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About PSP Hand Held Games

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console that is made by Sony. The PSP allows gamers to play high-quality games while on the go and also features Wi-Fi connectivity that allows game play with other PSPs. The PSP has upgraded since its 2005 release. The PSP Slim and Lite, part of the 2000 series, made the console even more accessible and included defining features, such as the ability to charge the console via USB. In 2008, the PSP-3000 was released and featured several upgrades, including a new LCD screen that features a higher contrast rate. The most unique feature for all PSP versions is the game technology. The games themselves are on Universal Media Discs (UMD).

History
- The UMD is an optical disc that was created by Sony for the specific use of being compatible with its new console, the PSP. The UMD allows for up to 1.8 gigabytes of storage and allows for music and films to be accessible on the PSP.
Significance
- The UMDs are specifically special, as they were the first optical disc-type of format that was featured for a handheld console. This gave gamers highly advanced quality that was not typically expected with such consoles, as well as the groundbreaking ability to connect through the Wi-Fi feature. The most praised feature of the PSP since it was released has been its slick game play and the high-quality appearance of the games and films on the large, wide screen of the console.
Storage for Film
- Movies and TV shows have been an exclusive marketing feature for the PSP with use of the UMDs. The video used is encoded with the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format. The audio is encoded in ATRAC3plus. Some adult films have been released in the UMD format in Japan; however, Sony does not approve of such content.
Format Issues
- Not too long after its release, the UMD format was cracked, and now people can emulate the games illegally. The UMD includes a combination of insecure firmware. Each UMD disc uses a file system with a format that follows a ISO 9660 standard. It is possible to store this ISO image onto a Memory Stick, and then it can be played through a special disc emulator program.
Criticism
- Unfortunately, UMD sales for films have declined throughout the years due to lack of bonus features and negative reviews by critics. The size of the UMD disc and possibility of easily being damaged has always been heavily criticized by critics and gamers alike. Due to the complaints over the protective casing and UMD in general, Sony decided to do away with the UMD for the upgraded version of the PSP, the PSP Go.
Future of PSP Games
- The PSP Go features only downloadable games, and there is no UMD drive installed. Plans for the future do include for there to be a feature to transfer older UMD games onto the PSP Go. The PSP Go was to be released on October 1, 2009.
Game Titles
- Sony has released special titles for the PSP, including exclusive versions of "Grand Theft Auto" ("Liberty City Stories" and "Vice City Stories"). The quality of the games is close the same of the PlayStation 2, but some games for the PSP can not be found on the PS2. There have also been specially designed PSPs modeled after the games they are bundled with, including "Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron."

PSP Games