The iTrip PSP is an FM transmitter for the PSP that enables the user to broadcast audio from the PSP to any FM receiver within around 10 to 30 feet. It is manufactured by Griffin Technologies who are responsible for a number of good quality accessories for iPods including the iPod iTrip.

The iTrip PSP has a sleek design. It is light-weight and slots directly onto the bottom of the PSP, locking into the headphone and power jacks. Once connected, it adds a little over 1cm to the height of the PSP without compromising depth. The design is matched to the PSP, with a glossy black finish and buttons that resemble the official PSP buttons. I was still able to play the PSP without any major issues.

There are three buttons on the left, which can store preset FM stations. In the centre the iTrip sports a LCD display to show the FM frequency it is currently tuned on. To the left it has two smaller LCDs to indicate whether the iTrip is in Stereo (LX) or Monoaural (DX) mode. The remaining three buttons control the FM tuning and selection of DX/LX.

The iTrip PSP requires 2 AAA batteries which are included in the box which is very handy.

The iTrip PSP also comes with a cover that looks similar to the PSP sleeve that accounts for the additional height of the iTrip. This is handy if you want the PSP to be stashed in the glove box or on the backseat while driving (although means you can’t change songs easily!).

After some thorough testing, I can state that the iTrip PSP actually performs very well.

I first tried it indoors with my home stereo. I left the iTrip on the default station of 87.9 then quickly scanned my tuner for the corresponding station and it was all systems go.
There is a real novelty of being able to play your PSP with full Dolby pro-logic surround sound complete with thundering bass!

Next I tried it out in the car. I set the FM receiver to 87.9 and almost instantly I was listening to MP3s, movies and games on the move.

The range of the iTrip is good. It does get slightly fuzzy after moving out of 10 feet range and the further you move away the fuzzier it gets. Occasionally it might fuzz up within this range if there are obstacles in the way or if the PSP moves suddenly.

I did find that Stereo (LX) mode seems to be more prone to interference and sometimes has a faint buzz when using it in my car. I had the PSP up the front with me and my aerial is on the back of the car. When the PSP was moved closer to the back the signal became crystal clear. However after switching to Monoaural (DX) the signal was much stronger and less prone to interference and obstacles. Obviously we would all prefer stereo but if there are issues you can always fall back to crystal clear mono. If you’re listening to podcasts or audio books this won’t be too much of a problem either. I also noticed that a high pitched buzz is present when I attached the car charger to the power connector on the iTrip when in Stereo mode. A have used it on a couple of short (15 min) trips and it works fine.

If you don’t have an in car entertainment system (or simply want to amplify the PSP on any FM capable stereo system!), this accessory will do the trick at a fraction of the cost. The iTrip performs well and what’s more it looks more like an official Sony accessory (provided you have a black PSP). The PSP iTrip will set you back around $80 in Australia. This around the cost of a new release game. It is on the pricey side but the iTrip actually works well which is more than can be said from some of the FM tuners released previously!