Introduction:
Nintendo's domination of the handheld market seems to be very well-guarded. Many competitors, including once-gigantic Sega, failed to touch the GameBoy in terms of sales. Nintendo today controls more than 90% of the handheld gaming market, to show its dominance. But the newest contender, the PlayStation Portable, seems to be able to turn that around, or at least show stiffer competition. The PSP, as it's more widely known, is Sony's first ever foray into the handheld market. In this unbiased article, we will try to detail the PSP's features, and include a FAQ for your question. If you have any enqiry about the PSP, be sure to use the "Contact Us" page to email us, and we'll try to reply as soon as possible.
Overview:
The PSP has been on the market for quite some time now. The PSP lets you enjoy games, music, films and photos - all compacted in a neat hand held device. The PSP personal portable entertainment system offers an unprecedented degree of entertainment freedom, ranging from the multiple UMD movies, the biggest ever launch titles for a gaming device, the ability to play mp3s or atrac3plus files from the memory stick, and viewing high quality photos over the PSP’s amazing widescreen display.
Using the newly designed Universal Media Discs (UMDs), the portability of information is also improved. Measuring only 60mm in diameter, the UMD is a newly developed compact high-capacity optical disc, which is the storage medium exclusive to the PSP system, The disc has the ability to store up to 1.8 gigabytes of data, more than three times that of a standard CD-ROM, and it can hold a broad range of digital entertainment which includes games, movies and music videos.
From the 2 main uses of the PSP, the effort Sony has put into the launch, gives the PSP a firm potential for the future, boasting the biggest launch titles ever seen for a single gaming device, and all target markets focused upon, and sporting a 4:3 inch high resolution widescreen, which when watching movies, will never be the same. Big name movie houses will be releasing fully featured UMD videos allowing you to watch movies whenever and wherever you are. Not to mention the PSP exclusive titles planned, like FF7 Advent Children.
Though the PSP is already whole and fulfilling, Sony has added an ‘expansion bay’ or more commonly known as a memory slot. The Memory Stick Duo is an essential peripheral to accompany the PSP, allowing you to store game data, photos, videos, music and common fils for playback in your PSP. Memory Stick Duo is available in a variety of different storage sizes from 128mb to 2gb. Sony recommends the Sony Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro Duo for quality and reliability.
Due to the potential behind the PSP, many third party products are coming to surface. Through the many unofficial products, Logitech has announced their PLAYGEAR accessories for the PSP, including production lines of speakers, cases and many other minor peripherals.
GameBrite :: Feature :: Sony PSP Overview :: Page 3
The System:
The numbered explanations below are accompanying the image above:
1- The Screen: Simply beautiful. A most splendid widescreen display, with different levels of brightness. It's so bright you'll have to use the lowest brightness level in a dark place.
2- Shoulder Buttons: Normal shoulder buttons, used mainly in games. They're functional, if not anything else.
3- Analog Stick: In my opinion, the worst part of the PSP is its teensy analog stick. It's a pain to use, sometimes slipping and sometimes being too small to find (while quickly changing controls).
4- Speaker: A mono speaker that is able to pump some real volume. It sometimes sounds too thin, so headphones are recommended.
5- Miscallaneous buttons: Self Explanatory. Select, Start, Vol +, Vol -, Home.
6- Control Buttons: PlayStation standards, they work as well as their bigger brothers. People used to the PS or PS2 controller will be right at home.
7- Power/Hold Buttons: Also self-explanatory.
8- D-Pad: No handheld would be complete without a D-Pad. It's quite good too, even though it will probably be a pain to use after more than 2 hours of play.
FAQ:
Q: Will I get a Memory Stick with my Standard Pack?
A: Nope, a Memory Stick (32 megs) is only included with the Value Pack.
Q: Will my Memory Stick Duo from my Sony Cam/PS2/Cellphone/.... be compatible with my new PSP?
A: Yes, they're absolutely interchangeable.
Q: What is the standard PSP battery life?
A: Standard for gaming is 3-5 hours depending on different settings, for MP3 playing is 10 hours.
Q: Does the screen crack quite easily?
A: As there is no real protection around the screen, we expect it to crack quite easily.
Q: How much does the Standard/Value Pack cost?
A: The Value Pack will cost you around $250, while the Giga Pack will set you around $300.
Q: How many MP3's will my 32-meg Memory Stick fit?
A: Depending on song size, it will probably fit around 7 songs.
Q: Will I be able to browse the interwebs using my brand-new PSP?
A: Yes, if you've got the newest firmware (v2.0). If not, you'll have to update the firmware by connecting your PSP to your PSP and downloading the latest firmware from Sony's website.
Q: Can I play games from any region?
A: Almost. Most PSP games will come unlocked, but publishers can still lock their games up.
Q: What is included in my Value Pack?
A: A PSP, an AC Adapter, a battery pack, Headphones, Remote Control, 32-meg memory stick, a wriststrap, carry case, screen-wiping cloth, and a UMD preview disc.
Q: What about my Giga Pack?
A: A PSP, 1 GB Memory Stick Duo, Headphones with remote control, Battery pack, AC adaptor, Soft case, USB Cable, and a Verticle stand.
Q: Will companies release UMD movies/music?
A: Many of them are planning to, Yes.
Q: How does my PSP go online?
A: You'll have to use WLAN (Wireless LAN) mode while using a Wireless AP (Access Point).
Q: Will GameBrite send me a free PSP if I send them an email (GIMME GIMME GAMEBRITE PSP FREE PLOX)?
A: GEDDAWAY NUB.
Conclusion:
The PSP is looking as one of the most promising next-generation handhelds, due to its function as an organizer, media player, picture viewer, and of course, a game system. It's currently facing a lack of games, which we hope would be solved in time.
By Crayons
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