Articles: PSP

For older generations, the ability to play video games while on the go may seem like a frivolous use of money. Ask any parent of a child or teenager and they can attest to the need for distraction during long car rides or while staying with family away from home. The Playstation Portable has helped meet the needs of gamers and helped combat boredom with its state of the art graphics. This all in one PSP value pack, is perfect for birthday gifts and kids love the vast Playstation Portable game library.



The PSP system, the abbreviated name of the Sony Playstation Portable, is not the first portable gaming system. Nintendo beat Sony to the drawing board when it debuted the Gameboy in 1989. The Gameboy helped pave the way for portable gaming systems. But there was still a lot to be desired. The early Gameboy's had very basic functions and the games were very monochromatic. The screen was a decent size considering how small the unit was, but it lacked the versatility and graphics of the Super Nintendo game unit.



Thanks to the Nintendo pioneers, the Portable Playstation crew had a place to begin their design. The Playstation was debuted in 1994 and was the fifth generation in gaming consoles. This 32-bit wonder had incredible graphics that blew the competitors completely out of the gaming waters. It had a wide variety of games for every palate and the controllers were a wonder unto themselves. They were the first controllers to have a plethora of buttons to control every aspect of the game. A gamer felt they were actually inside the game.



Sony's Playstation felt the pressure when Xbox debuted its own game system. No longer were they the top sellers and they quickly realized they needed a new niche if they wanted to keep sales up. To solve this problem, they began working on the Playstation Portable as an alternative to the Gameboy, as well as to attract more customers away from the Xbox gaming system.



In the spring of 2004, the Playstation Portable made its entrance onto the scene. It was not just a game console though. It could play music, movies and video. This was something the Gameboy did not have the capability to do. Granted the controls are better acclimated to gaming versus playing music or movies, but the versatility is what sets this gaming system apart from all the rest. Will Microsoft respond with a portable Xbox? It is unknown at this time, but there are rumors. If that happens, the gaming world can count on a new portable gaming system from Sony.