PlayStation Portable (PSP)
Sony has outsold the competition in the gaming market since the advent of the original PlayStation  in 1995, and its venture into Nintendo-dominated handheld territory is its most daring leap yet. A Veritable portable version of the PS2, the PSP, released in March 2005, also acts as a do-anything multimedia device. It'll store your pictures, surf the Internet and let you play music and video files. It wouldn't be surprising to discover it can mow your lawn as well. For a comprehensive look at handheld systems, check out our Handheld Gaming Guide.
The Good - The most graphically advanced handheld system on the market. The PSP makes tech-heads drool, and causes grateful grandchildren to fall at the feet of ultra-hip grandparents who give them as gifts.
- System hardware can be upgraded online for free. Those wily Sony folks are always coming up with cool new features to add on. Past improvements, which now come with most new PSPs, include web browsers, multiple language support, RSS feeds, flash animation capability and TV viewing.
- Conversely, system downgrades are available from several bootleg sources. Sony updates aimed at stopping piracy, also make it much more difficult to get certain things onto your PSP and discourage homebrew gaming. The system downgrades give users more freedom to make their games and get the media they've already got onto their PSP.
- It's the best friend you will ever have while waiting in an airport terminal. While others moan about the latest flight delay, you'll be grooving to your music, laughing at your favorite comedy or mucking around on the Internet.
- Looks so sexy, your significant other may get jealous.
- The shiny widescreen display doubles as a handy mirror when the system is turned off.
The Bad - Most games are slightly downgraded copies of PS2 titles.
- Pricey, although a recent drop from $250 to $200 makes the PSP less of a bank-breaker. Memory Stick Duo, the memory units that work on the device, cost about $100 for 1 gigabyte of memory space.
- Lack of dual analog sticks makes first-person shooters awkward.
The Ugly - Make sure you've got some cargo pants, because the device won't fit well into standard jeans pockets
- Speaker sound is weak. That can be fixed with amps and headphones.
Specifications - Supports proprietary Universal Media Disc (UMD) format for games and movies. Also can store MPEG4 video formats, MP3, MP4 and WAV files.
- Connects to PCs via a 2.0 mini-USB port.
- PlayStation 2-quality graphics on a 4.3" widescreen.
PSP Accessories
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