jovrea27
1st Oct '07 Mon, 14:12
Here are the most frequent questions that people are asking about the Sony PSP.
The Basics
This section is for people looking for basic Sony PlayStation Portable information or for people who know nothing about the PSP.
1.How much does the PSP cost?
North America:
$249 for Value Pack
$299 for Giga Pack
Japan:
24,800 Yen ($214 USD*) for the Value Pack.
19,800 Yen ($171 USD*) for the Standard Pack.
29,800 Yen ($258 USD*) for the Giga Pack.
UK/Europe:
£179.99 for Value Pack (249 Euros)
Australia:
$399.95 for Value Pack (Australian dollars)
* According to recent exchange rates, so this price can change everyday. Please note that the Japan price is NOT the price that import stores are selling the unit. It simply represents how much 19,800 yen is in U.S. dollars.
That's the official U.S. prices listed above. The prices at some major game retail stores are higher because those U.S. stores sometimes force people to buy "PSP bundles", which usually come with games and/or accessories you do not want. None the less, the standalone price is $249.99.
2. When was the PSP be released?
Japan: December 12, 2004
North America: March 24, 2005
Europe: September 1, 2005
Australia: September 1, 2005
Korea: May 2, 2005
One million units have been shipped to North American stores for the U.S. launch. To compare, Japan only received 200,000 units its first week, along with 300,000 units at the end of December -- making a total of about 500,000 units shipped in 2004.
The PSP came out in Europe on September 1, 2005. The system has been selling well in that region, and some online stores based in Europe are making people wait weeks before getting in new shipments.
3. What are the official specifications?
Full List of Specs and Features
4. I don't know much about the PSP. What is it capable of?
The PSP is capable of playing UMD-based (tiny optical discs) video games, music videos, and normal videos -- such as movies and TV shows. Games, movies, and music can be played via optical media or memory sticks. You can also visit web sites, check your web-based e-mail account(s), and play games with other people over the Internet or in a wireless LAN with PSPs in the same building. You can see a link to pictures almost at the very bottom of this page.
5. How much do games cost?
Between $39.99 - $49.99 for brand new games. Most first party titles (games published by Sony) are $39.99. Some games are sold for $29.99 the day they are released, but not many. PSP games in Japan are being sold at about $45 USD before tax.
6. Why is the price of PSP games the same as PlayStation 2 games? It should be cheaper!
In the past, the difference between handhelds and consoles were huge in terms of graphics, sound, and sometimes gameplay. Just look at the GBA compared to a GameCube for example. Because the PSP is capable of full 3D enviornments and high quality sound, the gap isn't as large as it used to be. Because of these technical aspects, it usually takes more effort and resources to create a quality PSP game compared to a GBA title.
7. What is the difference between the Value Pack, Giga Pack, and Standard PSP package?
--The U.S. value pack comes with a 32 MB Memory Stick Duo, headphones with a remote control on the cord, lithium-ion battery pack, AC adaptor, 1 year warranty, soft carrying case, cleaning cloth, movie/music/game sampler UMD disc, and a full UMD copy of the Sony Pictures Entertainment film, Spider-Man 2, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The Spider-Man 2 movie will only be given away with the first 1 million PSPs. Update: The first million PSP have been sold, so Spider-Man 2 does NOT officially come with the PSP anymore.
--The Giga Pack (available in Japan and North America in November) comes with everything in the value pack, except the 32 MB Memory Stick Duo has been replaced with a 1 GB Memory Stick Duo and there are additional items such as a simple stand to hold your PSP up while you watch movies on it. A free Mini-B USB cable has been tossed into the package, which is an essential item to get the most out of your PSP. The Giga pack has a blue box instead of a white box. The only thing that was removed from the value pack is the PSP hand strap.
--The Japanese standard PSP package comes with an AC adapter and battery pack (and of course instruction manuals, 1 year warranty card, and other related documents). If you didn't know, Japan uses the same voltage as North America, but a multivolt AC adapter will be included, which is good for European and Australian gamers.
--The Japanese value pack is more expensive and includes extra goodies, such as a 32MB Sony Memory Stick Duo, headphones with a remote control on the cord, and a soft carrying case with a hand strap. If you don't want the value pack, you can purchase the accessories seperately. All the extra accessories are in the screenshot gallery at the bottom of this page.
8. Will the standard package be available in the United States?
This is a common question. Sony Computer Entertaiment America currency has no plans for a standard pack.
9. Does it come with a demo disc?
Select stores gave out demo discs at the PSP launch in Japan. As I stated in question #4, all U.S. units come with a demo disc. It includes multiple non-interactive game demos. In other words, there are no games that you can actually play on the disc.
10. Can I get it in any other color aside for black?
Yes, Japanese PSPs now come in a ceramic white color since September 15, 2005. Ceramic white accessories will also be released. It will cost the same as the standard black systems. No new colors has been announced for the U.S. or European markets, so I don't know when (if ever) they will be available.
11. What is the battery life for the PSP?
The lithium-ion battery offers a play time of 4 to 6 hours for games, and 4 to 5 hours for movies (long enough to watch the entire movie), and 10 hours for music. In order to get at least 6 hours for gaming, and 5 hours for movies, you will need to be using headphones with the volume turned down to half of the max setting or less, the backlight turned down to the minimum setting, and the wireless LAN mode should be turned off.
You can set the backlight to turn off automatically after a certain amount of time to also save power. However, when the backlight is off, it is impossible to see the screen clearly no matter how much light is around you.
Also, simple looking games last longer because they demand less power from the CPU and memory compard to better looking games. Additional batteries can be bought for around $40 to $50. Just swap out the dying battery for a fresh one, or you can use an external battery if you don't want to pop open the PSP battery cover each time.
During my own personal tests, I managed to get 4 hours and 36 minutes of battery life when playing Ridge Racers with the screen brightness set to full and headphone volume set to half.
12. So the PSP doesn't have an internal battery?
Originally, Sony intended to have a built-in internal battery that couldn't be easily removed. If you wanted extra battery life, you'd have to buy an external battery that attaches to the outside. Now, the main battery still goes inside, but you can easily remove the back cover, take it out, and swap it with a secondary battery.
Update: A 3rd party external battery is now available from Pelican (a long time developer of game accessories). It is called a Pelican PSP Power Brick ($19.99), and it recharges the PSP's internal battery instead of replacing it. The best part is that the power brick is much cheaper than an official PSP battery.
Update 2: There are two new PSP battery solutions now available. The first one is an extranal battery similar to the Pelican battery described above, but this 3800mAh Battery Pack is more powerful. And at only $24.99, it is a must have for long car and plane trips considering that it can boost your battery life by 3 times.
If you don't like external batteries, you can get one that attaches to the PSP for $15. Clip-on 1800mAh Battery Pack.
13. Why isn't the battery life longer?
You must understand that Sony cannot simply invent a new type of battery overnight. Lithium-ion is the most practical and mainstream type of battery for portable consumer electronic devices right now, and it is commonly used in cellphones, laptops, MP3 players, and more. The component that will be drawing the most energy is the 4.3 inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD. How high you set the brightness of the LCD will greatly affect battery life. Sony could have easily placed a lower quality, less demanding screen into the PSP, but that would not make it any more appealing than the Nintendo DS. Sony knew that if it was going to enter the handheld market, it would have to offer something even better than the Nintendo DS.
Some people are claiming that the low battery life is a design flaw, which is false. If you look at portable DVD players from Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, etc; you will notice that they all have limited battery life. You'd be lucky to get even 3 hours out of most portable DVD players. In addition, Ken Kutaragi has said that he hopes to expand battery life in the future, and that the revolutionary Sony Walkman only had 2 hours of battery life when it first came out.
So why doesn't Sony ship the PSP with a more powerful battery like you can buy from 3rd party companies? Probably to keep the cost of the system down.
14. Can I charge my battery and play my PSP at the same time? How long does it take to charge?
Yes, you can play and charge at the same time. It takes a little over 2 hours to charge a completely empty battery. The power indicator light remains orange when the battery is charging and it turns back to green when it is full. On a related note, new Toshiba batteries that can recharge in one minute will be available in 2006.
Please note that lithium-ion batteries prefer to be charged when they are partially depleted. Do not always fully deplete them like you would with a nickel-cadmium battery -- only do it about once a month. For example, if there is 38% of battery life left, charge it back to 100% when possible instead of waiting until it reaches 1% to charge it. If you only charge the battery when it reaches 1%, it won't damage your PSP, but the battery will go "bad" a little more quickly (even rechargable batteries don't last forever).
15. Does the PSP have any anti-skip technology for when I'm on the go?
If you look at the battery life, you'll notice that games last a little longer than movies. This is because the PSP is not always reading the game disc, so the disc is not always spinning. It stores as much as it can into memory and reads it from there, which uses a little less battery power and should help make it less prone to skipping. With movies, the PSP almost constantly reads the movie disc and plays it from there. If you play a DVD movie in your computer, you can see that the activity light is always blinking unless you pause the DVD.
Most of you will be listening to audio from the memory stick, which makes it virtually impossible for skipping, since it involves no moving parts. With audio discs, I assume that most of the music can be stored into memory, but I might be wrong.
16. Are there password protected parental controls to prevent minors from watching R-rated movies and games?
Yes, but they must be enabled by the owner first. Unlike the PS2, the parental controls also affect games. For example, they can be set to not play Mature rated games, but allowed to play Teen rated games. Parental controls are also available on the Japanese and European version.
17. Can I play PS1 and PS2 games on the PSP?
No, PlayStation 2 discs won't fit, and even if it was possible to get the game onto the memory stick, the code would have to be optimized for the PSP. However, there are PSP games based on the popular PS2 titles, such as Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, SOCOM, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Metal Gear, NBA Live, Need for Speed Underground, Ridge Racer, etc. See question #20 for a bigger list of games.
18. Can I attach devices to the USB port?
Yes, it can handle USB keyboards and USB cameras. However, unlike Windows XP, the PSP does not keep a large driver database, so it won't be able to support such devices out of the box. Sony may issue firmware updates which would enable it to use keyboards, cameras, printers, etc.
19. Is there a USB 2.0 port on the PSP? If yes, can I connect it to my PC?
Yes and yes. But if you want to connect it with your PC, you must purchase a mini-b USB cable for about $5 (if you pay $8 or more, you are getting ripped off), or buy a PSP Giga Pack, which already comes with the USB cable. Mini-B USB is smaller than regular USB ports. In this picture, you can see a regular "A" connector (left) next to a "B" connector (right). Update: For best results, use Windows 2000 or Windows XP, because earlier versions of Windows may not recognize the PSP when you connect it via USB. Mac OS X and Linux is also compatible with the PSP.
At this time, there is no reason to connect your PSP to a PC, except to transfer movies, photos, and music files between the two. (Unless you are good with programming and cracking/hacking).
Update: If you're a more visual person, you can view official flash tutorials on Sony's site on how to transfer files to your PSP. Transferring PSP Video Tutorials
20. What are some games available/coming out for the PSP?
U.S. Games
50 Cent: Bulletproof
Adventure Player
Advent Shadow
Amored Core: Formula Front
Ape Escape Academy 2
Ape Escape Academy
Ape Escape: On the Loose
ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails
Axel Impact International
Batman Begins
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Black and White Creatures
Bleach: Heat the Soul 2
Bleach: Heat the Soul
BloodRayne
Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damacy
Bomberman Panic Bombers
Bounty Hounds
Breath of Fire III
Burnout Legends
Coded Arms
Colin McRae Rally 2005
Comic Party Portable
Crash Tag Team Racing
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (2006)
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
Daxter
Dead to Rights: Reckoning
Death Jr
Def Jam: Fight for NY
Devil May Cry PSP
Dynasty Warriors
F1 Grand Prix
Field Commander
FIFA Soccer 06
FIFA Soccer
FIFA Street 2
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Movie)
Final Fantasy VII - Crisis Core
Free Running
Frogger Helmet Havoc
Generation of Chaos
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Ghost Rider
Godfather, The
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Gran Turismo 4 Mobile
GripShift
Guilty Gear Judgement
Guilty Gear XX #Reload
Gun
Gundam Battle Tactics
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Hayarigami Portable
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Infected
Initial D Street Stage
Intelligent License
Irregular Hunter X [Megaman X]
Jitsuwa Kaidan: Shinmimi Bukuro
Katamari Damacy
Kingdom of Paradise
Kings Field
Lemmings (PSP)
Legend of Heroes, The
Lord of the Rings: Tactics
Lumines
Mega Man Dash 2
Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Mega Man
MediEvil Resurrection
Mercury
Metal Gear Acid 2
Metal Gear Acid
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Monster Hunter Portable
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner
Mortal Kombat: Deception Unchained
MVP Baseball
Naruto
NBA
NBA Street Showdown
Need for Speed Most Wanted 5-1-0
Need for Speed Underground Rivals
Neopets Petpet Adventure: The Wand of Wishing
NFL Street 2 Unleashed
One Piece
Pac-Man World 3
Persona
Pilot Academy
PoPoLoCrois
Portable Resort
Prince of Persia
Princess Crown
Pursuit Force
Puyo Puyo Fever 2
Rengoku 2
Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory
Ridge Racer
Rockman Dash 2
Rockman Rockman
Romance of the Three Kingdoms V
Samurai Warriors
Shinki Gensou SS II Unlimited Side
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Sims 2, The
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo
Sonic PSP
Spider-Man 2
Splinter Cell
SSX On Tour
Star Soldier
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper
Suikoden PSP
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
Tales of Eternia
Talkman
Tenchu: Shinobi Taizen
The Legend of Heroes
The Sims 2
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
TOCA Race Driver 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix
Twelve Sengoku Houshinden
Twisted Metal: Head On
Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade
Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code
Viewtiful Joe VFX Battle
Virtua Tennis: World Tour
Wipeout Pure
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
Worms
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
Note: This is near complete list of U.S. and some Japanese PSP games.
21. Do you have any PSP demonstration movies?
Yes, you can download one here: PSP Demo Movie. This 3 MB movie talks about the LCD, USB port, and shows you how to insert the UMD. It's in Japanese, but you can still understand what is going on. If you're looking for PSP game movies, you can find them in the media section of this site. Update: Here are some more PSP game trailers released by Sony: PSP Tokyo Game Show 2004 Movies
22. Can I browse web sites wirelessly using my PSP?
Yes, as long as you have a PSP with firmware version 2.00 or higher. There is a hidden browser in the game Wipeout Pure for people who refuse to update to 2.00, but it is very slow. The official browser is faster and has more features.
23. Does the PSP come with a warranty?
Yes, it comes with a 1 year warranty. The new slim PS2 also has 1 year, while the older model PlayStation 2s only came with 90 days.
24. How well is the PlayStation Portable selling?
The PSP is selling well and it is on track for becoming a successful system for Sony. But it is behind the Nintendo DS in sales despite being more powerful, because the DS came out first and in time for Christmas, it is cheaper, the GameBoy/DS brand is much more well known to the average consumer, and it has more innovative games right now. In addition, the PSP had a large number of titles at launch, but the stream of new games is rather weak. It is picking up though.
Believe it or not, but Sony has sold more PSPs in North America than Asia. As of July 21, 2005, 5.07 million units has been shipped worldwide (2.74 million in North America and 2.33 million in Japan and other Asian territories). Game and UMD movie sales has also been much better in the U.S. than Japan.
25. What are some cheap ways to boost the PSP's battery life?
A 3rd party external battery is available from Pelican (a long time developer of game accessories). It is called a Pelican PSP Power Brick ($19.99), and it recharges the PSP's internal battery instead of replacing it. The best part is that the power brick is much cheaper than an official PSP battery.
There are two other PSP battery solutions now available. The first one is an extranal battery similar to the Pelican battery described above, but this 3800mAh Battery Pack is more powerful. And at only $24.99, it is a must have for long car and plane trips considering that it can boost your battery life by 3 times.
The Basics
This section is for people looking for basic Sony PlayStation Portable information or for people who know nothing about the PSP.
1.How much does the PSP cost?
North America:
$249 for Value Pack
$299 for Giga Pack
Japan:
24,800 Yen ($214 USD*) for the Value Pack.
19,800 Yen ($171 USD*) for the Standard Pack.
29,800 Yen ($258 USD*) for the Giga Pack.
UK/Europe:
£179.99 for Value Pack (249 Euros)
Australia:
$399.95 for Value Pack (Australian dollars)
* According to recent exchange rates, so this price can change everyday. Please note that the Japan price is NOT the price that import stores are selling the unit. It simply represents how much 19,800 yen is in U.S. dollars.
That's the official U.S. prices listed above. The prices at some major game retail stores are higher because those U.S. stores sometimes force people to buy "PSP bundles", which usually come with games and/or accessories you do not want. None the less, the standalone price is $249.99.
2. When was the PSP be released?
Japan: December 12, 2004
North America: March 24, 2005
Europe: September 1, 2005
Australia: September 1, 2005
Korea: May 2, 2005
One million units have been shipped to North American stores for the U.S. launch. To compare, Japan only received 200,000 units its first week, along with 300,000 units at the end of December -- making a total of about 500,000 units shipped in 2004.
The PSP came out in Europe on September 1, 2005. The system has been selling well in that region, and some online stores based in Europe are making people wait weeks before getting in new shipments.
3. What are the official specifications?
Full List of Specs and Features
4. I don't know much about the PSP. What is it capable of?
The PSP is capable of playing UMD-based (tiny optical discs) video games, music videos, and normal videos -- such as movies and TV shows. Games, movies, and music can be played via optical media or memory sticks. You can also visit web sites, check your web-based e-mail account(s), and play games with other people over the Internet or in a wireless LAN with PSPs in the same building. You can see a link to pictures almost at the very bottom of this page.
5. How much do games cost?
Between $39.99 - $49.99 for brand new games. Most first party titles (games published by Sony) are $39.99. Some games are sold for $29.99 the day they are released, but not many. PSP games in Japan are being sold at about $45 USD before tax.
6. Why is the price of PSP games the same as PlayStation 2 games? It should be cheaper!
In the past, the difference between handhelds and consoles were huge in terms of graphics, sound, and sometimes gameplay. Just look at the GBA compared to a GameCube for example. Because the PSP is capable of full 3D enviornments and high quality sound, the gap isn't as large as it used to be. Because of these technical aspects, it usually takes more effort and resources to create a quality PSP game compared to a GBA title.
7. What is the difference between the Value Pack, Giga Pack, and Standard PSP package?
--The U.S. value pack comes with a 32 MB Memory Stick Duo, headphones with a remote control on the cord, lithium-ion battery pack, AC adaptor, 1 year warranty, soft carrying case, cleaning cloth, movie/music/game sampler UMD disc, and a full UMD copy of the Sony Pictures Entertainment film, Spider-Man 2, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The Spider-Man 2 movie will only be given away with the first 1 million PSPs. Update: The first million PSP have been sold, so Spider-Man 2 does NOT officially come with the PSP anymore.
--The Giga Pack (available in Japan and North America in November) comes with everything in the value pack, except the 32 MB Memory Stick Duo has been replaced with a 1 GB Memory Stick Duo and there are additional items such as a simple stand to hold your PSP up while you watch movies on it. A free Mini-B USB cable has been tossed into the package, which is an essential item to get the most out of your PSP. The Giga pack has a blue box instead of a white box. The only thing that was removed from the value pack is the PSP hand strap.
--The Japanese standard PSP package comes with an AC adapter and battery pack (and of course instruction manuals, 1 year warranty card, and other related documents). If you didn't know, Japan uses the same voltage as North America, but a multivolt AC adapter will be included, which is good for European and Australian gamers.
--The Japanese value pack is more expensive and includes extra goodies, such as a 32MB Sony Memory Stick Duo, headphones with a remote control on the cord, and a soft carrying case with a hand strap. If you don't want the value pack, you can purchase the accessories seperately. All the extra accessories are in the screenshot gallery at the bottom of this page.
8. Will the standard package be available in the United States?
This is a common question. Sony Computer Entertaiment America currency has no plans for a standard pack.
9. Does it come with a demo disc?
Select stores gave out demo discs at the PSP launch in Japan. As I stated in question #4, all U.S. units come with a demo disc. It includes multiple non-interactive game demos. In other words, there are no games that you can actually play on the disc.
10. Can I get it in any other color aside for black?
Yes, Japanese PSPs now come in a ceramic white color since September 15, 2005. Ceramic white accessories will also be released. It will cost the same as the standard black systems. No new colors has been announced for the U.S. or European markets, so I don't know when (if ever) they will be available.
11. What is the battery life for the PSP?
The lithium-ion battery offers a play time of 4 to 6 hours for games, and 4 to 5 hours for movies (long enough to watch the entire movie), and 10 hours for music. In order to get at least 6 hours for gaming, and 5 hours for movies, you will need to be using headphones with the volume turned down to half of the max setting or less, the backlight turned down to the minimum setting, and the wireless LAN mode should be turned off.
You can set the backlight to turn off automatically after a certain amount of time to also save power. However, when the backlight is off, it is impossible to see the screen clearly no matter how much light is around you.
Also, simple looking games last longer because they demand less power from the CPU and memory compard to better looking games. Additional batteries can be bought for around $40 to $50. Just swap out the dying battery for a fresh one, or you can use an external battery if you don't want to pop open the PSP battery cover each time.
During my own personal tests, I managed to get 4 hours and 36 minutes of battery life when playing Ridge Racers with the screen brightness set to full and headphone volume set to half.
12. So the PSP doesn't have an internal battery?
Originally, Sony intended to have a built-in internal battery that couldn't be easily removed. If you wanted extra battery life, you'd have to buy an external battery that attaches to the outside. Now, the main battery still goes inside, but you can easily remove the back cover, take it out, and swap it with a secondary battery.
Update: A 3rd party external battery is now available from Pelican (a long time developer of game accessories). It is called a Pelican PSP Power Brick ($19.99), and it recharges the PSP's internal battery instead of replacing it. The best part is that the power brick is much cheaper than an official PSP battery.
Update 2: There are two new PSP battery solutions now available. The first one is an extranal battery similar to the Pelican battery described above, but this 3800mAh Battery Pack is more powerful. And at only $24.99, it is a must have for long car and plane trips considering that it can boost your battery life by 3 times.
If you don't like external batteries, you can get one that attaches to the PSP for $15. Clip-on 1800mAh Battery Pack.
13. Why isn't the battery life longer?
You must understand that Sony cannot simply invent a new type of battery overnight. Lithium-ion is the most practical and mainstream type of battery for portable consumer electronic devices right now, and it is commonly used in cellphones, laptops, MP3 players, and more. The component that will be drawing the most energy is the 4.3 inch, 16:9 widescreen TFT LCD. How high you set the brightness of the LCD will greatly affect battery life. Sony could have easily placed a lower quality, less demanding screen into the PSP, but that would not make it any more appealing than the Nintendo DS. Sony knew that if it was going to enter the handheld market, it would have to offer something even better than the Nintendo DS.
Some people are claiming that the low battery life is a design flaw, which is false. If you look at portable DVD players from Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, etc; you will notice that they all have limited battery life. You'd be lucky to get even 3 hours out of most portable DVD players. In addition, Ken Kutaragi has said that he hopes to expand battery life in the future, and that the revolutionary Sony Walkman only had 2 hours of battery life when it first came out.
So why doesn't Sony ship the PSP with a more powerful battery like you can buy from 3rd party companies? Probably to keep the cost of the system down.
14. Can I charge my battery and play my PSP at the same time? How long does it take to charge?
Yes, you can play and charge at the same time. It takes a little over 2 hours to charge a completely empty battery. The power indicator light remains orange when the battery is charging and it turns back to green when it is full. On a related note, new Toshiba batteries that can recharge in one minute will be available in 2006.
Please note that lithium-ion batteries prefer to be charged when they are partially depleted. Do not always fully deplete them like you would with a nickel-cadmium battery -- only do it about once a month. For example, if there is 38% of battery life left, charge it back to 100% when possible instead of waiting until it reaches 1% to charge it. If you only charge the battery when it reaches 1%, it won't damage your PSP, but the battery will go "bad" a little more quickly (even rechargable batteries don't last forever).
15. Does the PSP have any anti-skip technology for when I'm on the go?
If you look at the battery life, you'll notice that games last a little longer than movies. This is because the PSP is not always reading the game disc, so the disc is not always spinning. It stores as much as it can into memory and reads it from there, which uses a little less battery power and should help make it less prone to skipping. With movies, the PSP almost constantly reads the movie disc and plays it from there. If you play a DVD movie in your computer, you can see that the activity light is always blinking unless you pause the DVD.
Most of you will be listening to audio from the memory stick, which makes it virtually impossible for skipping, since it involves no moving parts. With audio discs, I assume that most of the music can be stored into memory, but I might be wrong.
16. Are there password protected parental controls to prevent minors from watching R-rated movies and games?
Yes, but they must be enabled by the owner first. Unlike the PS2, the parental controls also affect games. For example, they can be set to not play Mature rated games, but allowed to play Teen rated games. Parental controls are also available on the Japanese and European version.
17. Can I play PS1 and PS2 games on the PSP?
No, PlayStation 2 discs won't fit, and even if it was possible to get the game onto the memory stick, the code would have to be optimized for the PSP. However, there are PSP games based on the popular PS2 titles, such as Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, SOCOM, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Metal Gear, NBA Live, Need for Speed Underground, Ridge Racer, etc. See question #20 for a bigger list of games.
18. Can I attach devices to the USB port?
Yes, it can handle USB keyboards and USB cameras. However, unlike Windows XP, the PSP does not keep a large driver database, so it won't be able to support such devices out of the box. Sony may issue firmware updates which would enable it to use keyboards, cameras, printers, etc.
19. Is there a USB 2.0 port on the PSP? If yes, can I connect it to my PC?
Yes and yes. But if you want to connect it with your PC, you must purchase a mini-b USB cable for about $5 (if you pay $8 or more, you are getting ripped off), or buy a PSP Giga Pack, which already comes with the USB cable. Mini-B USB is smaller than regular USB ports. In this picture, you can see a regular "A" connector (left) next to a "B" connector (right). Update: For best results, use Windows 2000 or Windows XP, because earlier versions of Windows may not recognize the PSP when you connect it via USB. Mac OS X and Linux is also compatible with the PSP.
At this time, there is no reason to connect your PSP to a PC, except to transfer movies, photos, and music files between the two. (Unless you are good with programming and cracking/hacking).
Update: If you're a more visual person, you can view official flash tutorials on Sony's site on how to transfer files to your PSP. Transferring PSP Video Tutorials
20. What are some games available/coming out for the PSP?
U.S. Games
50 Cent: Bulletproof
Adventure Player
Advent Shadow
Amored Core: Formula Front
Ape Escape Academy 2
Ape Escape Academy
Ape Escape: On the Loose
ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails
Axel Impact International
Batman Begins
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Black and White Creatures
Bleach: Heat the Soul 2
Bleach: Heat the Soul
BloodRayne
Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damacy
Bomberman Panic Bombers
Bounty Hounds
Breath of Fire III
Burnout Legends
Coded Arms
Colin McRae Rally 2005
Comic Party Portable
Crash Tag Team Racing
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (2006)
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
Daxter
Dead to Rights: Reckoning
Death Jr
Def Jam: Fight for NY
Devil May Cry PSP
Dynasty Warriors
F1 Grand Prix
Field Commander
FIFA Soccer 06
FIFA Soccer
FIFA Street 2
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Movie)
Final Fantasy VII - Crisis Core
Free Running
Frogger Helmet Havoc
Generation of Chaos
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Ghost Rider
Godfather, The
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Gran Turismo 4 Mobile
GripShift
Guilty Gear Judgement
Guilty Gear XX #Reload
Gun
Gundam Battle Tactics
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Hayarigami Portable
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Infected
Initial D Street Stage
Intelligent License
Irregular Hunter X [Megaman X]
Jitsuwa Kaidan: Shinmimi Bukuro
Katamari Damacy
Kingdom of Paradise
Kings Field
Lemmings (PSP)
Legend of Heroes, The
Lord of the Rings: Tactics
Lumines
Mega Man Dash 2
Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Mega Man
MediEvil Resurrection
Mercury
Metal Gear Acid 2
Metal Gear Acid
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
Monster Hunter Portable
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner
Mortal Kombat: Deception Unchained
MVP Baseball
Naruto
NBA
NBA Street Showdown
Need for Speed Most Wanted 5-1-0
Need for Speed Underground Rivals
Neopets Petpet Adventure: The Wand of Wishing
NFL Street 2 Unleashed
One Piece
Pac-Man World 3
Persona
Pilot Academy
PoPoLoCrois
Portable Resort
Prince of Persia
Princess Crown
Pursuit Force
Puyo Puyo Fever 2
Rengoku 2
Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory
Ridge Racer
Rockman Dash 2
Rockman Rockman
Romance of the Three Kingdoms V
Samurai Warriors
Shinki Gensou SS II Unlimited Side
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Sims 2, The
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo
Sonic PSP
Spider-Man 2
Splinter Cell
SSX On Tour
Star Soldier
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper
Suikoden PSP
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
Tales of Eternia
Talkman
Tenchu: Shinobi Taizen
The Legend of Heroes
The Sims 2
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
TOCA Race Driver 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix
Twelve Sengoku Houshinden
Twisted Metal: Head On
Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade
Untold Legends: The Warrior's Code
Viewtiful Joe VFX Battle
Virtua Tennis: World Tour
Wipeout Pure
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
Worms
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
Note: This is near complete list of U.S. and some Japanese PSP games.
21. Do you have any PSP demonstration movies?
Yes, you can download one here: PSP Demo Movie. This 3 MB movie talks about the LCD, USB port, and shows you how to insert the UMD. It's in Japanese, but you can still understand what is going on. If you're looking for PSP game movies, you can find them in the media section of this site. Update: Here are some more PSP game trailers released by Sony: PSP Tokyo Game Show 2004 Movies
22. Can I browse web sites wirelessly using my PSP?
Yes, as long as you have a PSP with firmware version 2.00 or higher. There is a hidden browser in the game Wipeout Pure for people who refuse to update to 2.00, but it is very slow. The official browser is faster and has more features.
23. Does the PSP come with a warranty?
Yes, it comes with a 1 year warranty. The new slim PS2 also has 1 year, while the older model PlayStation 2s only came with 90 days.
24. How well is the PlayStation Portable selling?
The PSP is selling well and it is on track for becoming a successful system for Sony. But it is behind the Nintendo DS in sales despite being more powerful, because the DS came out first and in time for Christmas, it is cheaper, the GameBoy/DS brand is much more well known to the average consumer, and it has more innovative games right now. In addition, the PSP had a large number of titles at launch, but the stream of new games is rather weak. It is picking up though.
Believe it or not, but Sony has sold more PSPs in North America than Asia. As of July 21, 2005, 5.07 million units has been shipped worldwide (2.74 million in North America and 2.33 million in Japan and other Asian territories). Game and UMD movie sales has also been much better in the U.S. than Japan.
25. What are some cheap ways to boost the PSP's battery life?
A 3rd party external battery is available from Pelican (a long time developer of game accessories). It is called a Pelican PSP Power Brick ($19.99), and it recharges the PSP's internal battery instead of replacing it. The best part is that the power brick is much cheaper than an official PSP battery.
There are two other PSP battery solutions now available. The first one is an extranal battery similar to the Pelican battery described above, but this 3800mAh Battery Pack is more powerful. And at only $24.99, it is a must have for long car and plane trips considering that it can boost your battery life by 3 times.