Advice for a Newbie to the PSP?

We've all been newbs before (and I'm still a relative newb as I type this) and so I was wondering...



For those of you who have been around the proverbial block in regards to owning and using a PSP - for gaming, multimedia, whatever - I was wondering what sorts of practical advice you'd give to a newbie.



Are there any bits of advice or tips or hints or 'OMFG Don't Forget About This!' moments that you wish you had known when you were a new owner?



Are there things that you see newbies or even non-newbies do that make you go 'Oh no, not AGAIN!'? (And no, posting multiple topic threads on the same topic doesn't count. ;))



Basically, if you have some knowledge you'd like to share that you think would be useful for newbies (and even non-newbies alike), please do.



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Even though I'm still pretty new to it all, I'll post something:



[b]Please be careful when buying Memory Sticks off of eBay and Amazon![/b] You'll never know when you might be buying a Sony produce only to later realize that it's a knock-off and either won't work properly with your unit or will corrupt your data.Advice for a Newbie to the PSP?
Something I would have liked to be told earlier was to not leave the psp on standby for long periods of time. It is not good for the battery. Best to save and then turn it off completely.Advice for a Newbie to the PSP?
-Remember too turn off your psp..i have a habit of leaving my psp on after playing a game and when i come back to take my psp with me the battery is all gone..

-Never put your psp in ur pocket while doing other activites i have done this many times one time in 2006 i was skateboarding i tripped and landed on my psp and it broked...
Back up your saves and PSN video purchases. Saves aren't replacable, and PSN video downloads can only be done so just once. You'll thank me for this later.Oh, and to do that, just [URL=http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/mediago/default_enu.asp?page=download]download Media Go[/URL], connect the PSP to your computer via USB, and you should know what to do from there.
create a playstation network account
BACK UP YOUR SAVES AND PURCHASES WITH MEDIA GO!!!Save yourself the anguish i have already felt at a corrupt file!:D
Save up some money and get a 4-16gb memory stick.The internet browser for PSP can load pictures (remember this one, it's really important lol).If you intend to listen to podcasts on your PSP, remember to save them to your PSP, live streaming doesn't work very well on the PSP.Oh, and remember, the WLAN switch is physically ON the PSP, it's not a feature accessed inside of it (that took me about 1-3 weeks to figure out hahaha).
Read reviews and keep buying games for your PSP. Many dudes dont know what is going with the PSP because they never check up with PSP news and then they come with silly arguments like ''there aint no games for the PSP''. Keep your PSP gaming alive, that is my practical advise.
Thanks for all of the advice and tips everyone! :D If anyone has further advice, this thread is all ears! :)



Personally, I took the backing up advice to heart and last night, backed up all my gave saves.



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For myself, with all the functionality that's in the PSP, there were a lot of features that I didn't discover until after I had poked around it for a bit. The physical location of the WLAN (conveniently covered up when my PSP is in its case), the 'hold' functionality, the two different ways to adjust sound settings, etc.



More advice:



Make sure you read up on associating and disassociating your PSP with your PSN account and figure out the process you need to go through if you want to change PSPs and switch your PSN account over to the new one.



I'm still not too sure on that one myself. :?
[QUOTE=''digimonkey12'']Read reviews and keep buying games for your PSP. Many dudes dont know what is going with the PSP because they never check up with PSP news and then they come with silly arguments like ''there aint no games for the PSP''. Keep your PSP gaming alive, that is my practical advise.[/QUOTE]



I'm a newish PSP owner and I've collected a few old gems in addition to some new games at my local game store and it definitely helps keep my PSP gaming going. If something new isn't catching my fancy, then there's some older stuff to poke around with, too. :)



Don't be afraid to buy from the bargain bin now and again! Sometimes you can find a few goodies and don't be afraid to ask for game recs and make sure you make use of the demos available to you!
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In addition to buying new games like Army of two ( because I loved the demo ) I just bought Wipeout and Secret Agent Clank for $9.50 / 6.50 Euro each. I love the bargain bin ;).
The PSP's gaming library is small, and has very few excellent games. Never leave the headphones in the headphone jack, and put them in a bag or your pocket. The headphone jack can get knocked out of place.
1 my first tip is dont buy the digital games from the PSN that are available on umd. They are WAY too expensive. You can find used Psp games on UMD for much cheaper! (if u dont have a pspGo of course). and not to mention, u can let friends borrow or sell umd games, but not digital downloads.2 another word of advice, is dont expect much online-multiplayer. Most psp games are 1 player or just local multiplayer. I personally dont have any friends that have a psp, so i've never played multiplayer on it. 3 get a good screen protector and case asap. you'll be surprised how fast your psp will get scratches, smudges, etc if you dont have a way to keep it clean and safe4 internet browsing is ok, but nothing special5. get a big (like at least 8gb) memory stick. doesnt have to be sony, doesnt have to be new.6. get media go for your pc. download game demos, themes, videos etc, from the psn on there. then transfer what you need over to your psp.7. get a 2nd account on the psn in a different region(s). you'd be surprised at the number of games that arent on all regions of the psn. sometimes i get demos from the UK store that arent on the US store. (if u need instrutions on how to use both accounts message me, its not too hard)
hope that helps! enjoy!
Concerning the UMD games- be careful when taking it out of the game package since it may crack the plastic case surronding the disc because of those clingy hooks. I recently bought Daxter at gamestop, was taking it out of the package when all of a sudden the plastic on my umd sick cracked. Sony really should've made a better choice in designing thier game cases.....