The PlayStation Portable
Written By: Andrew Joy

The world of gaming is in no way a stranger to the competitive nature of the major gaming companies, especially when it comes to consoles.  Since consoles really hit their peak, it seems each developer has been striving to get their own out the door and into the world.  Some survive, some don’t, but each adds something new to the gaming world in one way or another.  However, in a separate war outside the announcements of the new Nintendo and the PS3 and Xbox 2, one company has taken an unusually daring step. That company is Sony.  In a territory predominately reigned over by Nintendo, Sony has decided to step in as one of the few to try and compete with Nintendo’s handheld market.  Whether or not they make it is a question to which only time holds the answer, but it looks like Sony is doing everything in their power to influence it towards their favor.

Introduced by the man many PlayStation gamers call “father,” Ken Kutaragi, love him or hate him, continues his lineage.  Only, this time, his lineage can fit in the palm of your hand.  Christened the PSP by its developers, the PlayStation Portable is perhaps the next step in the growing market of portable gaming.  The PSP has thrown out the old ways, cartridge gaming that is, and taken its handheld gaming realm into the world of CDs.  The CDs to be used for the PSP are known as Universal Media Disc.  These large-capacity discs are roughly half the size of a DVD and boast a storage capacity three times that of a normal CD-ROM.  Hosting a 32-bit processor and capable 3D hardware, the PSP looks set to far exceed the graphics of Nintendo’s coveted Game Boy Advance.  And, perhaps to further bury Nintendo’s miniature cash cow, Sony has apparently loaded its new baby with enough gadgets to make the GBA SP’s versatility seem as useful as clear wrapping paper.

Along with some if it’s new features, the new PSP is supposed to also have some of the GBA’s features.  And, while some may say they are a little late to catch the novelty, the PSP emulates the GBA in the ways that really count.  The PSP is said to start out with the backlit LCD screen that Nintendo for so long would only offer in revamped versions of their mainstream handheld systems.  And, another desirable but long overlooked feature to join the PSP’s release features, the PSP will come with a built-in rechargeable battery.  And the PSP is also said to have some connectivity with the PS2 and even your PC, among many other items.  However, with the PS3’s future so far away, there was no word on connectivity in that direction.

As for some of its more original features, the PSP is also said to have a special port allowing gamers to save information to their PlayStation memory sticks.  The system is also boasting the ability to use 3D polygons and 3D curved surfaces to generate quality images.  And, coupled with its apparently impressive and noteworthy sound system, the PSP is thought to have no problem being able to play full-length movies with quality in league with DVDs.

With little more than a list of its proposed specifications, the PSP is nevertheless sounding quite impressive thus far.  While no price point was officially announced, the PSP is expected to be released by the end of 2004.

Posted: 6-17-03