Being one of our favorite accessory companies, when we received a Sony PSP to review with, we knew we had to contact Vaja to check out their Leather PSP Case. A few weeks later and we were able to check out the Vaja I-Volution for the Sony PSP.

For the last few weeks/months I have been looking at all the cases for the PSP and trying to find that one case that works well and still lets you play your PSP comfortably. There have been some good choices out there, but all have let me down in one area or another (either fit, protection, or usability). I have also tried the famed Logitech Play Gear Pocket (PGP), but that was way to big in my mind and was not the greatest case there could be. So this brings me to the Vaja I-Volution. I have loved everyone of Vaja's Cases in the past (truthfully they are unbelievable) and the only let down has been the sometimes quite high price, so without further delay, lets take a look at the I-Volution for the PSP.

Coming in one of Vaja's Signature boxes, the presentation is quite pleasing and makes you feel like you bought a very well made and expensive case (which as you will see later you did). Inside the Box you will find:

• Vaja I-Volution PSP Case
• Vaja Stickers
• Small Catalog of some of their other products/colors

Everything you get is very well designed and looks very nice (a very smooth, finished look).

Once you have gotten the case out, you are first struck with the amazing quality of the leather. It is very soft, yet durable and feels just like genuine A grade leather should. Our case was Caterina Dark Blue for the inside areas and Caterina Ruby Wine for the outside areas. You can customize the case with any two colors you like, or you can also choose to have the case all one color. The best way in my mind to check out the colors is www.VajaChoice.com. On this site you can choose the colors and in real time it will give you a preview of what the case will look like. Do note that there is a bit of color difference from what is on screen due to variations in the leather.

I am not a huge fan of Wine (Red), but I was quite pleased with the look of this case. The Wine Color looked very professional and had a sleek look to it that I really enjoyed. Since it is handmade, the leather also has its own character that you can see in the grain. As a whole the case is very simplistic looking from the outside and the only branding you see is the small metal Vaja logo on the front right side.

Putting your PSP in the case is very simple. First you will want to flip open the case. Next, unsnap the two snaps that are on the back of the case and flip the frame open. Finally place your PSP into the case, put the frame back over it, and snap the two snaps.

The way the frame works to hold your PSP in means that it is pretty much impossible for the PSP to fall out of the case as it is held on all edges and snapped in by the two rear snaps. So this looks like a good method, but what about the fit? Well I can say like all other Vaja cases, the fit is absolutely amazing. Being handmade, the frame hugs all the edges of the front of the PSP, and the back portion of the case fits all the curves and contours of the PSP perfectly. I have no idea how they get it so perfect, but the I-Volution fits like a mold for the PSP.

Really the case is a clamshell type case that has a top part that folds around to cover the bottom (that holds the PSP). The clamshell stays closed by a small magnet strip and the fact that the top goes over the bottom a small ways. For opening, the bottom of the clamshell has a small tab part (as seen on in the picture below (center of bottom of PSP)) that makes it easy to pop the case open.

Accessing all the functions on the PSP is very simple in the I-Volution thanks to the fact that the frame does not cover the sides of the PSP. This means that you can easily access the power switch, wifi switch, headphone jack, power jack, and everything else on the PSP. There also are two small cutouts for the speakers on the bottom of the PSP. On the back of the case, there is a cutout so that the memory stick slot can still be opened. Inside on the lid you will also find three slots to store 3 Memory Stick Duo memory cards. This is great if you have multiple memory cards that you want to bring along with you (say for music or movies).

As for the UMD Slot, that is where this case really performs. Unlike most cases that require you to take the PSP out of the case to get to the UMD slot, the I-Volution's flip cover is attached about half way down the UMD slot area in the middle of the back so that you can flip the case open and get access to the UMD slot. It does not obstruct opening the UMD slot or make it any harder at all to insert and change movies/games. Because of the fact that all the functions are accessible and you can even get to the UMD slot, once you have your PSP in this case, you really never need to remove it from the case (except if you need to change the battery).

Now for the part of the review that you have probably been waiting for...using the case while playing a game. This is where a lot of cases come into problems as they either obstruct the mobility of one of the buttons (usually the Thumb Stick) (Many Silicone Cases) or they are just bulky and annoying to play with (For me the Logitech PGP). When you want to play with the I-Volution, you simple flip open the lid and then the lid can either hang behind or below the case (depending on how far you let it drop down). The lid does add a bit of bulk, but surprisingly little weight is added by the lid thanks to it being leather. As far as accessing the buttons, I was able to retain full mobility of the Thumb Stick and all the other buttons, along with the shoulder buttons (L and R) both being just as easy to access. The frame that is used to hold the PSP in the case is very thin in profile, plus it stays towards the edges of the PSP so you do not feel like the frame is in the way. On the back of the PSP the case is still curved a bit so it still is very easy to hold in your hands. In fact, since I have bigger hands, I felt it was easier to play with the PSP in the case as it added a small amount of thickness to the PSP.

As far as protection is concerned with this case, I feel that it does a very good job of protecting your precious PSP. The leather has a bit of padding to it so it helps to protect from bumps and *gasp* falls (but I would say the PGP or a Metal Case would probably provide more protection from falls). Since the lid comes down over the sides of the PSP, all the cutouts and buttons are well protected when the case is closed and the only weak point is really the Memory Stick port. This area is left open as it needs to be cutout to allow access to the Memory Stick port (since it pops open backwards).

So this is one amazing case, you probably have figured that out by now, but there is one more trick that this case can pull out of its sleek leather shell. You may have noticed in the first picture of the front of the case the leather that is popped up a bit to make a groove.

This was note made to be just a bit of design interest, this was actually put there to serve a very neat purpose. When you open the case and fold the cover under the PSP part of the case, this groove can hold the PSP part of the case like a stand. This may have you very confused as it is a bit hard to explain, so here are a few pictures to show how it works.

Is what it does is turn the case into a stand for watching movies, say on the plane, without having to hold the PSP! The stand is surprisingly sturdy as well and it does not just flop back on itself thanks to the groove that it sits in. So as you can see, that small groove does provide a very neat function for this case.

For most people the main thing that is going to keep them away from this case is the price. I can honestly say that it does seem like a ton of money in my mind. I am not saying that the case is not worth it (as it is a large chunk of A grade leather), but the $180 price tag is almost as much as the PSP itself. With that being said it is not the case to give your 12 year old to use with their PSP and thus it takes a special person to buy it. But with many people in their 20s and 30s buying PSPs, I can see that this would be a great case to buy.

In conclusion I feel this is the best case for the PSP that I have seen so far and that is why this case is also being awarded the TechIslands Platinum Award. I am a lover of leather cases (I am not much of a fan for metal/hard cases) and Vaja is really the king of leather cases. You may think that I have some kind of deal with Vaja since I always give their cases very good ratings, but the truth is that I have absolutely no reason that I have to give them a good review other than their products being so wonderful. They are pricey, but the handcrafted quality and the amazing fit of all the Vaja cases I have used makes them usually clear winners and that is why most of the time they win our TechIslands Platinum Award (which I do not give out very often and is a clear sign that the product is a clear winner). Vaja does not make cases for a lot of different devices, but when they do make a case for a device you can expect it to be absolutely amazing!

Pros:

• Great Fit
• Awesome Leather Quality
• Switch UMDs and Access all functions without removing PSP from the case
• Doubles as a stand
• Great selection of colors

Cons:

• Most expensive PSP case I have seen
• Long wait (around 20-30 days) for manufacture

Thanks to Vaja for the Review Sample!