The PlayStation Portable (PSP) was a handheld game console released by Sony in 2004, marking Sony’s first major entry into the portable gaming market. Designed to deliver a home console-quality experience on the go, the PSP’s multimedia capabilities and powerful hardware set it apart from its primary competitor, the Nintendo DS.
Hardware and design
- A sleek form factor: The original PSP-1000 was a “fat” model, but later revisions, including the “Slim & Lite” PSP-2000 and the PSP-3000, significantly reduced its size and weight.
- Widescreen display: A standout feature was its 4.3-inch widescreen LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 480×272 resolution, which was revolutionary for handhelds at the time.
- UMD optical disc format: The PSP was the only handheld console to use a proprietary optical disc format called the Universal Media Disc (UMD) for its games and movies.
- Multimedia features: Beyond gaming, the PSP functioned as a portable media player. It could play movies on UMDs, display photos, and play music (supporting MP3, AAC, and other formats) via a Memory Stick Duo slot.
- Online connectivity: The PSP was equipped with Wi-Fi, which allowed for online multiplayer, web browsing, and downloading content from the PlayStation Store.
PSP model revisions
Over its lifespan, Sony released several different versions of the PSP.
- PSP-2000 (“Slim & Lite”): Released in 2007, this revision was 33% lighter and 19% thinner than the original. It featured a brighter screen, 64 MB of RAM (up from 32 MB), and a video-out port for connecting to a TV.
- PSP-3000 (“Brite”): This 2008 model added an improved LCD screen with a wider color range and an anti-reflective display. It also included a built-in microphone.
- PSP Go (PSP-N1000): A significantly different model, the PSP Go was released in 2009. It replaced the UMD drive with 16 GB of internal flash memory and a Memory Stick Micro (M2) slot, and featured a unique sliding screen design.
- PSP-E1000 (“Street”): Announced in 2011, this budget model was released exclusively in PAL regions. It lacked Wi-Fi connectivity and had a mono speaker.