With the PlayStation Portable, Sony has officially staked its claim in the portable gaming market. This killer gadget is the latest and greatest piece of portable tech and the envy of gadget hounds the world over. Sony packed an amazing number of features into their newest portable.
The PSP plays games, MP3s and even movies. Games and movies come on Sony's new proprietary format, the Universal Media Disc. The UMD holds 1.8 gigabytes-about 14 times as much as a Nintendo DS cartridge-which is more than enough to accommodate feature-length movies and graphically intense games. The PSP also supports Sony's Memory Stick format, for saving games as well as carrying pictures, music and movies.
Overall, the PSP feels strong and handles excellently. It is not too heavy or ungainly to play for long periods of time, and feels relatively comfortable in the hands. Most of the buttons are well placed and react well, the exceptions being the slightly awkward analog stick and the oddly sticky shoulder buttons, which Sony will hopefully fix in upcoming productions.
As with most system launches, the initial game library is really a mixed bag, from the shiningly brilliant \Lumines"" to the unforgivably flawed ""Dynasty Warriors.""
Right now, the most attractive of the PSP's gaming credentials are its graphical prowess and its multiplayer abilities. With its beautiful screen and powerful processor, the PSP pushes portable gaming into a whole new visual arena. Colors are bright and motions are crisp as they flow across the display. Wireless gaming is also quite a draw. The PSP allows competition over the air through Wi-Fi, so people can play across the house, across the coffee shop or even across the classroom.
When it comes to listening to the PSP, headphones are a must. The built-in stereo speakers deliver decent sound for what they are, but overall the sound is slightly tinny. Thankfully, the PSP value pack includes a pair of headphones that substantially enhances the PSP's audio output.
Currently, the $250 value pack is the only way to purchase a PSP here in America. The value pack includes the PSP unit and its battery, a 32-megabyte memory stick, an AC adapter for charging the battery, a soft carrying case, a demo disc and a wrist strap apparently for people who want to make the PSP part of their fashion statement. It's a little spendy, especially for people who just want the PSP unit, but until Sony changes their marketing strategy, people who really want a PSP will just have to shell out for the ""extras.""
One of the biggest questions about the PSP is how well it stacks up against Nintendo's new DS. Most important of all is pricing. At the moment, the PSP sells for $100 more than the $150 DS. However, that $100 is offset by the PSP's larger, higher resolution screen, and its wider array of features, such as the ability to play music or movies. Size and weight wise, the units are comparable, and both can communicate with other units wirelessly. The DS wins out in battery life, beating the PSP by several hours per charge.
Throughout the history of gaming, Nintendo's ever-evolving Gameboy has dominated the portable market, crushing other companies' offerings such as the Sega Game Gear and Atari's Lynx. However, Nintendo has never faced an opponent as formidable as Sony, who has dominated the console gaming industry since the PlayStation's release in 1995. Before Sony's foray into video games, Nintendo had dominated the console industry as well. Perhaps history will repeat itself. Maybe the PSP has the power to make Sony the undisputed king of video games.
