As the name implies, Nyko's newest PSP accessory is a grip attachment that attaches to the PSP and provides up to an additional 5 hours of battery life. The rechargeable batteries are hidden away in the two hand grips. The unit is molded from black-matte plastic, and can collapse to some degree when not in use. The internal batteries are charged via the PSP's own AC adapter, and both the Charger Grip and PSP can be charged at the same time.
Installation is as simple as fully opening the Charger Grip, snapping in the PSP, and then connecting a short power wire. While the Charger Grip adds a considerable degree of bulk to the PSP when attached, it also makes playing with the PSP for longer periods of time far more comfortable. Perhaps it's mainly because I have largish hands, but I've always been pained trying to play a PSP for more than 30 mins due to the fact that it's so thin. The Charger Grip handles completely solve the comfort problem. The only real ergonomic issue caused by the Charger Grip is the fact that the PSP's shoulder buttons feel a little out of place (compared to a DualShock or Xbox 360 pad we're all used to) because of the added thickness of the Charger Grip. There really isn't any conceivable solution to this problem, and it's hardly something worth complaining about.
In our tests, we were able to extract a solid 4 to 4.5 hours of extra play time from the Charger Grip under normal gameplay settings of a bright screen and medium volume. UMD playback draws far more power and thus resulted in shorter batter life overall. The Charger Grip does not position the PSP in a manner that makes it easy to prop up for movie-watching, which makes it much more of a gaming-focused battery extender than most competitors.
Conclusion
We were big fans of Nyko's Charger Grip for the PSP. The handle prongs make the PSP massively more comfortable to play for hours on end, and the extra battery life will let you do so. While a little bulky, the Charger Grip does fold down to a fair degree, and is certainly backpack-able. Priced at $29.99, it is also relatively cheap compared to other battery-extension accessories for the PSP. Any gaming-focused PSP fan with a solid commute, flight, or car trip should defiantly check one out, as it makes the PSP experience far more pleasurable.