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Sony PlayStation Portable

Date: 2005-03-24 | Author: Björn Endre
Company: Sony

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Introduction
 
One company has held the portable console market in an iron grip for a lot of years. Of course I am talking about Nintendo. True, other competitors have briefly popped up but over time Nintendo has dominated the market with its GameBoy portables. I’m pretty sure Nintendo didn’t expect this to change for a long time so it must have come as a surprise when Sony announced that they would enter the handheld market with their PlayStation Portable.
 
While Nintendo has dominated the handheld market Sony has dominated the stationary console market with the PS2. I’m not sure why they have decided to release a portable console but maybe they feel the pressure for the next generation of consoles and want to diversify or they just felt it was a good time to enter the market. Whatever the reason Sony is one of the few companies that has enough behind them to take on Nintendo.
 
When the Sony PSP was released in Japan December 2004 I promptly imported one (and paid through the nose for it) and this review is based on 3 months of gaming on this unit. The US version will be the same, possibly without some of the smaller glitches that the Japanese PSP has.
 
The Specifications
 
The Sony PSP is a beast. Forget about having to accept limited graphic-capabilities or mono sound.
 

Color

Black

Product Code

PSP-1001K

Dimensions

Approximately 6.7 in (W) x 2.9 in (H) x .9 in (D)

Weight

Approximately 280g / .62 lbs (including battery)

CPU

PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1 - 333MHz)

Main Memory

32MB

Embeded DRAM

4MB

Display

4.3 inch, 16:9 Wide screen TFT LCD
480 x 272 pixel, 16.77 million colors
Maximum luminance 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using battery pack)
Maximum luminance 200 / 180 / 130 / 80cd/m2 (when using AC adaptor)

Sound

Built-in stereo speakers

Main Input/
Output

IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi)
USB 2.0 (mini-B)
Memory Stick Duo™
Infrared Port

Disc Drive

UMD Drive (Read only)

Main Connectors

Memory Stick Duo™ Slot
USB connector
DC IN 5V connector
Headset connector

Keys/Switches

Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Analog Stick
Enter keys (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Left, Right shoulder buttons x 1
START button, SELECT button, HOME button x 1
POWER/HOLD switch x 1
Display button, Sound button, Volume +/- buttons x 1
Wireless LAN switch (ON/OFF) x 1
OPEN latch (UMD) x 1

Power

Lithium-ion Battery
AC Adaptor

Profile

PSP Game
UMD Audio (profile name TBD)
UMD Video (profile name TBD)

Codec

[Video]: "UMD": H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile Level3
[Video]: "Memory Stick": MPEG-4 SP,AAC
[Music]: "UMD": linear PCM,ATRAC3plus™
[Music]: "Memory Stick": ATRAC3plus™,MP3(MPEG1/2 Layer3)

Security

(Encryption) 128bit AES (Copyright protection technology) MagicGate™

Access control

Region, Parental Control

Wireless
communications
IEEE802.11b

Infrastructure mode
Ad hoc mode (connection up to 16 consoles)

PSP Value Pack
supplied
accessories

AC adaptor
Battery pack
Memory Stick Duo (32 MB)
Headphone with remote control
Soft case and cloth
UMD In-pack Sampler

 
There are a few things that stand out when you hold a PSP in your hand:
 
The screen
My recent portable gaming has been on GBA and GBA SP’s as well as on some mobile phones. The screens of these devices pale in comparison to the screen on the PSP. The screen is huge and has vibrant colors. It has several levels of brightness and even at the lowest brightness setting it is far better than anything I’ve seen.
 
Large screen of image
Look at this huge screen!
 
The looks
 
This is how a console should look in 2005. It doesn’t look like a toy, more of an accessory that my wife would buy. The machine has a black shiny finish with a metal strip going around the PSP on the side. Just look at these images.
 

View a small movie of the PSP
 
The controls
 
Sony chooses to go a more traditional way that Nintendo and its DS. You will quickly feel at home with the controls of the PSP. Sony however has added a cool feature: the analog disc.
 

That little round knob is the analog disc
 
Feeling a lot like the analog stick on the Dual Shock controller from the PS2 and works similar. It isn’t a stick though and barely rises above the surface.
 
 

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