The Sony PSP features a large 4.3-inch 16:9 wide screen LCD TFT screen with a 480x272 resolution, button layout similar to the PlayStation with a digital control pad, an analog stick, circle, triangle, square, x, and two shoulder buttons, USB 2.0 connectivity, a Memory Stick Duo media slot, and 802.11b WiFi support. The Standard Edition PSP comes with the PSP itself, a battery, an AC adapter, and a manual, along with Ridge Racers and Minna No Golf Portable.

Rumor, or maybe expectations of a redesigned PlayStation portable began as soon as Nintendo showed the world how much better a handheld can get after an upgrade. Sony always took the position that there were no plans for a second release of its portable, although they never denied the possibility of revised hardware for the PSP. That is, until a Sony executive in the UK, Ray Maguire, was caught on record in early March saying that the then current PSP was just the “first iteration” of the handheld, and that a future version of the system would be smaller and lighter than the current PSP.

PSP, which stands for PlayStation Portable, PSP Analog Stick 2 (Compatible with All PSP) Nak 31002 is manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment, and later that same month they announced a new firmware upgrade for the system, version 3.30, enabling PSP users to play compatible games online, surf the Web, and download podcasts at more than 7,000 T-Mobile hotspot locations, including select Starbucks coffee shops, Borders bookstores, Hyatt hotels, and more than 70 major airports across the United States.

On June 29, Sony announced a new PlayStation Portable firmware over at its website for Japan. This development, christened firmware 3.51, is still rather cloaked in secrecy, as the only known change implemented to it is a fix for certain security vulnerability. The very same firmware appeared on PlayStation UK and Sony is still keeping mum if there are any changes made to it.

What you already know about the PSP is that it is a piece of equipment built to go out there and kill in the portable arena. This is Sony Computer Entertainment’s first appearance into the portable gaming market, and it’s now a competitor to Nintendo’s long-running Game Boy area monopoly of handheld systems. The PSP is a powerful, next-generation piece of hardware compacted into a portable format.

The introduction of Sony’s PlayStation Portable was the moment portable game consoles stopped being toys. Sony created the Universal Media Disc, a sort of miniaturized DVD cartridge that holds 1.8 gigabytes to ensure that the PSP’s games took advantage of all its power, giving developers an unprecedented amount of space to create the best looking and most sophisticated games ever made for a portable.

The PSP, put simply, is the most important thing to happen to the video game industry since the launch of the original PlayStation. It is a triumph of design, and it looks incredible even before you switch it on. The screen is perfect for watching movies as well as for playing games, and the image produced by the display is just out of this world. The most common drawback seems to be the problem of dead pixels on the screen, with some users reporting as many as ten. Still, it’s hard to notice dead pixels when you’re playing games and watching movies, so the PSP gets a definite thumbs-up.