Okay, let’s be serious for just a moment. We know that the Sony PlayStation Portable is one heck of a portable gaming beast. However, it isn’t all fun and games when your $250 gaming device takes a tumble, leaving with with a shiny, black brick. Protection of the PSP is important, and some of us want something just a bit more elegant than that black sheath that the PSP ships with. Today, the question we pose is: Just how much are you willing to spend on protecting your investment? For example, the Vaja i-Volution case for the Sony PSP. Just looking at it you can tell that it will not only protect your PSP, but it will keep you stylish as well. Oh, and it had better - the thing sells for $180 USD, roughly $70 less than the cost of the PSP itself.

Is it worth it? We do know that Vaja makes some very high quality iPod cases, and wondered how they would do with the PSP. Journey with us as we take a visual tour of the Vaja i-Volution.

The box for the Vaja i-Volution PSP Case

The opening of any Vaja box is an experience. Inside is a beautifully crafted piece of work, and it seems the room fills with the aroma of fresh leather. This case is available in 29 colors, or 15 color combinations for the eccentric. For us, Vaja sent us the i-Volution decked out in Gear Live orange and gray. Can’t hate on that.

So here we have opened up an empty i-Volution case, and you can immediately feel some of the work put into this thing. The leather is soft where it needs to be, but hard on the outer shell. It will definitely absorb the shock of an average accidental PSP fall. If you notice, the inside of the upper flap has three spots where you can store extra Memory Sticks. Very handy for, say, a movie stick, a game save stick, and a homebrew stick.

As you can see, the PSP snaps right in to the i-Volution case. Doing this literally takes less than three seconds. Vaja has designed the case to be a perfect fit for the PSP. Once strapped in, I don’t see any wa of it coming out on accident. Vaja reallt hit a home run here in terms of sheer product design. In fact, in the following images, you see that the case allows you full access to each and every button and port on the PSP.

So as you can see, the i-Volution is the ultimate PSP case in terms of design and protection. It is lightweight, but firm enough to protect the PSP when in a backpack, or even if dropped a few feet. The leather looks and feels spectacular as well. This product is solid. The only downside would be price. $180 USD can get you a lot of things in terms of games and accessories. This one is for the elite - if you want to show off a little, this is the thing to get.

Manufacturer: Vaja
Product: i-Volution Case for PSP
Price: $180 USD
Ship Time: 20 Days (custom made)