PLAYSTATION PORTABLE

The PlayStation Portable[a] (PSP) is a handheld game console developed by Sony

Computer Entertainment. It primarily competed with the Nintendo DS, as part of the seventh
generation of video game consoles. Development of the handheld was announced during E3 2003,
and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004, at a Sony press conference before the next E3. The system
was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in the PAL
region on September 1, 2005.
The PlayStation Portable was the most powerful portable console when launched. It was the first
real competitor to Nintendo's handheld domination, where many challengers, like SNK's Neo Geo
Pocket and Nokia's N-Gage, had failed. Its high-end graphics made the PlayStation Portable a major
mobile entertainment device. It also features connectivity with the PlayStation 2, PlayStation
3, Windows, Mac, other PSPs and the Internet. It is the only handheld console to use an optical disc
format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary storage medium. The PlayStation Portable was
met with positive reception by most video game critics. The PlayStation Portable sold 76 million units
as of 2012.
Several different models were released. The PSP line was succeeded by the PlayStation Vita,
released in December 2011 in Japan, and in February 2012 worldwide. The Vita features backward
compatibility with many PlayStation Portable games digitally released on the PlayStation Network,
via the PlayStation Store. This is the primary method to purchase PlayStation Portable games
digitally after Sony shut down access to the PlayStation Store via PSP on March 31, 2016. Hardware
shipments ended worldwide throughout 2014, with the PSP having sold 80 million units in its 10-year
lifetime. Production of UMDs ended with the closure of the last Japanese factory in late 2016.
Sony Computer Entertainment first announced development of the PlayStation Portable at a press
conference before E3 2003.[5]Although mock-ups were not presented,[5] Sony did release extensive
technical details.[6] CEO Jose Villeta called the device the "Walkman of the 21st century" in a
reference to the console's multimedia capabilities.[7] Several gaming websites were impressed by the
handheld's computing capabilities and looked forward to its potential as a gaming platform.[8][5][9]
Nintendo had been dominating the handheld market since launching its Game Boy in 1989, with only
close competition from Sega's Game Gear (1990–1997), and Bandai's WonderSwan (1999–2003) in
Japan.[10] In January 1999, Sony had released the briefly successful PocketStation in Japan as its
first foray into the handheld gaming market.[11] The SNK Neo Geo Pocket and Nokia's N-Gage also
failed to cut into Nintendo's share.[12] The PSP was called the "first legitimate competitor to
Nintendo's dominance in the handheld market" by an IDC analyst in 2004.[13]
The first concept images of the PSP appeared in November 2003 at the Sony Corporate Strategy
Meeting and showed it with flat buttons and no analog joystick.[14] Although some expressed concern
over the lack of an analog stick,[15] these fears were allayed when the PSP was officially unveiled at
the Sony press conference during E3 2004.[16][17] Sony released a list of 99 developer companies
that pledged support for the new handheld.[18] Several game demos, such as Konami's Metal Gear
Acid and SCE Studio Liverpool's Wipeout Pure, were also shown at the conference.[19]