Release Dates

03/24/06

TBA

TBA

TBA

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a portable game console release in Japan in 2004 and in North America, Europe, and Australia in 2005. In addition to playing video games, the PSP offers the ability to watch full-length movies, listen to music, share photos, and browse the Internet. The device's Wi-Fi can also allow players to play each other in multiplayer games both locally or over the Internet.


The original PSP features a 16:9 aspect ratio 4.3 inch TFT LCD in the middle of the device. This screen offers 480x272 resolution and is capable of 16.77 million colors. Right of the screen are the classic PlayStation buttons (triangle, circle, cross, and square). On the left is a 4-way directional pad and an analog stick. The device also features shoulder buttons on the left and right.


The device is 6.7 x 2.9 x 0.9 inches and weighs 9.87 ounces. The PSP has a 333 MHz MIPS CPU capable of decoding H.264 video. It has 32MB of main RAM and 4MB of embedded
DRAM. The PSP also features a 166MHz GPU with 2MB of RAM. Unlike many previous gaming consoles, the PSP uses an optical disc called UMD rather than cartridges. UMDs are used for both games and movies.

As of Sept 2007 a second generation PSP has been launched. The new version is 6.7 X 2.75 X .75 inches and weighs 6.7 ounces. Main RAM has been increased to 64 MB which will allow for faster data processing times and game load times. Analog Video Out has now been added allowing for UMD movie and games or memory stick movies, games and photos to be displayed on a television. The new PSP can now be charged by USB or DC Plug.