PSP –
Play Station Portable
The
PlayStation Portable is the first handheld video game console to
use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary
storage medium. Other distinguishing features of the console include
its large viewing screen robust multi-media capabilities and
connectivity with the PlayStation 3, other PSPs, and the Internet. The
first concept images of the PlayStation Portable appeared in November
2000 at the Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting and showed a PSP with flat
buttons and no analog stick, although some expressed concern over the
lack of an analog joystick. These fears were allayed when the PSP was
officially unveiled at the Sony press conference during E3 2004. In
addition to announcing more details about the system and its
accessories, Sony also released a list of 99 developer companies that
had pledged support for the new handheld. Several PSP game demos, such
as Konami's
Metal Gear Acid and SCE Studio Liverpool's Wipeout Pure were also
shown at the conference.
The PSP is sold in three main configurations that differ in which
accessories are included. The basic unit package or Base Pack (called
the Core Pack in North America) contains the console, a battery, and an
AC adapter. The Value Pack includes everything in the Base Pack as
well as a 32 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo, headphones with remote control, a
carrying pouch, and a wrist strap. Sony added TV output to the PSP
Slim through Firmware update 3.60. It can output in a conventional
aspect ratio (4:3) or widescreen (16:9), and offers a screensaver if
the PSP is inactive for a set amount of time. It is able to output
games, videos, and other media. To achieve TV output on the slim model,
Composite, S-Video, Component and D-Terminal cables are sold separately
by Sony.
The PSP Go was revealed on May 30, 2009 The PSP Go features Bluetooth
functionality, a smaller 3.8 inch screen and weighs 43% less than the
original PSP. Instead of the UMD drive as found on previous models, the
PSP Go has 16 GB of internal flash memory and a Memory Stick Micro port
that accepts cards up to 16 GB as opposed to Memory Stick
Duo. Currently, the
PSP Go has a max memory of 32 GB, but the M2 memory can be
increased in firmware updates. Games must be downloaded from the
PlayStation Store. The sliding mechanism on the screen hides the main
face buttons and the analog 'nub' when not in use. With the release of
the PSP Go, all future PSP games will also receive a PlayStation Store
release, whereas only a handful of games were available before
