PSP

The PSP in Australia page provides you with links to sites where you can read reviews of games and software, previews of upcoming games and get in touch with other gamers.  You can share your opinions, solve your problems and look for the latest PSP software online.

The Playstation Portable allows you to access games, video, music and the internet wherever you are.  Its high resolution screen means that, despite its small size, you can still get a good quality picture.

While it hasn’t entirely lived up to Sony’s pre-release hype, the PSP is proving popular worldwide, with its portable size and multiple functions.

Whether you’re looking for a PSP of your own, more games for the PSP you already have or just news about new releases, the internet is the only place to get the information you need.

PSP Specifications - -

The Sony PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment. The PlayStation Portable was first announced in 2003 and was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference.

The PSP was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, the United States and Canada on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005.

The PSP offers users games, video, music, photos, as well as internet functionality.

PSP ACCESSORIES and PSP VARIATIONS

In all regions, the PSP is available as part of the PSP Value Pack or PSP Core Pack, and in most regions it is also available as part of a PSP Giga Pack.

PSP VALUE PACK

The Value Pack contains the console, battery, a 32 MB Memory Stick Pro Duo, earphones with remote control, a slip-case, a wrist strap, and a Sampler Disc (not all regions), for AUD $399.00 and NZD $429.99*. [* prices correct at time of writing Aug 06]


CERAMIC WHITE PSP

On July 21, 2005, Sony announced during an event in Tokyo, Japan that there would be a ceramic white PSP version. This variation is the same as the black PlayStation Portable except that it has a higher D-pad, higher non-clear buttons and an improved volume system. It was released on September 15, 2005 in Japan and was later released in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, and Europe. Sony has not announced plans to release the white PlayStation Portable in North America.

PSP GIGA PACK

On October 20, 2005, Sony announced the PSP Giga pack, which contains a 1 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, a USB Cable, and a stand. It also contains all of the other accessories found in the standard PlayStation Portable Value Pack, except for the hand strap. The Giga Pack was released in all territories in between October and November 2005. The PSP Giga pack is still available in all territories except North America.

PSP ACCESSORIES

Optional accessories offered by Sony include the PlayStation Portable headset, carrying case, extended-life 2200 mAh battery, headphones with remote control, battery charger, car adaptor, accessories pouch and cleaning cloth, AC adaptor, and system pouch and wrist strap.

PSP CODEC COMPATABILITY

Audio
MP3
ATRAC3
WMA (requires firmware 2.60 and acceptance of license agreement to activate WMA playback capability via wireless Internet)
AAC (requires firmware 2.00. iTunes AAC files are compatible when renamed from .M4A to .MP4. This restriction was removed with firmware 2.70.)
WAV (Linear PCM)
MP4 (Container format)
AAC
3GP (requires firmware 2.80)

Video
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 Part 2
MPEG-4 Part 10 (H.264/AVC)
SWF (Adobe Systems Flash 6 support. Requires firmware 2.70 and acceptance of license agreement to activate via wireless Internet.)

Images
JPEG
GIF
BMP
TIF
PNG

PSP WIRELESS NETWORKING

The PSP can connect to a wireless network through Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b which allows it to surf the web or connect to other PlayStation Portable units for multiplayer gaming world-wide.

PSP UPDATE

Firmware 2.00 was released on July 27, 2005 for Japanese PlayStation Portables, and August 24, 2005 for North American PlayStation Portables. The update included a web browser and support for connecting to networks with WPA and WEP encryption.

PSP and SONY PLAYSTATION 3

Sony has stated that the PSP is able to connect and interact with the PlayStation 3.

PSP INFRARED

The PSP features an IrDA port located on the top left of the device (however this is not currently used by any games).

There are homebrew (home made 3rd party) applications which use the PSP as a TV remote controller, such as:

PSP IR Remote,
PSP Universal Remote,
PSP Phillips Remote,
Sony Wega TV Remote,
iR Commander & iR Shell.

Other homebrew applications use the IR for other purposes such as:

IrDA PDA to PSP, which allows the use of a PDA as a text input device for the PSP.
IRDA Capture, which allows to store raw IR dumps to the Memory Stick.
IRDA File Transfer, which allows for transfer files over IR.

PSP TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION (in 2006)

The unit measures 170 mm (6.7 in) in length, 74 mm (2.9 in) in width, and 23 mm (0.9 in) in depth.
H as a mass of 280 grams (a weight of 0.62 lbs) including the battery.
The TFT LCD screen measures 110 mm (4.3 in) diagonal with a 16:9 ratio and sports a 480×272 pixel resolution capable of 16.77 million colours.

The PlayStation Portable's main microprocessor is a multifunction device that includes a MIPS R4000-based CPU, hardware for multimedia decoding (such as H.264), as well as a vector unit dubbed "Virtual Mobile Engine". The MIPS CPU core is globally clocked between 1 and 333 MHz. During the 2005 GDC, Sony revealed that it had capped the PlayStation Portable's CPU clock at 222 MHz in software. Its reasons for doing so are unknown. (Various homebrew tools enable users to operate at 333 MHz, generally leading to a higher framerate at the expense of battery life.)

The system has 32 MiB main RAM and 4 MiB embedded DRAM.
There is no memory management unit for the CPU.

PSP POWER

The Sony PSP uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power (an AC adaptor is also included). The system's manual states that the PlayStation Portable is capable of three to six hours of gameplay, depending on the screen brightness or volume level selected, along with movie or game selection.
( On average the PSP battery life is around 4 or 5 hours. )

PSP FUTURE UPDATES

Future updates are expected to add Video and Voice Over IP (VOIP) support, using the upcoming PlayStation Portable EyeToy Camera.

Other additions will include GPS receiver support, Camera support and additional language fonts.

PSP GREATEST HITS GAMES

PSP Greatest Hits are games that have their price dropped from their original retail price to a lower price.
For a PSP game to achieve this status, a title must be on the market for at least 9 months and it must have sold 250,000 copies or more.

Here are a list of PSP games that are availiable, or will be availiable, to the Greatest Hits program:

PSP Ape Escape: On the Loose
PSP ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails

PSP Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee

PSP Lumines

PSP Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

PSP Ridge Racers

PSP Star Wars: Battlefront II

PSP Twisted Metal: Head On
PSP Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix

PSP Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade

PSP Wipeout Pure

The PSP Australia page should provide an excellent starting point for finding your ideal Sony PSP gaming package!

Playstation Website - http://au.playstation.com/

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, PSP® (PlayStation Portable) lets you enjoy games, music, films, photos and Internet - all at the touch of a button.

PSP® offers an unprecedented degree of entertainment freedom. From now on queuing can be fun and long journeys will never be long enough again.

Australian Gaming Website - http://palgn.com.au/

PALGN is one of Australia and Europe's most diverse and vibrant gaming websites, committed to bringing fresh and engaging content on the matters that concern gamers in PAL regions.

Launched in January 2002 as an answer to the US-centric nature of online games journalism, the site is dedicated to providing the latest news, previews, reviews and features for a range of over ten platforms, including PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, N-Gage, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

With a database of over 600 reviews and previews and a wide range of creative features, PALGN is firmly at the forefront of gaming journalism.

Online Games Store - http://www.gamezoo.com.au/

gamezoo - giving games a good home. Your online game store with the latest games, at great prices, delivered Australia wide.

Buy games for all brands of console online.

PSP Site - http://www.mypsp.com.au/

Australian PSP games, videos, news, forum, information.  Find out the latest about PSP and chat to other PSP users.

Games Retailer - http://www.ebgames.com.au/

EB Games is Australia and New Zealand’s largest video game retailer. With over 200 stores located throughout Australia and 30 in New Zealand, we are the retail destination for gamers.

Our EB Games and Electronics Boutique retail locations set us apart in the industry. Everything that we offer our customers—from our expansive selection of new products, to our knowledgeable associates and our value-added pre-owned products—is geared to deliver customer satisfaction. We complement our store network with EBGames.com.au and EBGames.co.nz.

Together, we hold a passion for gaming, a commitment to our industry and a disciplined business perspective to continuously drive value with customers, vendors and employees.