The PSP console is a great source of entertainment for kids while they are growing. It is also enjoyed by kids and adults who love playing games.
The name PSP is an acronym for PlayStation Portable. It is a handheld console developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
There are various types; the first-ever model was released in Japan on December 12, 2004.
Soon after, it arrived in North America and the PAL regions on March 24th, 2005, and September 1st, 2005, consecutively.
It is considered the seventh generation of consoles. At that time, its main competitor was the Nintendo DS.
While in development, the PSP was announced at the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2003 and unveiled at a Sony press conference on May 11, 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 many competitors, such as Nokia’s N-Gage, in the dust.
The PSP console had advanced graphics capabilities, which made it a trendy mobile console.
It 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 a feature that allows for an internet connection if needed. The PSP was known to be the only handheld console to use a Universal Media Disc (UMD) (optical disc format) as its primary storage medium.
Critics positively reviewed the PSP console, which sold over 80 million units during its lifetime.
As said earlier, the PSP had various models that were released before it was succeeded by the PlayStation Vista.
The PlayStation Vista was released in Japan in 2011, and a year later, it went worldwide.
Vista used backward compatibility, which enabled it to sync with PSP games published on the PlayStation Network and available to download 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 March 31, 2016.
Sony stopped shipping Hardware worldwide in 2014 and stopped producing UMDs from the Japanese factory in late 2016.
Hardware
The PlayStation Portable console has a bar (shape of a cuboid) shape. The first model 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 produces a 480 x 272-pixel display resolution and 24-bit color, which outperforms the Nintendo DS.
On the front surface of the console, there are some buttons and controllers, such as the face buttons (Triangle, Square, Circle, X), analog nub, and directional buttons.
There are also two shoulder buttons (R1 and 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 using a read-only Universal Media Disc (UMD).
It also features a reader compatible with Sony’s Memory Stick PRO Duo flashcards, which are located at the back but on the left side.
Other features include a two-pin docking connector (discontinued in PSP-2000 and later models) and an IrDA-compatible infra-red port.
The PSP also has cool features like built-in stereo speakers and headphone port, an online multiplayer game free via PlayStation Network, and IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi for internet access. It can transfer data (which means starting on PSP and finishing on another).
The PSP uses two MIPS32 R4000 R4k-based CPUs, one of which clocks at 333MHz as its Media Engine, and the main CPU, a GPU, which clocks at 166 MHz.
It has 32 MB of main RAM (PSP-2000 and later 64 MB installed) and 4 MB of installed DRAM that is split between the 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 Sony’s firmware update 3.50, created on May 31, 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 (a lesser battery capacity, 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
As mentioned above, its designs were the first original PSP model ever made.
PSP-2000
The PSP-2000, the first redesign of the PlayStation Portable console, was marketed in the PAL region as the PSP Slim.
The PSP-2000 console is lighter and slimmer than the original PSP, reducing from 23 – 18.6mm (0.91 – 0.73 inches) and 280 – 180g (9.87 – 6.66 ounces).
The PSP-2000’s serial port 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 were criticized for poor performance, which was later improved.
Other changes include a brighter, lighter LCD screen and an improved microcontroller & WLAN modules.
PSP-3000
The screen of the PSP-3000, which was marketed in PAL regions as PSP Brite or PSP Slim & Lite, improved slightly compared to the PSP-2000.
The upgrades include an increased color range, halved pixel response time, five times more contrast than the preceding model, and a new sub-pixel structure.
Some cool new designs are made on some parts of the PSP, such as th logos, disc tray, buttons, and microphone introduction.
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 October 1, 2009, in Northern America and European regions and on November 1, 2009, in Japan.
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) and 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 was available across the PAL countries on October 26th, 2011.
The PSP Go doesn’t have a Wi-Fi feature and has a matte, charcoal-black color 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 offers a different control, which can be found in the system software: the Power Save Settings menu.
Peripherals
Other peripherals and accessories may include:
- An AC adapter
- A car adapter
- A headset
- A headphone with a 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 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. As of October 2015, it had sold over 7.6 million copies.
