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PlayStation Portable

File:Sony PSP Logo.svg
File:Psp1.jpg
Manufacturer	Sony
Type	Handheld game console
Generation	Seventh generation era
Lifespan	December 12, 2004 March 24, 2005 May 2, 2005 September 1, 2005 September 1, 2005
Units sold	22.94 million units shipped
Media	UMD
CPU	MIPS R4000-based; clocked from 1 to 333 MHz
Storage	Memory Stick PRO Duo
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11b), IrDA
Online services	Infrastructure and Ad-hoc
Best-selling game	Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated as PSP) is a handheld game console released and manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. The PlayStation Portable was first announced during E³ 2003 and was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E³ 2004. It was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, the United States and Canada on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005.

The PlayStation Portable offers the ability to play video games, watch videos, listen to music, upload and view photos, as well as Internet browsing functionality.

Variations and accessories

The PlayStation Portable is available as part of the Value Pack or Core Pack, and in most territories it is also available as part of a Giga Pack and an Entertainment Pack. In Japan a base unit package or Core Pack was available at launch and was later released in North America and Europe. The Core Pack contains the console, a battery, and an AC adapter. The Core Pack retails for USD $199, CDN $229.99, EUR €199, AUD $329 and GBP £149.99. The Value Pack contains everything the core does, as well as a 32 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo, earphones with remote control, a slip-case, a wrist strap, and a Sampler Disc (in some territories). The Value Pack retails for USD $249.99, CDN $229.99, GBP £179.99, JPY ¥26,040, SGD $455.00, EUR €209, AUD $399.00 and NZD $398.00. In some areas, the Value Pack has been superseded by the Entertainment Pack, which also contains a copy of ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, the UMD movie Lords of Dogtown, and a 1 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo in place of the 32 MB one offered in the Value Pack. The Giga Pack is similar to the value pack, except the Memory Stick Pro Duo is upped to 1 GB, and includes a USB Cable and stand. The Giga Pack retails for JPY ¥29,800, USD $299, CDN $349, and GBP £214. The Giga Pack is still available in all territories except North America, as the deal was based on a special offer that ended after the 2005 holiday season. Various other packages also exist.

Playstation Portable is currently available in three colors: black, white, and pink. The white variation is available in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and Europe, while the pink variation is exclusively available in Europe. Silver and metallic blue variations are set to release on 14 December and 21 December respectively in Japan exclusively.

Optional accessories offered by Sony include the PlayStation Portable headset, carrying case, extended-life 2200 mAh battery, headphones with remote control, battery charger, car adapter, accessories pouch and cleaning cloth, AC adapter, and system pouch and wrist strap.

Features

Games

Controls

Despite its movie and music playback capabilities, the PlayStation Portable has primarily gaming-oriented controls (as opposed to the controls typical to television remotes or MP3 players): two shoulder buttons, the PlayStation face buttons (triangle, circle, cross, square), start and select buttons, a digital 4-directional pad, and an analog stick. There is also a row of secondary controls along the underside of the screen, for controlling volume, music settings (either switching the audio off and on in games or selecting different equalizer presets), screen brightness, and accessing the system's main menu.

The PlayStation Portable's analog stick, often referred to as the analog "nub", is a circular disc which slides rather than tilts. The PlayStation Portable's analog stick can also be easily removed and replaced with a third party stick.

Demos

Demos for commercial Playstation Portable games can be downloaded and booted directly from the Memory Stick Duo. Demos are also sometimes issued in UMD format mailed out to Playstation Underground members or packed with Official Playstation Magazine.

Greatest Hits titles

During E3 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that the Greatest Hits range of budget titles were to be extended to the PSP system. On July 25, 2006, Sony CEA released the first batch of Greatest Hits titles. The PSP Greatest Hits lineup consist of games that have sold 250,000 copies or more and have been out for 9 months. Every PSP game in this lineup will retail for $19.99 each.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced at around the same time the availability of a number of titles under the Platinum range for €24.99 each in the Eurozone and £19.99 in the UK.

Multimedia and codecs

Because the PSP reads to a PC as a plain memory stick, a cottage industry has grown around offering useful tools for converting and copying files for use on the PlayStation Portable. Some popular alternatives include Media Boss, PlayStation Portable Movie Creator, PlayStation Portable Video Express, Xcopy9, PSPWare, iPlayStation Portable, PlayStation Portable Media Studio, PlayStation Portable Video 9, 3GP Converter, and PlayStation Portable Multimedia Extender. Such applications simplify the task of converting and transferring files to and from the PlayStation Portable's Memory Stick. Additionally, some FOSS programs, such as FFmpeg can be used to convert video into a properly sized and formatted PlayStation Portable video file. Using these tools, nearly any digital video file (including movie files ripped from DVDs or digital video recorders like the TiVo) can be played on a PlayStation Portable, after conversion to AVC.

Video capture hardware

Alongside the numerous software applications devoted to PlayStation Portable video, there have been hardware devices specifically designed for various PlayStation Portable-centric applications. For example, the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 is an MPEG-4 video recorder specifically designed to put analog video, from standard A/V connections, into a format recognizable by the PlayStation Portable. Rather than simply convert the video file and leave it to the user to transfer the file properly, it records directly into the PlayStation Portable's native file and directory structure, on the memory stick itself. Another example of PlayStation Portable-dedicated hardware units are the various adapters designed perform a reverse process - display the PlayStation Portable's output on a television. These devices have various modes of operation, with some simply using the method of pointing a video camera at the screen.

Video file sizes largely depend on the audio and video bit rates. With reasonable settings (a resolution of 320×240, a video bit rate of 500 Kilobits per second, and an audio sampling rate of 22050 kHz) a 22 minute movie file is roughly 55 megabytes. (This is enough for a 30 minute television episode with the commercials removed) This means that a 512 MB Memory Stick can hold approximately nine of these files. A hundred-minute feature film can fit on a 256 MB Memory Stick.

Many movie files, both free-to-distribute and pirated, have been encoded for the PlayStation Portable and are available on the Internet. Game and movie trailers, in particular, are increasingly available, even from the studio's official site.

Camera and GPS

A camera and GPS attachment were first announced for the PSP in March 2006. More details are set to be released during Tokyo Game Show 2006.

The GPS receiver will feature support for GPS-enabled games such as a projected re-release or update of Hot Shot Golf, as well in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. The GPS is set to be priced around ¥6,000, appx. $54 USD.

The “Chotto Shot” (Quick Shot) camera add-on will support a new video and VoIP chat service, as well as photo taking. The camera was released in Japan in early November 2006 for around ¥5,000, appx. $44 USD

Wireless networking

The PlayStation Portable can connect to a wireless network through Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b which allows it to surf the web or connect to other PlayStation Portable units for multiplayer gaming world-wide. Use of wireless network features increases the power consumption and lowers the battery life of the system by 30%.

Firmware 2.00 was released on July 27, 2005 for Japanese PlayStation Portables, and August 24, 2005 for North American PlayStation Portables. The update included a web browser and support for connecting to networks with WPA and WEP encryption.

Gamesharing

Some titles for the PlayStation Portable support a feature dubbed "gamesharing", which facilitates a limited set of multiplayer features between two PlayStation Portables with only one copy of the game UMD. A reduced version of the game being shared is transferred to the PlayStation Portable without a UMD via the PlayStation Portable's Wi-Fi connection, whereupon it is loaded into RAM and runs.

Such "gameshare versions" of titles usually have their feature set reduced because of technical limitations. This is mainly due to transfer times since data for the game must be transferred to the second PlayStation Portable wirelessly, at a rate of 11 megabits per second. Also, since the game data is stored in the PlayStation Portable's RAM, there is a storage limit of 32 MB.

Ad-hoc networks

Ad-hoc wireless networking allows for up to 16 PlayStation Portables within range to communicate directly to each other (typically for multiplayer gaming). One unit acts as the host for a game, which is available to other PlayStation Portable units within that system's range, and appears in a list when the client PlayStation Portable searches for available hosts. Hosting a game in this manner increases power consumption and reduces battery life by as much as thirty-five percent, depending on the complexity of data transfer. With the update of 2.00 or higher the PlayStation Portable can use the Ad-Hoc technology to digitally send pictures from one PlayStation Portable to another by use of the "send" and "receive" functions that appear in the "PHOTO" menu.

Infrastructure networks

The PlayStation Portable's main menu allows the user to configure the system for use across the Internet or an intranet via a wireless connection, known as infrastructure mode. The PlayStation Portable's menu can recognize protected and non-protected wireless networks within its range.

Use of infrastructure networks in PlayStation Portable software began with a small number of titles at the U.S. launch, supporting online play. South Korean PlayStation Portables have shipped with software providing web browsing and multimedia streaming features, but only through company-owned Wi-Fi hotspots, and with a monthly fee.

Sony's Location-Free Player allows users to watch television on their PlayStation Portable over the Internet. Through the Location-Free Player, users can view and control their TV from anywhere they have access to a wireless network.

Infrared

The PlayStation Portable features an IrDA port located on the top left of the device; however this is not currently used by any games, or any system features.

Design and specifications

Technical specifications

The PlayStation Portable was designed by Shin'ichi Ogasawara for the Sony Computer Entertainment company. Early models were made in Japan but in order to cut costs, Sony has farmed out PlayStation Portable production to non Japanese manufacturers, mainly in China.

The unit measures 170 mm (6.7 in) in length, 74 mm (2.9 in) in width, and 23 mm (0.9 in) in depth, and has a mass of 280 grams (a weight of 0.62 lbs) including the battery. The TFT LCD screen measures 110 mm (4.3 in) diagonal with a 16:9 ratio and sports a 480×272 pixel resolution capable of 16.77 million colors.

The PlayStation Portable's main microprocessor is a multifunction device that includes a MIPS R4000-based CPU, hardware for multimedia decoding (such as H.264), as well as a vector unit dubbed "Virtual Mobile Engine". The MIPS CPU core is globally clocked between 1 and 333 MHz. During the 2005 GDC, Sony revealed that it had capped the PlayStation Portable's CPU clock at 222 MHz in software. Its reasons for doing so are unknown, but are the subject of some speculation. Various homebrew tools enable users to operate at 333 MHz, generally leading to a higher framerate at the expense of battery life.

The system has 32 MiB main RAM and 4 MiB embedded DRAM. There is no memory management unit for the CPU. No evidence of a TLB has been found to date. The Coprocessor 0 that normally manages the TLB-based MMU seems to be a custom effort by Sony and has no integrated memory.

The 166 MHz graphics chip has 2 MiB embedded memory and through its 512 bit interface provides hardware polygon and NURBS rendering, hardware directional lighting, clipping, environment projection and texture mapping, texture compression and tessellation, fogging, alpha blending, depth and stencil tests, vertex blending for morphing effects, and dithering, all in 16 or 32 bit colour, along with handling image output. Specifications state that the PlayStation Portable is capable of rendering 33 million flat-shaded polygons per second, with a 664 million pixel per second fill rate.

Unlike Sony's PlayStation 2 console, the GPU (PS2 Vector Unit equivalent) is not programmable, meaning that many effects that the PS2 can resolve in hardware must be implemented in software on the PlayStation Portable. Nonetheless, the implementation of a GPU in the PlayStation Portable is still a significant technological advance, in that it implements robust hardware-rendering for 3D graphics in the handheld market. The PlayStation Portable was preceded in this regard by the Tapwave Zodiac and the Nintendo DS.

Interface

The PlayStation Portable's main menu interface is the "Cross Media Bar" (XMB) used by recent Sony TVs, the PSX (DVR) hardware, and the upcoming PS3. It consists of a horizontal sequence of icons (Settings, Photo, Music, Video, Games, and Network which, when highlighted, show a vertical sequence of sub-icons (for example, selecting Games allows the memory stick or a UMD to be selected).

The main menu system allows the user to, amongst other things, adjust settings such as date, time, and the PlayStation Portable's nickname for wireless networking, play video or audio files from the memory stick, load games or movie UMDs, check on estimated battery life, and set the PlayStation Portable into a "link mode" which makes the inserted memory stick available to a PC via USB. The XMB may be accessed at any time in a game by pressing the "Home" button on the console.

The PlayStation Portable's default background colour is defaulted to change depending on the current month of the year, as follows:

• January – Silver
• February – Yellow
• March – Green
• April – Pink
• May – Dark Green
• June – Purple
• July – Aqua
• August – Sky Blue/Blue/Dark Blue
• September – Violet
• October – Gold
• November – Light Brown
• December – Red

Firmware 2.00 and greater allows the user to manually pick a color theme (though one can still set it to change color by month) or specify a background image from any stored photo on the PlayStation Portable memory stick. A variety of homebrew programs allow users of older firmwares to change the PlayStation Portable's background image but only of a limited dimension.

Firmware

Each PlayStation Portable runs a particular version of the PSP firmware, which comprises the device's operating system and additional core functionality. Firmware updates can be obtained in three ways:

• Direct download to the PSP over Wi-Fi. This can be performed by choosing "Settings" "Network Update" from the XMB.
• Download to a PC, then transfer to the PSP via a USB cable or Memory Stick.
• Included on the UMD of some games. These games may not run with earlier firmware than the version on their UMD.

While firmware updates can be used with PlayStation Portables from any region, Sony recommends only downloading firmware updates released for the corresponding region. The current firmware version is 2.82.

Updates so far have added support for features such as:

• WPA-PSK encryption for wireless communication
• Built-in web browser (NetFront)
  • Macromedia Flash Player 6 support added with firmware 2.70
• Ability to save audio and video from RSS channels.
• LocationFree Player
• Keyboard input mode for Web input
• Audio switch function
• 4:3 mode for Memory Stick video playback
• AAC, ATRAC3plus, WAV and WMA audio playback from Memory Stick.
  • To play AAC files, Firmware 2.70 was required. AAC files ending in .3gp requires 2.82.
• AVC video playback from Memory Stick
• GIF, BMP, PNG, and TIFF image viewing
• Custom wallpapers
• Image sharing
• Chinese (simplified & traditional) fonts and encoding
• Higher security against various exploits and vulnerabilities
• Support for the PSP Camera - Chotto Shot (Quick Shot). This feature isn't apparent until the device is actually plugged in to the PSP.
• GPS receiver support. Similarly to the camera, the support has been added in recent firmware updates, but is not apparent, probably until the reciever is plugged in.

Future updates are expected to add support for such features as:

• VoIP
  • Voice chat
• Additional languages and supporting fonts
• An official PlayStation emulator
• Various interactivity with the PlayStation 3

One of the possible reasons for an increase in firmware updates is to prevent homebrew programs for the PlayStation Portable from being executed. These programs are often harmless home-made games and applications which might add new functionality to the PSP (such as the ability to run videos coded to the PSP's native resolution rather than the artificial limits the normal firmware imposes), although they include ISO loaders, which allow users to run pirated PSP games, and emulators for older systems, such as Nintendo or Sega consoles.

Homebrew development

In May 2005, it was found that PlayStation Portables using the 1.00 version of the firmware (meaning original, first launch Japanese-only PlayStation Portables) could execute unsigned code. What this meant in practice was that these PlayStation Portables could run homebrew software, as the mechanism for checking to make sure that software has been approved by Sony had not yet been activated. Later exploits have allowed for PlayStation Portables using later versions of the firmware to run homebrew applications, and development of both new exploits to bypass restrictions and new restrictions to limit unauthorized programs is ongoing.

Controversial Ad campaign

• Sony also admitted in late 2005 to hiring graffiti artists to spray paint advertisements for the PSP in seven major U.S. cities including New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. The mayor of Philadelphia has filed a cease and desist order and may file a criminal complaint. According to Sony, they are paying businesses and building owners for the right to graffiti their walls. As of early January 2006, Sony has no plans to keep or withdraw them.

• News spread on July 5, 2006 of an ad released in the Netherlands showed a white woman holding a black woman by the jaw, saying "PlayStation Portable White is coming." Some found this to be racist because of the physical violence and portrayal of a white woman subjugating a black woman in the ad, reminiscent of slavery. There were two other variants of this ad, one had the two women facing each other on equal footing in fighting stances , and the other had the black woman dominant on top of the white woman. Sony claims that the point was to contrast the white vs. black versions of its machine available for sale. Critics claim that these alternative advertisements were created for plausible deniability, and that Sony was counting on the free publicity the "racism" charges would stir up. Sony had stated that these ads will not be released in the rest of Europe nor North America. Sony has recently announced that the controversial ads that have so far only been released in the Netherlands will now be pulled from that country.

Notes and references

1. "Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware / PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)". Sony. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
2. Jeff Haynes (March 15, 2006). "PlayStation Portable Price Lowered to $199:New basic bundle for Sony handheld due later this month". IGN.
3. Chris Roper (March 14, 2006). "PS Biz Brief 06: New PlayStation Portable Package, Pricing, More: US and Europe to see reduced-cost packages; more white PlayStation Portables in Japan". IGN.
4. "2 nouvelles couleurs pour la PSP !". Kingplayer. Retrieved 2006-11-04.
5. "SCEA announces that PSP Greatest Hits are available for purchase". SCEA. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
6. "Media Boss - Bring your PlayStation Portable to life". Media Four. Retrieved 2006-03-16.
7. "PlayStation Portable Movie Creator". PQDVD Software. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
8. "PlayStation Portable Video Express". PQDVD Software. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
9. "Xcopy9". Xcopy. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
10. "PSPWare". Nullriver. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
11. "iPlayStation Portable". Kaisakura. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
12. "PlayStation Portable Media Studio". Mayayama. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
13. Sajeeth Cherian. "PlayStation Portable Video 9". pspvideo9. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
14. "PlayStation Portable Multimedia Extender". Sourceforge. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
15. "PlayStation Portable on TV Review". PSP world.
16. "Online-enabled PlayStation Portable to hit Korea in May". Gamespot. March 28, 2005.
17. Mark Hachman. "Sony Details PlayStation Portable Chip Specs". Extreme Tech. Retrieved 2006-03-18.
18. Anoop Gantayat (March 15, 2006). "Sony Outlines PlayStation Portable Future - New peripherals, new updates and new games, straight from Japan". IGN.
19. "Sony releases anti-piracy PSP update". The Inquirer. October 3, 2005.
20. "Game Boy emulator for the PSP". Engadget. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
21. Sony resorts to spary paint advertisment
22. Owen Thomas and Oliver Ryan (July 05, 2006). "Sony PSP ads spark cries of racism". CNN. Retrieved 2006-07-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Official sites

• Official PlayStation Portable website (Europe)
• Official PlayStation Portable website (US)
• SCEA PSP Specifications press release

Unofficial sites

• PSP on 1up.com
• PSP on IGN
• PSP on GameSpot

Reviews

• Sony PSP As Personal Media Player – Detailed review on MP3 Newswire focused on the PlayStation Portable's movie and audio abilities
• Sony PSP Handheld Entertainment System – In-depth 8-pages review, Ars Technica, 28 March 2005
• Sony PSP: One year on – An in-depth review of the PSP's first 12 months in Europe, Pocket Gamer, 4 September 2006

• Sony consoles
• Handheld game consoles
• PlayStation Portable
• 2004 introductions