The PSP console is one of the great sources of entertainment for kids while growing. The PSP console is enjoyed by kids and adults who love playing games.
The name PSP is an acronym for PlayStation Portable. It is a handheld console that was developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
There are various types; the first-ever model made was released in Japan on the 12th of December, 2004. Soon after, it arrived in North America and PAL regions on the 24th of March 2005 & the 1st of September 2005 consecutively.
It is considered as the seventh generation of console. Its main competitor at that time was the Nintendo DS.
While in development, the PSP was announced at the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2003, and it was unveiled at a press conference made by Sony on the 11th of May, 2004. It was the best and most powerful portable handheld console of its time.
After its release, it became a real competitor of Nintendo’s handheld console, which has left so many competitions, such as Nokia’s N-Gage in the dust.
The PSP console had advanced graphics capabilities, which made it a trendy mobile console. The PSP console can be connected to various devices such as PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, other PSP systems, or any computer with a USB interface.
It also has the feature that allows for internet connection if needed. The PSP was known to be the only handheld console to make use of a Universal Media Disc (UMD) (optical disc format). The Universal Media Disc is used as the PSP primary storage medium.
Critics made a positive review on the PSP console, which sold over 80 million units during its lifetime.
As said earlier, the PSP has various models that were released right before it as succeeded by the PlayStation Vista.
The PlayStation Vista was released in Japan in the year 2011, and a year later, it went worldwide.
Backward compatibility was the method used by the Vista, which enabled it to sync with PSP games that were published on the PlayStation Network and available to be downloaded on the PlayStation Store.
This method was later implemented as the standard way of purchasing PSP games, right after Sony shut down the link between the Store and the PSP on the 31st of March, 2016.
Sony ended the shipment of Hardware worldwide in 2014 and also the production of UMDs from the Japanese factory producing them in late 2016.
Hardware
The PlayStation Portable console has a bar (shape of a cuboid) shape. The first model made measures approximately 170 by 74 by 23 mm (6.7 by 2.9 0.9 inches) and weighs about 280g (9.9 ounces). The LCD screen at the front of the console measures 110 mm (4.3 inches).
The LCD screen is capable of producing a 480 x 272-pixel display resolution along with 24-bit color, which outperforms the Nintendo DS.
On the front surface of the console, there some buttons and controllers such as the face buttons (Triangle, Square, Circle, X), analog nub, directional buttons.
There are also two shoulder buttons (R1, R2), a power cable input, a WLAN switch, a power nub, and a USB 2.0 mini-B port.
The back of the PSP console features a drive for accessing movies and games by using a read-only Universal Media Disc (UMD).
It also features a reader that is compatible with Sony’s Memory stick PRO Duo flashcards, which are located at the back but on the left side.
Some other features include a two-pin docking connector (which was discontinued in PSP-2000 and later models), an IrDA-compatible infra-red port.
The PSP also has some cool features like built-in stereo speakers and headphone port, online multiplayer game that is free via PlayStation Network, IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi for accessing the internet. It has the option of transferring data (means starting on PSP and finishing on another).
The PSP uses two MIPS32 R4000 R4k-based CPUs, which clocks at 333MHz as its Media Engine and main CPU, a GPU which clocks at 166 MHz.
It has 32 MB main RAM (PSP-2000 and later has 64 MB installed in them), and 4 MB installed DRAM that is split between the aforementioned Media Engine and GPU.
Most games created by Sony ran at 222MHz, which made the PSP hardware run slower than expected.
This issue was fixed with a firmware update 3.50 created by Sony on the 31st of May 2007. This firmware removed the limit and allowed new games to run at full capacity (333 MHz).
The PSP console is powered by a rechargeable 1800 mAh battery (but a lesser battery capacity, which is 1,200 mAh, was installed in 3000 and 2000).
This battery capacity allows at least three to six hours of gameplay, four to five hours of video playback, and eight to eleven hours of audio playback.
Models
PSP-1000
Its designs, as mentioned above, was the first original model of PSP ever made.
PSP-2000
The PSP-2000 was marketed in the PAL region as PSP Slim. It was the first redesign of the PlayStation Portable console.
The PSP-2000 console is lighter and slimmer than the original PSP, which reduced from 23 – 18.6mm (0.91 – 0.73 inches) and from 280 – 180g (9.87 – 6.66 ounces).
The serial port of the PSP-2000 is modified to provide a new video-out feature that is not compatible with older PSP remote controls.
The introduction of USB and the response of the D-Pad had complaint of poor performance, which was later improved.
Other changes include improved a brighter, lighter LCD screen and an improved micro-controller & WLAN modules.
PSP-3000
When compared to the PSP-2000, the PSP-3000, which was marketed in PAL regions as PSP Brite or PSP Slim & Lite, had some improvement made on its screen.
The upgrades include increased colour range, halved pixel response time, a contrast that is five times more than the preceding model, and a new sub-pixel structure.
There are some cool new designs made on some parts of the PSP, such as th logos, disc tray, buttons, and the introduction of a microphone.
According to Famitsu (formerly known as Famicom Tsushin a Japanese video game magazine), on its first four days, it sold over 141,270 units. In October, it sold over 267,000 units.
PSP Go (N1000)
The PSP Go (PSP-N1000) was released on the 1st of October 2009 in Northern America and European regions and Japan on the 1st of November.
It was announced before E3 in 2009 through a Qore video made by Sony’s on-demand service. Its design is unique when compared to other PSP MODELS.
The PSP Go is 56% smaller and 43% lighter than the original model (PSP-1000). It is also 35% smaller and 16% lighter than the PSP-3000. It uses a non-removable rechargeable battery.
In terms of screen size, it has a 97 mm (3.8 inches) 480 x 272 pixel LCD screen, which slides up to show the main button controls. All PSP games of other models are compatible with the PSP Go.
PSP Street (E1000)
The PSP Street (PSP-E1000) was announced at Gamescom in 2011. It is a model that was available across the PAL countries on the 26th of October 2011.
The PSP Go doesn’t have a Wi-Fi feature, and it has a matte, charcoal-black colour similar to the slim PlayStation 3.
It doesn’t have a microphone but has a one-track speaker, unlike the previous models stereo speakers. The PSP Go also lacks button controls to adjust the brightness.
Instead, it has offers a different control, which can be found in the system software, which is the Power Save Settings menu.
Peripherals
Other peripherals and accessories may include:
- An AC adapter
- A car adapter
- A headset
- A headphone with remote control
- A battery charger
- An extended-life 2200 mAh battery
- Accessories pouch
- Cleaning cloth
- Carrying case
- Wrist strap
- System pouch
Games
About 1,370 games have been released throughout the ten years lifespan of the PSP, and some of the notable games that can be played on the console include:
- Dynasty Warriors (for all regions)
- Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Metal Gear (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Lumines (Europe, North America, Japan)
- NFL Street 3: Unleashed (Europe, North America)
- Need for Speed: Underground Rivals (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Spiderman 2 (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Ridge Racer (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix (Europe, North America)
- Tiger Wood PGA Tour (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade (Europe, North America, Japan)
- Twisted Metal: Head-on (Europe, North America)
- World Tour Soccer: Challenge Edition (Europe, North America)
There are top-selling games that sold over 5 million copies, such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Gran Turismo, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Retro City Rampage DX, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Daxter, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
The best selling PSP game is the Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. It sold over 7.6 million copies as of October 2015.
