PSP Console

The PlayStation Portable system, or more commonly known as the PSP console, is Sony's latest product release into the video game world. It is a seventh generation gaming console, the first generation beginning with the Atari 2600 and its contemporaries back in the 1970s. It is also Sony's first entry into handheld gaming, a market that was made hugely popular with Nintendo's second generation system, Game Boy.

The PSP console was released at the end of 2004 in its home country of Japan. It made its North American and European debuts more recently, in March 2005 and September 2005 respectively. Its major competitor is the Nintendo DS, which as of today retains the majority of the market share with 8 million units sold already. However, the PSP console was released relatively recently, and its success or failure on the worldwide market is as if yet far from certain.

Sony's PSP console games are coded onto Universal Media Discs, which hold 1.8 gigabytes of information and are about 65 millimeters across. The console itself uses a MIPS processor of 128-bit MIPS32R2 design, and runs at a maximum clock speed of 333 megahertz. The console has 32 megabytes of main RAM, and an additional 4 megabytes of embedded DRAM. It has an independent 166 megahertz graphical processing unit with 2 megabytes of its own RAM. The sound and video quality of the PSP system are somewhere between Sony's original console, the PlayStation, and its follow up the PlayStation 2.

The gaming console relies on a rechargeable lithium ion battery for power, and comes with an AC adapter to recharge it upon depletion. The battery is typically good for between 3 and 6 hours before dying. The length of battery life depends on lighting and volume settings, as well as the game played. Games that push the PSP console's hardware to its limits give the battery its shortest lifespan.

One of the most appealing aspects of the PSP console is its Ad-hoc wireless networking ability, which allows up to 16 players with in range of the device to play together. Hosting games this way with other players will reduce the battery life slightly, as it draws even more power, though it still is an attractive function to many gamers.

PSP consoles are sold exclusively as a part of a package deal, which includes the console, the battery, a 32 MB Memory Stick Duo, remote control operated earbud headphones, a case, wrist strap, and sampler CD for 250 US dollars.