Price range: £139.00
What is it: Sony's first portable games console
What we think: Sony's slick PSP sets the new standard for portable gaming, but it won't replace your iPod or portable DVD player. Read more about what you can do with it here
What you need to know
Reviewed on: 23 March 2005
Tags: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Sony PSP, freeware, controller, keypad
We like:
Slick design; impressive wide-screen display; PS2-like graphics; built-in Wi-Fi, MP3 and video playback, and image viewer; removable battery
We don't like:
Multimedia functionality is half-baked, especially for video; you need to supply your own software and expensive memory cards; load times on games can be excessive
You might also need:
Games; UMD movies; high-capacity Memory Stick Duo card (for multimedia storage)
CNET UK judgement:
The PSP elevates portable gaming to the next level, but its multimedia functionality falls short of its full potential
Full review:
After roughly a decade at the top of the home console industry, Sony decided to tackle the portable system market -- one heavily fortified by Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and DS. Sony sought to take down Nintendo by adopting the tactic that made the PlayStation 2 such a runaway success: by offering sophisticated, graphically intensive games and a heavy dose of multimedia functionality. Continue Reading...
Sony PSP History
21 May 2009 in Crave
Sony to launch music store for PSP?
Sony is considering opening a music store for the PSP and is in talks with other companies about providing music for the service.
28 Apr 2008 in Crave
Go!View: Sky and Sony in unholy content alliance
If you've been longing for a source of entertainment on your PSP, you'll be pleased to hear you'll soon be able to watch popular TV shows and movies on it. At a price, of course
15 Aug 2007 in News
News.blog: PSP download store held up by DRM
Sony has refused to set a launch date for the download store, saying it still has concerns about digital rights management, writes News.com blogger Greg Sandoval
30 Jul 2007 in News
PSP to get Sky's video on demand
Sony has announced a joint venture with TV company Sky that will enable PSP owners in the UK and Ireland to access a video-on-demand service
12 Jul 2007 in News
The new version is 33 per cent lighter, 19 per cent slimmer, offers better battery life, faster game load times and video output to TVs, writes News.com blogger John P Falcone
29 May 2007 in Reviews
Give me the name of one person who wants to make calls, let alone video calls, on their PSP, and I'll eat my own face
31 May 2006 in Crave
Sony LocationFree: the ultimate PSP accessory
Yesterday we were streaming television to the bathroom with the chocolate-bar-shaped Slingmedia Slingbox; today we're sending it to the garden with Sony's LocationFree base station
1 Dec 2005 in News
PSP update adds podcasts and more
Sony has released new firmware for the PlayStation Portable -- version 2.6 adds an RSS channel for streaming audio and WMA support
21 Nov 2005 in Crave
GTA Liberty City Stories: Freedom Fighter
The best reason to own a PSP has arrived. Rockstar's done it -- GTA: Liberty City Stories is a living, breathing city in your pocket. And as it's a GTA game, a healthy smattering of dark humour and extreme violence are par for the course
2 Nov 2005 in News
Warner Bros. joins PSP party with UMD movies
With sales of Sony's sleek PSP handheld console going through the roof, Warner has committed to releasing films on the PSP's video format
7 Oct 2005 in News
Malicious software claims to undo Sony's patch in an attempt to deter customisers, but it turns the handheld console into a useless 'brick' instead
30 Sep 2005 in News
A new firmware update will fix the flaw that lets hackers downgrade the latest console software and run their own code
23 Sep 2005 in Crave
Sony PSP: Fired Up and in Pursuit
Crave's taken delivery of a stack of new PSP games, and Sony even treated us to a couple that have yet to be released. Fired Up and Pursuit Force are both driving action games, one playing a cop hunting down gangs, the other driving armoured vehicles stacked with rocket launchers and machine guns
20 Sep 2005 in Crave
Crave PSP Update: Sports Illustrated
Crave's taken delivery of all Sony's PSP launch games, playing away when we should probably be doing far more productive things. We're all sports fans though, so we thought we'd update you on the two big games to hit the new portable format
6 Sep 2005 in Digital Living
The PSP is this year's hottest gadget, but just like the iPod before it, there are a thousand accessories. Some are absolutely crucial, while others are wonderful luxuries, and CNET.co.uk is here to point you towards the best products in each category
31 Aug 2005 in Digital Living
This year's must-have gadget, the PSP has the kind of tech smarts that makes even jaded gadget freaks sit up and take notice.
25 Aug 2005 in News
The software upgrade for the US PlayStation Portable includes a Web browser and upgrades to audio and video functions
9 Aug 2005 in Crave
Joyrider: Need for Speed Underground Rivals
The fast and the furious may now apply for their PSP driver's licence
9 Aug 2005 in News
Sony sues online retailer over UK PSP sales
Lik-Sang.com has been chided for selling the next-gen portable gaming system to customers in the UK before the console's official release
27 Jul 2005 in Crave
PSP Launch Update: New games, software and consoles
The PSP launches in the UK on 1 September 2005, at which point those lucky Japanese will have had the console for nearly a year. This means they've been treated to a wireless Internet browser, brand new tracks for Wipeout Pure (still the best game on the console) and even a white, iPod-esque version of the console
13 Jul 2005 in Crave
Handheld Movies = DVD-style pricing
A list of Sony PSP movies from UK e-tailer Play.com hints that they'll cost roughly the same as their DVD counterparts, but without extra features and no way of playing them aside from the PSP, they offer far less value for money
7 Jul 2005 in News
Sony struggles to keep hackers off PSP
Hackers have cracked the copy protection of several PSP games and posted them on the Internet -- Sony says using them will invalidate the warranty
6 Jul 2005 in Crave
Gizmondo: giving the PSP a run for its money?
After months of pumping Tiger for the Gizmondo console, we finally manage to borrow one for review. We're not too sure what the company is worried about -- first impressions are that this is a console with plenty of unique features
15 Jun 2005 in Crave
Nintendo DS: touching new games
Nintendo's DS lineup looks set to give the PSP some competition, with Nintendogs the most charming game Crave has ever played
15 Jun 2005 in Crave
Crave takes a tour of Nintendo's upcoming GameCube games, sorting the wheat from the chaff so you can start making that Christmas list early
3 Jun 2005 in Crave
The hacking scene has been hard at work making the PSP a portable emulation system, plus there's news from Japan that the first PSP porn movies are set for release
14 May 2005 in Crave
We've been watching movies on the PSP thanks to our new 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo
11 May 2005 in Reviews
Handheld consoles head to head
A number of recent high-profile releases have seen a resurgence in the handheld games market. The race has only just begun, but if you're looking purely at a games console, it's going to be between Sony and Nintendo...
26 Apr 2005 in Crave
The scrumptious handheld gamer will be available in the UK from 1 September
19 Apr 2005 in Crave
Sony PSP: time to bin the iPod?
For once you can believe the hype. The Sony PSP is everything it's cracked up to be
13 Apr 2005 in News
Half a million PSPs sold in first two days
Sony acknowledges the PSP wasn't an immediate sellout, but $150m in a week is nothing to sneeze at
9 Mar 2005 in Crave
Latest user reviews
October 7, 2007
Posted by: Adad
"Does what it says on the box"
November 25, 2006
Posted by: Elliott Jenkin
"Great for graphics and multi-media"
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