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PlayStation Portable Buying Guide

Until now, the hand-held gaming field has been dominated by Nintendo  products, but the PlayStation Portable  (affectionately known as the PSP ) is a strong alternative.  Not only is it a gaming system, but you can store pictures, surf the Internet, and play music and video files on it.  Interested?

The Skinny

The PSP is a portable version of the Sony PlayStation that débuted in Europe in 2005. It is the first hand-held gaming system to used a large-capacity optical disc format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), for primary storage.  Therefore, not only can you store your Final Fantasy VII  progress, but you can also save movies and other media.  In addition, the console offers a large viewing screen and advanced graphics, so you'll never have to squint to see what is going on.  Another plus is that system hardware can be upgraded online at no cost: you'll be able to find support for web browsers, multiple language support, RSS feeds, flash animation capabilities, and TV viewing.

However, despite its favourable reception, the PSP is not without its disadvantages as well.  Most games tend to be slightly downgraded copies of PS2 games.  Given its fairly hefty cost (usually around £130) and the fact that will probably want to accessorize, the value you get for the price could be a significant issue to consider.  Furthermore, the lack of dual analogue sticks could make first-person shooter games somewhat awkward, and the speaker system is somewhat weak, so you might want to invest in headphones.  Finally, "portable" is a relative term--the system will not fit easily into normal pockets, so purchasing a carrying case might be in order.

PSP Accessories

Related Guides

PSP Games

Nintendo DS Lite

Game Boy Micro

PlayStation

Xbox

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