Everything about Sony Psp totally explained
The
PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated
PSP) is a
handheld game console manufactured and marketed by
Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was first 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, Although some expressed concern over the lack of an analog joystick, these 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.
Launch
On
October 17,
2004, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in
Japan on
December 12,
2004 at a price of
¥19,800 (about
US$185) for the base model and ¥24,800 (about US$230) for the Value System. The console's launch was a success with over 200,000 units sold the first day.
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 wasn't 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, 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$100 higher than in North America, by pointing out that North American consumers had to pay local
sales taxes and that the
GST was higher in the UK than the US. Despite the high price, the console's PAL region launch was a resounding success, selling more than 185,000 units in the
UK alone, more than doubling the previous first-day sales record of 87,000 units set by the
Nintendo DS. The system also enjoyed great success in other areas of the PAL region with more than 25,000 units preordered in
Australia and nearly one million units sold across
Europe in the first week.
Variations
Retail configurations
The PSP is sold in two main configurations that differ in which accessories are included. The basic unit package or Base Pack (called the Core Pack in North America This version was available at launch in Japan The Core Pack currently retails for
CA$/
US$169.99,
¥19,800,
HK$1,280 or $1,360 (depending on the color),
S$280,
AU$279.95,
NZ$299.95,
€169.99, and
£129.99.
The Value Pack includes everything in the Base Pack as well as a 32
MB Memory Stick Pro Duo, headphones with remote control, a carrying pouch, and a wrist strap. ¥26,040, HK$1660, AU$399.95, and NZ$449.95.
Many limited edition versions of the PSP that include various accessories, games, or movies have also been released.
Colors
The PSP is currently available in nine colors. These include piano black, ceramic white, icy silver, rose pink, deep red, champagne gold, felicia blue, mint green, and lavender purple. Only the piano black model is available in all regions. The icy silver, ceramic white, and deep red versions are available as stand-alone models in Asia and as part of the "Daxter", "Star Wars Battlefront", and "God of War" entertainment packs in North America (with a
Darth Vader silkscreen on the ceramic white model and a
Kratos silkscreen on the deep red model). The rose pink, champagne gold, felicia blue, and lavender purple versions are only available in Asia and the mint green model is exclusive to Japan. Several other special edition models, such as the camouflage PSP, have also been released. It also
caches
UMD data in memory to decrease game loading times. The WLAN switch has been moved to the top where the old IR receiver was to avoid accidental switching, and the speakers have been moved from the bottom of the screen to nearer the top, to prevent users from accidentally blocking the speakers with their hands.
Sales
As of
March 31,
2007, the PSP has shipped 25.39 million units worldwide with 6.92 million in Asia, 9.58 million in North America, and 8.89 million Europe. In Europe, the PSP sold 4 million units
in 2006 and 3.1 million
in 2007 according to estimates by
Electronic Arts. In Japan, during the week of
March 24 –
March 30,
2008, the PSP nearly outsold all the other game consoles combined with 129,986 units sold, some of which were bundled with
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, which was the best-selling game in that week, according to
Media Create.
Further Information
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