Plug In, Power Up
The AC Adapter by Sony is one of those products that’s very straight-forward. It has a simple name, a simple function, and it does exactly that function and nothing else. This also isn’t the first product of it’s kind for the PS3, PSP, or their accessories. In fact, Nyko released a similar AC-to-USB charger a couple of years ago.
That said, Sony’s product is basically the official or first party version of the same thing. For about $24, you get: the AC Adapter, a removable 6′ electrical cord that goes from the adapter to an AC outlet, and a single, approximately 5′ in length, USB cable that converts from standard USB to mini-USB (where the standard USB side plugs into the adapter, and the mini side goes to your device). Even though the AC Adapter does have two USB slots, Sony provides only one USB cable; which given the proliferation of these USB cables it doesn’t seem quite fair to knock them too hard for it, but just be aware of that if you’re planning on charging a couple of devices.
Of course, installation or use I should say, couldn’t be simpler. These components will look very familiar to any PSP owner as well. Once you have everything plugged up, your device will indicate it’s charging as it normally does (flashing lights on the PS3 controller, and single flashing circular light on the Sony Bluetooth headset, etc); no surprises here.
Now earlier I mentioned Nyko developed a similar product about two years ago. Checking out the specs on these devices, they’re very similar, but with a couple of differences. I don’t think these differences make any difference in how quickly they can recharge attached devices, but I haven’t done exhaustive testing to confirm this. The primary difference I am referring to is in the printed Output specs; for the Sony, output is listed as 5V, 500mA. For the Nyko, Output is listed as 5V, 800mA. The Nyko’s Input is also stated as 100V-240V, 50/60Hz, .5A instead of Sony’s .15A. Not knowing a great deal about the details of electrical systems, I’m not sure if Nyko’s device basically draws and uses a bit more juice to possibly speed up charge times or if somehow they’re transferring ‘too much’ power to attached devices; I find the latter very unlikely given the quality products Nyko releases for a variety of platforms.
Conclusion
This isn’t a particularly long of involved review because frankly, the Sony AC Adapter isn’t a terribly exciting or interesting accessory. That’s not to say it doesn’t serve a very useful purpose and that it doesn’t do that it’s sole function well though, it just isn’t a complicated product, which I’m honestly pleased that Sony kept this device straight-forward and didn’t both making it anything more than it needed to be.
Ultimately, the Sony AC Adapter fills a gap that many Sony product owners have by providing them a convenient way to charge up their accessories and PSP. It’s not the first product of its kind, but it is now the most widely available and it’s an official, first party product which does make it more enticing than the similarly priced alternatives.