The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP)  is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment.Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004.The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005,^] and in the PAL region on September 1, 2005.

The PlayStation Portable is the first handheld video game console to use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary storage medium.Other distinguishing features of the console include its large viewing screen, robust multi-media capabilities, and connectivity with the PlayStation 3, other PSPs, and the Internet.

Despite the console’s superior computing power and multimedia capabilities, sales have (with cyclical exceptions) lagged behind its main competitor, the Nintendo DS. Nevertheless, the console is “the most successful non-Nintendo handheld game system ever sold”. After the release of a remodeled, slimmer, and lighter version of the PlayStation Portable, appropriately titled Slim & Lite, in early September 2007, sales quadrupled in the United Kingdom the following week and increased by nearly 200% in North America for the month of October. The Slim & Lite had a minor redesign including a new screen and inbuilt microphone, and has since been followed by the PSP Go.

Sony first announced development of the PlayStation Portable at a press conference before E3 2003.Although mock-ups of the system were not present at the press conference or E3,Sony did release extensive technical details regarding the new system.Then-CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Ken Kutaragi called the device the “Walkman of the 21st Century” in a reference to the console’s multimedia capabilities. Several gaming websites were impressed by the handheld’s computing capabilities and looked forward to the system’s potential as a gaming platform.

The first concept images of the PlayStation Portable appeared in November 2003 at the Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting and showed a PSP with flat buttons and no analog stick. Although some expressed concern over the lack of an analog joystick, hese fears were allayed when the PSP was officially unveiled at the Sony press conference during E3 2004. In addition to announcing more details about the system and its accessories, Sony also released a list of 99 developer companies that had pledged support for the new handheld. Several PSP game demos, such as Konami‘s Metal Gear Acid and SCE Studio Liverpool‘s Wipeout Pure were also shown at the conference.

On October 17, 2004, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in Japan with TV Stations Signing Off on December 12, 2004 at a price of ¥19,800 (about US$181 in 2004) for the base model and ¥24,800 (about US$226 in 2004) for the Value System. The console’s launch was a success with over 200,000 units sold the first day.They also sell different color variations in bundle packs, which cost more than usual, around $200. Sony announced on February 3, 2005, that the PSP would go on sale in North America on March 24, 2005 in one configuration for a MSRP of US$249/CA$299. Some expressed concern over the high price, which was almost US$20 higher than the system’s price in Japan and more than $100 higher than the recently launched Nintendo DS. Despite the concerns, the PSP’s North American launch was a success, although reports two weeks later indicated that the system was not selling as well as expected despite Sony’s claim that 500,000 units had been sold in the first two days.

The PSP was originally to have a simultaneous PAL region and North American launch, but on March 15, 2005, Sony announced that the PAL region launch would be delayed because of high demand for the console in Japan and North America. A month later, on April 25, 2005, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in the PAL region on September 1, 2005 for €249/£179.^[Sony defended the high price, which was nearly US$100 higher than in North America, by pointing out that North American consumers had to pay local sales taxes and that the GST was higher in the UK than the US.Despite the high price, the console's PAL region launch was a resounding success, selling more than 185,000 units in the UK alone, selling out of all stock nation wide in the UK within 3 hours of launch, more than doubling the previous first-day sales record of 87,000 units set by the Nintendo DS. The system also enjoyed great success in other areas of the PAL region with more than 25,000 units preordered in Australia and nearly one million units sold across Europe in the first week.

Technical Specifications

CPU:

• MIPS R4000 32-bit core - 1-333 MHz at 1.2 V
• 128bit Bus at 2.6 GBit/s
• Main Memory: 8 MB eDRAM
• I-Cache and D-Cache
• FPU, VFPU (Vector Unit) at 2.6 GFlops
• 3D-CG Extended Instructions set

PSP Media Engine:

• MIPS R4000 32-bit Core - 1-333 MHz at 1.2 V
• 128bit Bus at 2.6 GBit/s
• Sub Memory: 2 MB eDRAM

PSP Graphics Core 1:

• 1-166 MHz at 1.2V
• 256-bit Bus at 5.3 GBit/s
• VRAM 2 MB eDRAM
• 3D Curved Surface and 3D Polygon
• Compressed Texture
• Hardware Clipping Morphing, Bone (8)
• Hardware Tessellator
• Bezier, B-Spline (NURBS)
• ex 4x4, 16x16, 64x64 sub-division

PSP Graphics Core 2:

• 1-166 MHz at 1.2 V
• 256-bit Bus at 5.3 GBit/s
• VRAM 2MB eDRAM
• Rendering Engine and Surface Engine
• Pixel Fill Rate: 664 Mega pixels/s
• Up to 33 million polygon/s (T&L)
• 24bit Full Color: RGBA

PSP Sound Core:

• Built in Stereo Speakers
• Built in Microphone (PSP 3000 and above)
• 128-bit Bus at 166Mhz at 1.2V
• Contains Virtual Mobile Engine (VME)
• Reconfigurable (Digital sound processor)DSP’s
• 5 Giga Operations/s
• 3D Sound, Multi-Channel
• Synthesizer, Effector, Equalizer and more.

UMD (Universal Media Disc):

• Diameter is 60mm
• Laser Diode is 660 nm
• Dual Layer capacity up to 1.8 GB
• Transfer Rate up to 11 MBit/s (1.375 MB/s)
• Read Only
• Shock Proof
• Secure ROM by AES
• Has Unique Disc ID
• Can contain System Software Updates

Power

• 5V DC In AC Adapter
• 5V DC In USB Charge Mode (PSP 2000 and above)
• 1500mAh, 1800mAh, and 2200mAh Battery (PSP 1000, 2000 and 3000 Only)

System Software Paths

Some of the following Paths may not be accessible to the user, especially if running an official System Software (OFW):

• ms0:/ Memory Stick
• umd0:/ UMD (PSP 1000, 2000, and 3000 Only)
• irda0:/ Wireless infrared port (PSP 1000 Only)
• flash0:/ System Software data
• flash1:/ Registry and user data such as [Settings] menu configuration, PSN credentials, themes, and web browser data.
• flash2:/ Stores part of the users PSN DRM data.
• flash3:/ Not Used, about 1MB
• flash4:/ Not Mounted, Possible Future Use
• flash5:/ Not Mounted, Possible Future Use

Integrated or Support Chips

• IDStorage Keys Stores screen brightness, volume, region, date, time and BIOS data also known as the Ipl.
• Tachyon Version information for CPU, Media Engine, and Graphic Cores
• Baryon Version information for the PSP’s system control chip
• Pommel The PSP’s GPIO and Watchdog.
• Kirk The PSP’s main encryption processor.
• Spock Secondary encryption processor, used to decrypt signed UMD data.

To view System Software and PSP hardware related versions or data, run the PSP-Tool Homebrew on a Custom Firmware PSP (CFW).PSP-Tool

The flash is 32MB (PSP 1000 Only) and 64MB, the PSP N1000 shares part of its 16GB Internal Storage with the System Software. The file system of the flash is FAT16 and the Memory Stick is FAT32. The System Software is allocated the largest block of the internal flash.

Note: The Memory Stick can be used as a boot device to start the PSP and launch a System Software with some limitations. The Battery of the PSP must be in Service mode and the Memory Stick must have a special Ipl loaded in a unformatted partition at the beginning of the MBR and have all the paths of the flash on the memory stick with the special Ipl pointing it then the PSP’s internal flash. Certain board Revisions have different encryption schemes thus preventing a service mode boot with and older special Ipl.

Mother Board Revisions

The PSP has gone through many board revisons through life of the product. Most mother board revisions are to improve system security, reduce production costs or add features such as a new model of the PSP.

• TA-079 V1: Initial mother board sold with PSP 1000 series.
• TA-079 V2
• TA-079 V3
• TA-081
• TA-082: This mother board implemented a new Ipl that refuses to boot any firmware below 2.50 without modification
• TA-085 V1: Initial mother board for PSP 2000 series.
• TA-085 V2: users can not write to the PSP Battery EEPROM
• TA-086: Last mother board for PSP 1000 series
• TA-088 V1
• TA-088 V2a

Models

Series	Image	Connection	Wireless Connectivity	RAM and Internal Storage	CPU	Display	Original Release Date	Original System Software	Battery	In Production
PSP-1000		USB 2.0, UMD, Serial Port, Headphone Jack, Memory Stick PRO Duo	802.11b Wi-Fi,IRDA	32MB, 32MB System Software	MIPSR4000 at 1~333Mhz	4.3″ 16:9 Color TFT at 480 x 272	December 12, 2004	1.00	5v DC 1800mAh, Upgradeable to 2200mAh	No
PSP-2000		USB 2.0, UMD, Video Out and Mic Port, Headphone Jack, Memory Stick PRO Duo	802.11b Wi-Fi	64MB, 64MB System Software			September,2007	3.60	5v DC 1200mAh, Upgradeable to 2200mAh	No
PSP-3000		USB 2.0, UMD, Video Out, Microphone, Headphone Jack,Memory Stick PRO Duo					October,2008	4.20		Yes
PSP Go	http://www.modojuegos.es/files/2009/05/psp-go.jpg	All in One Port, Headphone Jack, Mic, Memory Stick Micro	802.11b Wi-Fi,Bluetooth 2.1 EDR	64MB, 16GB User and System Software Shared		3.8″ 16:9 Color TFT at 480 x 272 Sliding Screen	October,2009	5.70	5v DC Non Removable Battery	Yes

The PlayStation Portable uses the common “slab” or “candybar” form factor, measures approximately 17 x 7.3 x 2.2 cm (6.7 x 2.9 x 0.9 in), and weighs 280 grams (9.88 ounces). The front of the console is dominated by the system’s 11 cm (4.3 in) LCD screen, which is capable of 480 x 272 pixel video playback with 16.77 million colors. Also on the front are the four PlayStation face buttons (, , , ), the directional pad, the analog ‘nub’, and several other buttons. In addition, the system includes two shoulder buttons and aUSB 2.0 mini-B port on the top of the console and a WLAN switch and power cable input on the bottom. The back of the PSP features a read-only UMD drive for movies and games, and a reader compatible with Sony’s Memory Stick Duo flash cards is located on the left of the system. Other features include an IrDA compatible infrared port (discontinued in PSP-2000 and later series), built in stereo speakers and headphone port, and IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi for access to the Internet, ad-hoc multiplayer gaming, and data transfer.^[7]

The PSP uses two 333 MHz MIPS32 R4000-based CPUs, a GPU with 2 MB onboard VRAM running at 166 MHz, and includes 32 MB main RAM and 4 MB embedded DRAM in total. The hardware was originally forced to run more slowly than it was capable of and most games ran at 222 MHz.^[However, with firmware update 3.50 on May 31, 2007, Sony removed this limit and allowed new games to run at a full 333 MHz.

The PSP includes an 1800 mAh battery that will provide about 4–6 hours of gameplay, 4–5 hours of video playback, or 8–11 hours of audio playback.Official accessories for the console include the AC adapter, car adapter, headset, headphones with remote control, extended-life 2200 mAh battery, battery charger, carrying case, accessories pouch and cleaning cloth, and system pouch and wrist strap.

The PSP's version of the XrossMediaBar (pronounced Cross Media Bar and abbreviation of XMB) includes seven categories of options. These include [Settings], [Photo, Music], [Video], [Game], [Network], and [PlayStation®Network].The PSP has video files, stored on a Memory Stick Duo,^{[113][114][115]} monitor and save content from RSS channels, and send and receive photos wirelessly with other PSPs while in ad-hoc mode^[117] The PSP also includes the ability to customize the appearance of the XMB with different colors, photos, or themes.Although the XMB can be accessed at any time by pressing the Home button, the currently running application will exit before the XMB comes up (with the exception of a photo slideshow, and most of the applications in the “Network” column.). It is now also possible to change the appearance of the PSP with “theme” files, with there being few official ones and mostly user made, though legitimate, theme files. The PSP does not feature an in Game XMB like the PS3.

Web browser:

The PSP Internet Browser is an embedded microbrowser. It is a version of the NetFront browser made by Access Co. Ltd. and was released for free with the 2.00 system software update.^[106] The browser supports most common web technologies, such as HTTP cookies, forms, CSS, as well as basic JavaScript capabilities.^[122]

The version 2.50 upgrade added Unicode (UTF-8) character encoding and Auto-Select as options in the browser’s encoding menu, and also introduced the saving of input history for online forms.

Version 2.70 of the PSP’s system software introduced basic Flash capabilities to the browser. However, the player runs Flash version 6, four iterations behind the current desktop version 10, making some websites difficult to view.

There are 3 different rendering modes: “Normal”, “Just-Fit”, and “Smart-Fit”. “Normal” will display the page with no changes, “Just-Fit” will attempt to shrink some elements to make the whole page fit on the screen and preserve layout (although this makes some pages extremely difficult to read), and “Smart-Fit” will display content in the order it appears in the HTML, and with no size adjustments; instead it will drop an element down below the preceding element if it starts to go off the screen.

The browser also has limited tabbed browsing, with a maximum of three tabs.’ When a website tries to open a link in a new window, the browser opens it in a new tab.

Parents can limit content by enabling Browser Start Up Control which blocks all access to the web browser and creating a 4-digit PIN under [Settings] in [Security]. Additionally, the browser can be configured to run under a Proxy and can be protected by the security PIN to enable the use of web filtering or monitoring software through a network. Recently, TrendMicro™ for PSP was added as a feature that can be enabled via a subscription to filter or monitor content on the PSP.

Graphical user interface :

The PSP browser is slower compared to modern browsers and often runs out of memory due to limitation put in place by Sony. Alternatively, Homebrew has allowed a custom version of the browser to be released that utilizes all 32/64 MB of the PSP’s RAM, which allows the browser to load pages faster and have more memory for larger pages.^[Opera Mini can also be used on PSP via a Homebrew application known as PSPKVM which is a Sun Java Virtual Machine, that is much faster than the default browser and provides better web page capability.

The PSP's version of the XrossMediaBar (pronounced Cross Media Bar and abbreviation of XMB) includes seven categories of options. These include [Settings], [Photo, Music], [Video], [Game], [Network], and [PlayStation®Network]. The PSP has video files, stored on a Memory Stick Duo, monitor and save content from RSS channels, and send and receive photos wirelessly with other PSPs while in ad-hoc mode The PSP also includes the ability to customize the appearance of the XMB with different colors, photos, or themes. Although the XMB can be accessed at any time by pressing the Home button, the currently running application will exit before the XMB comes up (with the exception of a photo slideshow, and most of the applications in the “Network” column.). It is now also possible to change the appearance of the PSP with “theme” files, with there being few official ones and mostly user made, though legitimate, theme files. The PSP does not feature an in Game XMB like the PS3.

Remote Play

Remote Play allows the PSP to access many features of a PlayStation 3 console from a remote location using the PS3′s WLAN capabilities, a home network, or the Internet.Features that can be used with Remote Play include viewing photos and slideshows, listening to music, watching videos stored on the PS3′s HDD, and several other features.Additionally, Remote Play allows the PS3 to be turned on and off remotely and allows the PSP to control audio playback from the PS3 to a home theater system without having to use a television.Although most of the PS3′s capabilities are accessible with Remote Play, playback of DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, and PlayStation 2 games, most PlayStation 3games, and copy-protected files stored on the PS3′s hard drive are not supported

Home brew development

On June 15, 2005, hackers disassembled the code of the PSP and distributed it online. Initially the modified PSP allowed users to run custom code and a limited amount of protected software. Sony responded to this by repeatedly upgrading the software. Over time curious parties were able to unlock the firmware and allow users to run more custom content and more protected software. One of the ways hackers were able to run protected software on the PSP was through the creation of ISO loaders which could load copies of UMD games from the memory stick. Some hackers speculate that the creation of the ISO loader is the reason for increased PSP sales, but reduced sales of PSP games.

Some videos:

The first conceptions of the PlayStation date back to 1986 in Japan where it was created. Nintendo had been attempting to work with disc technology since the Famicom, but the medium had problems. Its rewritable magnetic nature could be easily erased (thus leading to a lack of durability), and the discs were a copyright infringement danger. Consequently, when details ofCDROM/XA (an extension of the CD-ROM format that combines compressed audio, visual and computer data, allowing all to be accessed simultaneously) came out, Nintendo was interested. CD-ROM/XA was being simultaneously developed by Sony andPhilips. Nintendo had later declined Phillips. Nintendo approached Sony to develop a CD-ROM add-on, tentatively titled the “SNES-CD”. A contract was signed, and work began. Nintendo’s choice of Sony was due to a prior dealing: Ken Kutaragi, the person who would later be dubbed “The Father of PlayStation”, was the individual who had sold Nintendo on using the Sony SPC-700 processor for use as the eight-channel ADPCM sound synthesis set in the Super Famicom/SNES console through an impressive demonstration of the processor’s capabilities.

Sony also planned to develop a Super Famicom-compatible, Sony-branded console, but one which would be more of a home entertainment system playing both Super Nintendo cartridges and a new CD format which Sony would design. This was also to be the format used in SNES-CD discs, giving a large degree of control to Sony despite Nintendo’s leading position in the video gaming market.

The SNES-CD was to be announced at the May 1991 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). However, when Hiroshi Yamauchi read the original 1988 contract between Sony and Nintendo, he realized that the earlier agreement essentially handed Sony complete control over any and all titles written on the SNES CD-ROM format. Yamauchi decided that the contract was totally unacceptable and he secretly canceled all plans for the joint Nintendo-Sony SNES CD attachment. Instead of announcing a partnership between Sony and Nintendo, at 9 a.m. the day of the CES, Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln stepped onto the stage and revealed that Nintendo was now allied with Philips, after turning down their idea. Nintendo was planning on abandoning all the previous work Nintendo and Sony had accomplished. Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa had, unbeknownst to Sony, flown to Philips headquarters in Europe and formed an alliance of a decidedly different nature—one that would give Nintendo total control over its licenses on Philips machines.

After the collapse of the joint project, Sony considered halting their research, but ultimately the company decided to use what they had developed so far and make it into a complete, stand alone console. As a result, Nintendo filed a lawsuit claiming breach of contract and attempted, in U.S. federal court, to obtain an injunction against the release of the PlayStation, on the grounds that Nintendo owned the name. The federal judge presiding over the case denied the injunction and, in October 1991, the first incarnation of the new Sony PlayStation was revealed. However, it is theorized that only 200 or so of these machines were ever produced.

By the end of 1992, Sony and Nintendo reached a deal whereby the “Sony Play Station” would still have a port for SNES games, but Nintendo would own the rights and receive the bulk of the profits from the games, and the SNES would continue to use the Sony-designed audio chip. However, Sony decided in early 1993 to begin reworking the “PlayStation” concept to target a new generation of hardware and software. As part of this process the SNES cartridge port was dropped and the space between the names was removed, thereby ending Nintendo’s involvement with the project.

The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, North America on September 9, 1995, Europe on September 29, 1995, and Oceania in November 15, 1995. The launch price in the American market was US$299 (a price point later used by its successor, the PlayStation 2), and Sony enjoyed a very successful launch with titles of almost every genre, including Battle Arena Toshinden, Warhawk, Air Combat, and Philosoma, and Ridge Racer. Almost all of Sony’s and Namco‘s launch titles went on to spawn numerous sequels.

Consumer models

Specialty models

Successors

Sony’s successor to the PlayStation is the PlayStation 2, which is backward compatible with its predecessor in that it can play almost every PlayStation game. Unlike emulators that run on a PC, the PlayStation 2 actually contains the original PlayStation processor, allowing games to run exactly as they do on the PlayStation. For PlayStation 2 games this processor, called the IOP, is used for input and output (memory cards,DVD drive, network, and hard drive). Like its predecessor, the PlayStation 2 is based on hardware developed by Sony itself.

The third generation of the PlayStation known as the PlayStation 3 (abbreviated PS3), was launched on November 11, 2006 in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe. The PlayStation 3 was initially backward compatible with all games that were originally made for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, but due to the removal of the PlayStation 2 Emotion Engine Chip after the introduction of the 40 GB version, the capability to play PlayStation 2 discs is limited now to software emulation, and the capability to play original PlayStation games is still possible. While PS3 games are not region-locked, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games still only play on a PS3 console from the same territory.

The redesigned PlayStation with an LCD Screen and DualShock controller

the memorycard

Some videos of psone and videogames:

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Thanks to youtube and the videos users!!!