PlayStation Portable
Sony Computer Entertainment first announced development of the PlayStation Portable at a press conference preceding E3 2003. CEO Ken Kutaragi called the device the Walkman of the 21st century, referencing its multimedia capabilities. Several gaming websites were impressed with the handheld's computing capabilities and looked forward to its potential as a gaming platform. The first concept images appeared at a Sony corporate strategy meeting in November 2003, featuring flat buttons and no analog joystick. Although some reviewers expressed concern about the lack of an analog stick, these fears were allayed when the PSP was officially unveiled at the Sony press conference during E3 2004. Sony released a list of 99 developer companies that pledged support for the new handheld. Game demos such as Konami's Metal Gear Acid and Studio Liverpool's Wipeout Pure were shown at the conference.
On the 18th of October 2004, Sony announced that the PSP base model would launch in Japan on December 11 that year for ¥19,800. The Value System launched for ¥24,800. The launch was a success, with over 200,000 units sold on the first day of sales. Color variations were sold in bundle packs costing around $200. On the 3rd of February 2005, Sony announced that the PSP would be released in North America on March 24 for an MSRP of US$249/CA$299. Some commentators expressed concern over the high price, which was almost US$20 higher than the Japanese model and over $100 higher than the Nintendo DS. Despite concerns, the PSP's North American launch was a success; Sony said 500,000 units were sold in the first two days of sales. The PAL region launch occurred on the 1st of September 2005, for €249/£179. All stock of the PSP in the UK sold out within three hours of its launch, more than doubling the previous first-day sales record set by the Nintendo DS.
The original PlayStation Portable measures approximately 170 millimeters long and weighs 280 grams. It features a 480 × 272 pixel display resolution with 24-bit color. The system uses two 333 MHz MIPS32 R4000 R4k-based CPUs and includes 32 MB main RAM. The PSP-2000, marketed as the Slim & Lite, is slimmer and lighter than the original. At E3 2007, Sony released information about this redesign, which first appeared in Hong Kong on the 30th of August 2007. The internal memory doubled from 32 MB to 64 MB to improve loading times. The PSP-3000 featured an improved LCD screen with five times the contrast ratio and anti-reflective technology. A microphone was added to this model, and games could be output via component or composite video. The PSP Go, released the 1st of October 2009, lacked a UMD drive and instead had 16 GB of internal flash memory. This unit was 43% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP-1000.
The PlayStation Portable runs custom System Software that can be updated over the Internet. The most recent version, numbered 6.61, was released on the 15th of January 2015. Updates added features including a web browser, Adobe Flash support, and additional codecs for media. The PSP Internet Browser supports HTTP cookies, forms, CSS, and basic JavaScript. Remote Play allows users to access PS3 features like viewing photos and listening to music stored on connected devices. Starting with firmware 3.90, the PSP-2000, 3000, and Go could use Skype VoIP service over Wi-Fi. SensMe software categorizes music files into moods and creates automatic playlists. Sony partnered with publishers such as Marvel Comics and Disney to release digitized comics through the Digital Comics Reader application. The Comic section premiered in Japan in 2009 and launched in English-speaking countries later that year. Sony shut down the Digital Comics service in September 2012.
There were 1,370 games released for the PSP during its ten-year lifespan. Launch titles included Ape Escape: On the Loose, Darkstalkers Chronicle, and Wipeout Pure. The best-selling PSP game is Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, which sold 7.5 million copies as of the 20th of July 2013. Other top sellers include Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Gran Turismo. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker received a perfect score from Famitsū. By the 31st of March 2007, the console had shipped 25.39 million units worldwide. In Europe, the PSP sold four million units in 2006 and 3.1 million in 2007. From 2006 to the third quarter of 2010, the PSP sold 53 million units. Shipments to North America ended in January 2014, with sales ending in Japan on the 3rd of June 2014. During its lifetime, the PSP sold 80 million fewer units than the Nintendo DS.
In late 2005, Sony hired graffiti artists to spray-paint advertisements for the PSP in seven major U.S. cities including New York City and Atlanta. A year later, a poster campaign in England bearing the slogan Take a running jump here was removed from a Manchester Piccadilly station tram platform due to concerns it might encourage suicide. Later in 2006, billboard advertisements in the Netherlands depicting a white woman holding a black woman by the jaw spread controversy. These ads were interpreted as racially charged and withdrawn after international press coverage. Sony came under scrutiny online in December 2006 for a guerrilla marketing campaign where advertisers posed as young bloggers wanting a PSP. The site alliwantforxmasisapsp.com featured downloadable greetings cards and videos of Cousin Pete rapping about the handheld. At E3 2010, Sony created a fictional character named Marcus Rivers played by child-actor Bobb'e J. Thompson for their Step Your Game Up advertising campaign. The character was eventually discontinued due to negative reception.
Hardware shipments of the PSP ended worldwide in 2014. Production of Universal Media Discs ended when the last Japanese factory producing them closed in late 2016. The PlayStation Vita succeeded the PSP line, released first in Japan in 2011 and worldwide a year later. The Vita has backward compatibility with PSP games released on the PlayStation Network through the PlayStation Store. Sony shut down access to the store from the PSP on the 31st of March 2016. Retro City Rampage DX, released July 2016, became the final PSP game that was released. In February 2010, reports indicated Sony might re-launch the PSP Go due to poor sales. On the 20th of April 2011, the manufacturer announced discontinuation of the PSP Go outside North America to concentrate on the PlayStation Vita. The system sold over 80 million units during its ten-year lifetime before fading into history.
Common questions
When was the PlayStation Portable first announced?
Sony Computer Entertainment first announced development of the PlayStation Portable at a press conference preceding E3 2003. CEO Ken Kutaragi called the device the Walkman of the 21st century, referencing its multimedia capabilities.
What were the launch prices for the PlayStation Portable in Japan and North America?
The PSP base model launched in Japan on the 11th of December 2004 for ¥19,800 while the Value System launched for ¥24,800. Sony released the PSP in North America on the 24th of March 2005 with an MSRP of US$249/CA$299.
How many units did the PlayStation Portable sell during its ten-year lifespan?
The system sold over 80 million units during its ten-year lifetime before fading into history. From 2006 to the third quarter of 2010, the PSP sold 53 million units globally.
Which models of the PlayStation Portable exist and when were they released?
The original PlayStation Portable measures approximately 170 millimeters long and weighs 280 grams. The PSP-2000 appeared in Hong Kong on the 30th of August 2007 and the PSP Go was released on the 1st of October 2009.
When did hardware shipments and production of Universal Media Discs end for the PlayStation Portable?
Hardware shipments of the PSP ended worldwide in 2014. Production of Universal Media Discs ended when the last Japanese factory producing them closed in late 2016.