you can skip through all of the conversation... just keep on pressing X...
Yep

You're the one who took the time to make that for us. THANK YOU.

Remember all, send your greeting to dave@sarcasticgamer.com

Your welcome it was really fun doing it, I want to do it again :D

I can't wait for the Sarcastic Gamer t-shirt, even tho I leave in Malaysia I want to pimp out Sarcastic Gamer and make the site popular like my deviantART (witch is not even close to the popularity of Sarcastic Gamer) :D

Awesome show guys

Giggles the game review dog was great at least his reviews are honest unlike gamespot :)

I will download ps home when it's launched but i am not sure how much i will use it.

You do realize you can skip through all of the conversation... just keep on pressing X...

Was goingto say thesame thing. I am being a total jerk the second time through and its WORKING. I got stuff done on this round that I couldn't do before... Like talk that guy into giving up that dead body! I'll be damned... Lono was right. Being a dick DOES have its perks.

I guess it was not exactly the 1st conversation on the second time around. I ran around, had a few conversations - skipping through them. But I just got bored quickly and did not want to bother with all the chit chat again, even though you can skip through them.

That was the other thing - I'm just too nice. I tried KOTOR, KOTOR2 and Fable more than once and just could not be a dick. I don't know why, I just can't do it. LOL

Hey Doc and Lono, WarHawk is only up to 32 players online, but the maps are freaking huge!
Resistance 2 is going to have 60 players online though, I think its going to be out in Nov.

That was the other thing - I'm just too nice. I tried KOTOR, KOTOR2 and Fable more than once and just could not be a dick. I don't know why, I just can't do it. LOLYou havent lived until you get married in fable than kill your wife at night or make all the towns people follow you and sacrifice there souls to satin. Man I cant wait for Fable 2.


Good episode. I'm with lono, I don't understand the appeal of Home.

The Mass Effect DLC is weird. If it works how you said it basically saying to everyone 'hold up, put the game down for a month or anything you do will be a waste of time'.

Mass Effect is definitely a game worth playing twice and evil is way more fun.

Sign me up for a t-shirt - I want to show the world I'm sarcastic, no really I do.

RE: Playstation Home...

Lono: Home is optional. That's the beauty of Home. You're entirely entitled to never visit Home.

Gah... headsets are available... they're industry standard bluetooth headsets. Yeah, it'd be nice if they included something in the box, but they don't. People need to get over that... they'd just jack the price up if they included a bluetooth headset.

I'm pretty sure Home will launch and be summarily crapped on by the gaming community en masse... but I bet it ends up slowly offering compelling content and in the end will will prove successful.

BTW, I am in the Home beta and as stupid as the recently announced sound, they're all needed.

Awesome show Guy's. Cant wait till the Special ME Podcast. Love the game. Also You guys should mention the Dave Failure thread and some other threads that are on the forum.

SG!!!!! GET PS3's!!, i wanna play cod4 with you guys, n e ways- i was just playing cod4 on my ps3 (single player) and i used cheats to beat the 2nd to last lvl on veteran (right before "game over") and it was still kinda hard, once i beat it, it still said that the last lvl diff i beat it on was Hardend )=, ahh well ... fair enough right?

Thanks guys, I was just about to finish eden prime again, but I will wait now.

I can see the appeal of Home for some people. Just not the people who I am. That came out a little wrong.

I can see the appeal of Home for some people. Just not the people who I am. That came out a little wrong.

If I could make one singular statement about home it would be this: "The majority of people are misguided as to what Playstation Home will really be." That sums it up about as perfectly as I can in one sentence.

RE: Playstation Home...

Lono: Home is optional. That's the beauty of Home. You're entirely entitled to never visit Home.

Gah... headsets are available... they're industry standard bluetooth headsets. Yeah, it'd be nice if they included something in the box, but they don't. People need to get over that... they'd just jack the price up if they included a bluetooth headset.

I'm pretty sure Home will launch and be summarily crapped on by the gaming community en masse... but I bet it ends up slowly offering compelling content and in the end will will prove successful.

BTW, I am in the Home beta and as stupid as the recently announced sound, they're all needed.

I wonder if the PS3's all rose up like Skynet and began killing everybody, if Rothbart would stand up and say "I agree with this because they can do no wrong... EVER!"

I'm not sure of what Home is or will be. I will admit it. But from what I've seen All I have to say is "Why?" I would definitely go with Home on this if I knew one thing. Can you skip the walking if you don't feel like it?

Indeed, Mr. Viatrophy, I am a WoW player. Quite an addict, too. Just made it to the Outlands. Yet I can still own in CoD4, is that salt in the wound? You just got killed by a World of Warcraft player. :D

Dave is awesome. Therefore, all Dave Take Us Outs are awesome. It's simple algebra. x=tx. Where Dave equals x, and take us out equals t, then t is equal to 1. DUH!!

Anyway, I loved today's episode. I guess my iTunes name (Infinite Insanity) was too long or something because Lono only said Infinite INS. Oh well. I love Mass Effect, so I'm syched for the all Mass Effect podcast. I'M PUMPED!!!

I don't understand...

I reviewed the podcast like a month ago and still nothing...


what did I do wrong?:(

I don't understand...

I reviewed the podcast like a month ago and still nothing...


what did I do wrong?:(

I can't stop watching your signature.. that just looks painful

Ummmm btw you can use usb headsets on the ps3 also and its not very expensive.


Same i reviewed also.

Ummmm btw you can use usb headsets on the ps3 also and its not very expensive.


Same i reviewed also.

I said that on the podcast.

Dave is awesome. Therefore, all Dave Take Us Outs are awesome. It's simple algebra. x=tx. Where Dave equals x, and take us out equals t, then t is equal to 1. DUH!!

Unless of course x and t are both zero... I'll leave that for you to interpret on your own. :D

On the RockBand guitar controller issue:

I think the controller is a bit of a mixed bag. The size, shape, and weight of the controller is much better than the GH controller, IMO. The problem with the controller simply is the strum bar.

I also had quality problems with the guitar. The first one was pretty much dead on arrival. (I can only strum up). Then, they sent me a PS3 controller even though I ordered a 360 one. So now I am waiting for my new 360 one to arrive.

Anyway: The one thing I really wanted to clarify is the issue around the solo buttons. I understand that the solo buttons are not important if you play on medium or hard. However, if you play on expert, you absolutely do need the solo buttons. I guess it is possible to play through the entire game on Expert without solo buttons, but I can't do it. I have also been using the GH3 controller, but I can't get through the last set of songs on expert with that controller due to the lack of solo buttons.

Rock on!

Ummmm btw you can use usb headsets on the ps3 also and its not very expensive.


Same i reviewed also.

I'm speaking out of my behind here, because I'm not 100% on everything Sony offers for the PS3. However, what I gathered from what Doc said, he wants a standardized headset. If you use your cell phone's bluetooth headset, or some $5 USB one, the quality simply isn't going to be as good as a certified one. Microsoft has the upper hand there because they do sell and give away 360 official headsets, and certified 3rd party ones. I'll be the first to say that even though you can use regular corded headsets with the 360, you don't want to because the quality is crap compared to certified ones.

The close to standerd head sets si this little baby http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=801603 love it!!

Hey guys, wanted to start by saying I loved the podcast and I would love to get in on that Sarcastic Gamer Limited Edition T-Shirt (XXL).

I am also glad to see that the posters have helped clear some of the errors and misconceptions up regarding the PS3, Home & Warhawk.

Just to add to Warhawk being 32 player (16 v 16), I would like to add that Resistance Fall of Man allowed 40 player (20 v 20) matches. That makes for a really exciting game.

As for Home, to repeat, it will be an option and certainly not everyone will want to be involved with it. I am a beta tester and it has been nice to see Sony cleaning things up and listening to tester's suggestions and dislikes.

As for the headset standard, I agree, each PS3 should come with a BT headset similar to how the Warhawk package was initially released on disc. As an owner of both a 360 and a PS3, I must say that wearing a BT headset is far more comfortable, convenient and cool than the garbage headset that came with my 360.

I am looking forward to the hosts getting into the PS3 a little bit more, as it is the console that I prefer more.

One rant, I left a five star review for your guys on iTunes last week and did not hear my name for a thanks last episode.... wheres the love guys.

great show guys!

I completely agree about Character Creation problems too. If the character doesnt look good/cool (no matter what gender) then the whole game is ruined! :p

...glad its not just me who spends ages ;)

Okay, after posting a comment on the main page I decided I really need to just create a forum profile and go from there. First off, let me say the first 4 paragraphs that follow are the same as what I posted in the comment section, so if you already read it, move on to not get too bored, as the new stuff starts after that.

Another great show guys, but I can’t help but point out something when it came to the section where you all talked about Rock Band. While I’ll agree that the controllers are far from perfect, as I’m on my forth (the first three didn’t even work at all), I can’t help but wonder if all of you don’t understand the guitar controller at all, but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong once I’m done with this comment.

Where I think you guys have a problem, at least this is how it came across, is that you think that you must use the solo frets near the base of the neck to perform solo section of the songs in the game. I got this feeling from how you talked about how hard it was to move your hand from the top frets to the lower ones in time, as well as the fact you wished that they gave some kind of warning that a solo section was coming up.

The fact of the matter is, you don’t HAVE to use the solo frets for solo sections, at all. You can just use the regular fret buttons, even though you still need to strum. Also, to help ease your pain for when you do want to use the solo frets, use your strumming hand to ‘finger tap’ them instead of moving your fret hand all the way down. Since you don’t have to strum, it doesn’t matter.

Personally, I don’t use the solo frets at all during the songs, except during a ‘big finish’ section so I can just finger tap like mad and rank up a higher score then when I strum. I hope this clears up any issues you have been having with the game when it comes to the solo frets, and if what you were talking about and what I’m pointing out are two totally different things, let me apologize in advance.

As for the other problems you all mentioned on the podcast, here are a few things. As for the squishy strummer, I agree, it feels squishy. Yet, at the same time, I have noticed that with how they set it up, I have been able to hit faster passages with only a single direction strum, which I haven't been able to do on my Xplorer at all. Sure, there are still songs or passages I need to strum both directions to keep up, but they are much less in number. Yet, with that said, the strummer is possibly the worst part of the controller the way they made it. The failure rate of the strummer is all the proof you need.

As for your tilt sensor ... its busted, end of discussion. Okay, maybe not the end. While I can't say much for my first three controllers, the one I currently have has never had a 'tilt' issue and I don't need to twist my arms off to activate it. Around 45 degrees does it, sometimes 50-55, never need to go further then that. On the other hand, when I've played with other peoples controllers, I've noticed that on some of them it doesn't kick in until about the 90 degree area. Either way, you shouldn't have to go further then that and if you have to every time, the controller is bad as far as I'm concerned.

Moving on to Mass Effect ... from what I last read the DLC still doesn't make sense. As it turns out, you will need to have the ship in order to access the content, so if you are in the first hour or so, or near the end, where you don't have the Normandy, you can't access the content. Anything in-between, on the other hand, and you are fine. What I see as the issue here is that the game has been out long enough that most who bought it already, have beaten it. So unless they have a secondary character still going through the game, or want to start all over, again, the DLC works against them. Luckily for me, I haven't lost my ship yet, so I'm just going to hold off until the DLC is out, but considering how long the game has been out, they should have thought about that issue and did something about it.

As for Home ... great idea, but unless it features insta travel, it's going to be a serious pain in the arse.

Unless of course x and t are both zero... I'll leave that for you to interpret on your own. :D

Dave is infinitely cool. Therefore x=infinity.

Where I think you guys have a problem, at least this is how it came across, is that you think that you must use the solo frets near the base of the neck to perform solo section of the songs in the game. I got this feeling from how you talked about how hard it was to move your hand from the top frets to the lower ones in time, as well as the fact you wished that they gave some kind of warning that a solo section was coming up.

The fact of the matter is, you don’t HAVE to use the solo frets for solo sections, at all. You can just use the regular fret buttons, even though you still need to strum. Also, to help ease your pain for when you do want to use the solo frets, use your strumming hand to ‘finger tap’ them instead of moving your fret hand all the way down. Since you don’t have to strum, it doesn’t matter..

we are all aware of the above, we were speaking to how ACTIVISION wants you to use them. I.E. use the one set for the notes and use the solo buttons for solos... I personally don't use the solo buttons at all, but I know some that exclusively use the solo buttons for songs.

we are all aware of the above, we were speaking to how ACTIVISION wants you to use them. I.E. use the one set for the notes and use the solo buttons for solos... I personally don't use the solo buttons at all, but I know some that exclusively use the solo buttons for songs.

my 5 year old cousin cant reach the buttons on top comfortably so she loves using the rockband guitar cause with her smaller figures and less arm span it is really comfortable and fun for her so they have some use.

Looking forward to those t-shirts coming out.

Another banging show guys, and Dave don’t give up, no matter how much stick you get, your 'take us out' are legendary

great podcast, except lono hating on home :(

I personally can't wait for home, just because its something new, and yeh id like to spend hours making my ideal virtual home, or creating my character, or visiting my mates house to see their trophies, and display mine to show off my e-peen. Going to a virtual cinema to watch trailers and so on is something different, you can go to the PSN and get them that way instead, but you have the CHOICE of doing something a little different, it won't affect your enjoyment of the trailers, but it's different from the same old download and watch scenario.

I'm not surprised Warhawk is the highest selling game, i thinks its a must have for a PS3 owners collection. And of course this list doesn't take into account the direct downloads from the PSN :D

Lono had a bit of echo near the end.
It made him sound like he was standing on top of a mountain preaching to millions of anxious gamers.
A man can have his dreams.

He is a man on top of a mountain preaching to millions of anxious gamers. Look out the window some time, dude.

He is a man on top of a mountain preaching to millions of anxious gamers. Look out the window some time, dude.

I can't. I keep it dark and isolated for when I play Bioshock at night.
And the sun... it burns...
Or Lono's light... it burns... but it feels so right.

shhhhhhh! He's talking.

great podcast, except lono hating on home :(

I personally can't wait for home, just because its something new, and yeh id like to spend hours making my ideal virtual home, or creating my character, or visiting my mates house to see their trophies, and display mine to show off my e-peen. Going to a virtual cinema to watch trailers and so on is something different, you can go to the PSN and get them that way instead, but you have the CHOICE of doing something a little different, it won't affect your enjoyment of the trailers, but it's different from the same old download and watch scenario.

I'm not surprised Warhawk is the highest selling game, i thinks its a must have for a PS3 owners collection. And of course this list doesn't take into account the direct downloads from the PSN :D

I can't wait to totally trash your place, lol

we are all aware of the above, we were speaking to how ACTIVISION wants you to use them. I.E. use the one set for the notes and use the solo buttons for solos... I personally don't use the solo buttons at all, but I know some that exclusively use the solo buttons for songs.

No wonder you have so many problems with the game, you play the ACTIVISON version :p

Kidding aside, I get where you are going and I see your point. At the same time, I think it's pretty much open to how each person wants to play it. For those that can use both, I'm really impressed, as like I said, I only use the upper neck frets and when I try to use the lower neck frets, I mess up pretty bad, except on The Monkiees song for whatever reason.

Anyway, looking forward to hump-day update and future posts by you and the many others that make Sarcastic Gamer one of my favorite sites to visit on a regular basis.:D

For the record, I never used the solo frets on the Rock Band guitar and still felt it was garbage compared to just about every other guitar I'd used... congrats if you can do fine with it, I'm willing to bet (whether you'll admit it or not) that you could play better with another guitar.

Who's responsible for the Arnold part? That was great. I literally started rolling on the floor laughing in a tram.

Ummm...is there any reason the Humpday Update isn't up yet? (Not complaining...)

For the record, I never used the solo frets on the Rock Band guitar and still felt it was garbage compared to just about every other guitar I'd used... congrats if you can do fine with it, I'm willing to bet (whether you'll admit it or not) that you could play better with another guitar.

In this case, I'll have to agree and disagree with you Rothbart. While I was waiting for my first replacement, I used my Les Paul and Xplorer a lot and it wasn't until I played the game at my nephews over the Holidays that I actually got to use the Strat for the first time, and yes, I was far better at playing Rock Band with the other controllers ... but there was a primary reason for this.

The fret buttons

Not that they stuck or didn't pop right back up, but because of the fact they stretch completely across the neck. The way I have played Guitar Hero since the original is that part of my palm would rest against the neck and this fact worked against me on the Strat, where I would on more occasions then I'd like, accidentally hit a extra fret while playing (I'd hit the blue fret with my palm while pushing the yellow button with a finger, resulting in a missed note). Because of this, I focused more on using my Xplorer (since my Les Paul has a wonky yellow button and Red Octane refused to replace the guitar) until about a week or so after I got my 4th Strat that actually works.

At first, again yes, I was better at the game using a Xplorer, but I got better and better at not resting my palm along the neck, at the same time I was getting used to how the squishy strummer allowed me to hit faster note streaks without having to strum up and down, except in certain segments of various songs. Though why I have to disagree with you is that recently I've had the opportunity to use my Xplorer a few times while someone else uses my Strat and I found that I actually do better now with the Strat then the Xplorer. Not just better, but way better. We're talking about 30-80k score differences (depending on song, of course).

While I might sound like I'm coming off saying you are wrong, I'm not trying to say that. Personal experiences will clearly vary on every game and in the end, I think everyone should use the Guitar Controller they are the most comfortable with, not just a single model if it just so happens to come with the game. So if you are better with the other controllers (Xplorer, Les Paul or third party), by all means use them as Rock Band is a amazingly fun and overly addictive game. Me on the other hand, since I do better with the Strat, I'll stick with it unless it breaks.

Who's responsible for the Arnold part? That was great. I literally started rolling on the floor laughing in a tram.

Thank you very much :D

That is the only case of an exploding PSP I have heard about is this one. Pretty shocking don't you agree. This episode is so great.

Thank you very much :D
Wow, VinDali, you should definitely appear in one of the podcast episodes as a co-host with the Arnold voice, that could be so hilarious.

Wow, VinDali, you should definitely appear in one of the podcast episodes as a co-host with the Arnold voice, that could be so hilarious.

Thank you, I appreciate that. :)
I was not sure if anyone liked them or not. You are the first to comment on one of my impressions I sent the guys. I was George "Dubya" a few episodes back too. :)

I could do Mayor Quimby, or Joe Swanson but I'm lazy.

What about Quagmire?
Alllllriiiight. Giggidy.

^ I can kinda do him but it's not great.

Giggidy Giggidy Goo.

Anyway, I just wanted to say again that I loved this episode.

Another fantastic podcast! However, I have to agree with SpudRock3t

Lono had a bit of echo near the end.

though I heard it throughout the whole show. It was minor, but somewhat distracting. Still a lot better than a regular phone connection, though.

Who's responsible for the Arnold part? That was great. I literally started rolling on the floor laughing in a tram.

I also did the Movie Preview Voice drop a couple episodes back. I forgot about that one. LOL

You guys are hilarious and aweshome! I've been listening sence Ep. 24 Keep up the good Work! Oh yeah by the way for some reson when i got home and hooked up my Zune it deleted Ep 27 and on and won't let me put them back on T.T
Can anyone help?

"Hot" Topic: Exploding PSP


Uh oh... is a little follow-up called for (http://gamerush.zoomshare.com/files/news/002532_Pelican_charger_blamed_for_PSP_burning.htm) ?

Looks like a third party charger is being blamed for the exploding battery... I wonder if that was a "licensed" accessory... this might be worth mentioning because everyone (including Sarcastic Gamer) seemed awfully quick to write this off as just another faulty battery related to Sony...

As a side note, I bought a Pelican external battery for my PSP and it died within the first 30 days (wouldn't charge) so I exchanged it at Best Buy and got a new one that smoked HORRIBLY when I plugged it in (was hot to the touch). I took it back to Best Buy and got my money back... now I assumed the issue was a faulty battery (as the Pelican battery pack used the charger that came with the PSP itself), but this is a first hand instance of having battery charging issues related to the PSP and Pelican products. I'm inclined to entertain the possibility that the charger might have been a factor...

From the article:Investigators revealed Tuesday that an after-market charging device may have played a role in a 12-year-old boy’s PSP overheating and causing second-degree burns.

Back in February 6 of this year, seventh grader Herald Clay’s PSP overheated in his pocket, causing burns to his left thigh.

The boy’s mother told reporters Tuesday that representatives from Sony and Pelican Accessories are expected to arrive in Farmington Hills, Michigan, in the coming weeks to inspect the device.

Lt. Denny Hughes of the Farmington Hills Fire Department said that the PSP was turned over to the Clays’ attorney. While investigators have yet to identify a specific cause for the device to overheat, the Pelican charging adapter, which the Clays reportedly bought after misplacing the original one, “likely played a role.”

According to Pelican’s website, the video gaming peripheral company manufactures an AC/DC 2 in 1 Charging Adapter for the PSP, and boasts that it’s “UL approved to assure you of safety and protection.”

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into the incident, but thus far, no recalls have been issued.

Sony and Pelican Accessories were not available for comment.

Uh oh... is a little follow-up called for (http://gamerush.zoomshare.com/files/news/002532_Pelican_charger_blamed_for_PSP_burning.htm) ?

Looks like a third party charger is being blamed for the exploding battery... I wonder if that was a "licensed" accessory... this might be worth mentioning because everyone (including Sarcastic Gamer) seemed awfully quick to write this off as just another faulty battery related to Sony...

As a side note, I bought a Pelican external battery for my PSP and it died within the first 30 days (wouldn't charge) so I exchanged it at Best Buy and got a new one that smoked HORRIBLY when I plugged it in (was hot to the touch). I took it back to Best Buy and got my money back... now I assumed the issue was a faulty battery (as the Pelican battery pack used the charger that came with the PSP itself), but this is a first hand instance of having battery charging issues related to the PSP and Pelican products. I'm inclined to entertain the possibility that the charger might have been a factor...

From the article:

I think I said on the podcast that it may have been a third party accessory... Dang you get a red ass way to easy at anything that even mentions Sony...