Becoming PSP - Introduction

by Doina Stefanescu  |  May 29, 2008

In the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Sony Computer Entertainment first announced the development of a gaming console that would later be known as PlayStation Portable, or, as it is officially abbreviated, the PSP. Essentially, the PSP is a handheld game console and it was displayed to the world a year later, at a Sony press conference before the E3 from 2004. Large scale release took place in Japan on the 12th of December, 2004, in North America on the 24th of March 2005 and in the PAL region on the 1st of September 2005.

Among the entertainment products for gaming the PSP is the first handheld video game console that uses an optical disc format, the Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary storage media. The PSP sets apart from other related devices through some distinguishing features like the very large viewing screen, thorough multi-media capabilities and connectivity with the PlayStation 3 which is the third home version of the play station console, other PSPs and the Internet.

Although the PlayStation Portable from Sony represents an important figure among the entertainment gadgets through considerable computing power and formidable multimedia capabilities, the PSP always fell behind in sales in front of its main competitor, the Nintendo DS. Things changed after the release of a remodeled, slimmer and lighter version of the PSP, entitled Slim and Lite. Slim and Lite was released in early September 2007 and sales quadrupled in the United Kingdom the following week and increased by nearly 200% in North America for the month of October. Although it's not been an easy task to try an take up an important segment of the market with competitors like the Nintendo DS, the PSP is by far the most successful handheld console not manufactured by Nintendo.

Next articles in this series:

1. Becoming PSP - Introduction
2. Becoming PSP - History
3. Becoming PSP - Hardware
4. Becoming PSP - Software
5. Becoming PSP - Slim & Lite
6. Becoming PSP - PlayStation Portable Vs. The Nintendo DS
7. Becoming PSP - PlayStation Portable Vs. Creative Zen Portable Media Center

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