*plays PSP startup sound*
The PlayStation Portable.
This was Sony's attempt at taking on the portable gaming console market, after Nintendo's huge success
with the Nintendo Gameboy and the Nintendo DS.
So after its release and popularity, nearly 10 years ago in Japan,
lets go ahead and take a look at the original Playstation Portable!
The PSP 1000, also known as the PSP Phat, is quite a nice hardware for its time.
Especially compared to the just released Nintendo DS.
It took several cues from the already successful PlayStaion 2,
with the four Playstation face buttons on the right,
the directional pad on the left
and an analogue nub right below it,
which was quite nice to have on a game console like this, adding a bit more control to some games.
Now, the game disc format used in the PSP is named Universal Media Disc (or UMD).
It was a different format for the time, compared to other game consoles
which used cartridges instead of optical discs.
It was a read-only format, and was capable of storing 1.8 gigabytes of data,
meaning you could also buy movies or music using the UMD format,
which was quite a nice feature.
On the bottom left of the console, you'll find a Memory Stick slot,
which could store pictures, music and videos from your computer, and saved game data.
...obviously because the UMD format is read-only.
As mentioned before, the PSP looked quite different compared to other consoles from the time,
coming in at a bit heavy 280 grams,
and a quite thick measurement for today's standards, 0.91 inches.
Comparing it to an iPhone, you can see that it is definitely quite thick by todays standards,
but the rest of the build quality on the PSP 1000 feels like it can definitely take a beating,
like... I mean I dropped my PSP a couple of times,
and it survived with no issues, which is cool.
Having a peek at some of the other specifications, it came with 32 MB of embedded dynamic RAM,
a 4.3 inch 16:9 screen at 480 x 272,
Wireless 802.11b, *Bluetooth*
and an 1800 mAh battery.
The battery was removable from the back of the PSP and usually lasted 4.5 to 7 hours depending on factors
such as screen brightness settings, Wi-Fi etc.
Now lets take a peek at the software.
The firmware version that came with the PSP (on the UK version) was 1.52
released on June 15th 2005.
...which is upgradeable to version 6.60,
released on August 10th 2011.
Now I have version 6.20, released on November 18th 2009,
because I've added some homebrew customisations
which will allow me to change themes, and run other third-party software,
like a custom version of Basilisk II,
which will let me run classic Mac OS apps on the PSP
and various emulators like Gameboy, PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64, which is cool.
XrossMediaBar, is infact the main interface used on the PSP
and most other products from Sony,
like the PlayStation 3, BRAVIA TVs, some Cybershot cameras and some Sony Blu-ray players.
It's a pretty unique interface for the time,
and the background colour changed to a different colour every month.
And the theme could be changed with hundreds of different combinations
created by several people.
Like these, that I have collected over the years from different websites.
So, to finish off the video,
I thought I would go ahead and show you some of the games that I have for the PSP,
and there are some interesting ones
so lets a look, shall we?
The first game here is named LocoRoco,
which is an interesting platformer
where you play multi-coloured jelly like characters
and have to reach to the goal of each level,
avoiding the arch enemies, named the Moja Troop
or any other harmful objects.
In order to play,
you have to tilt the environment by using the shoulder buttons on the top of the PSP
marked 'L' and 'R'.
It was unlike any other game released around at the time on the PSP in 2006,
earning a few awards from the gaming press.
I've always enjoyed playing the game
because of its colourful, simple graphics and straightforward controls.
The next game here is named Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast
and it's the 8th title based on the Outrun series of racing games
developed by Sega and also Sumo Digital.
It features 15 unique cars,
which ranged from the Ferrari F430, the F355 Spider, the 328 GTS and many more.
It's a great racing game for the PSP with its graphics and soundtrack.
Finally, I am going to go ahead and show you Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play.
It's basically a compilation of several classic Arcade games
from Atari, Midway and Williams Arcade.
There were several games ranging from Mortal Kombat, Paperboy, Rampage, Klax and more.
It's a pretty nice game
if you want to relive some classic arcade game moments from your childhood..
Wrapping things up, I think the PSP is an interesting console for its time
and it's very interesting to look back at it 10 years later of being on the market.
With its excellent directional pad,
Wi-Fi connectivity,
acceptable battery life,
great games and customisable software,
the PlayStation Portable was quite ahead of its time compared to other consoles
which can be a good thing sometimes.
Now as of July 2014,
a cheaper version of the PSP is still available in Europe
but will soon be discontinued by the end of 2014.
But, if you don’t feel like playing games on your smartphone
and want a portable gaming console that can take a beating,
the PSP is a great option, if you don’t want to break the bank.
If you like this video,
be sure to give it thumbs up
and subscribe to see more videos in the future.
And you can follow me on Twitter, to hear about what's upcoming on my channel.
So, all I have to say is thanks for watching this video!
**BLOOPERS**
...and an analogue nub right below it
which was quite nice to have on a game console like this,
adding ne- adding- (messes up script)
*sings a bunch of made up words that don't make sense for no reason*
why did i do that???? that was so embarrassing
...having a peek at some of the other specifications,
it came with 32MB of...
*pronounces the word "embedded" completely wrong*
"embeggeg"
can't get English right...
Let's end it here, shall we?
gonna press stop now
on Audacity (the software I used to record the voiceover)
3, 2, 1!
*mic drop*
*lol*