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Does the PSP Have a Camera?

The Playstation Portable, also commonly referred to as the PSP is an advanced handheld gaming system that allows players to play popular games, watch games, listen to music, and even browse the World Wide Web. With all of that included, people wonder about the other form of electronics, photo taking. The PSP does have a lot of photo features, but people sometimes get confused about which ones are actually included with the system itself. A little clarification will help potential buyers decide if the PSP is right for them.

Misconceptions
- No, the PSP does not have a built-in digital camera. That does not mean it cannot do things with pictures, though. In the graphic menu, there is a picture of a camera on one of the icons. If you have any pictures stored on a Memory Stick Duo, then you can view your photos in a slideshow format, right on your PSP. This function is convenient for digital cameras with a small viewing screen and on-the-go photographers.
Features
- Sony has announced that soon there will be a PSP Digital Camera add-on available for owners of the PSP. This silver digital camera plugs into the port on top of the PSP and will now allow users to use the PSP as a camera as well. The camera will be 1.3 megapixels, meaning that it can take pictures up to a size 5x7. This is typical of digital photos from cell phones, but it is inferior to a regular digital cameras featuring an average of 5 through 8 megapixels.
Function
- While the PSP does not take photos, it has many other functions that please owners. It is compact and has good battery power that lasts 4 through 6 hours when playing games. There are car kits available to run on continuous power so you do not have to worry about a power shortage.
  The PSP also functions as an audio player like an iPod, and even a movie player using the PSP UMD movies. Several studios have released movies on UMD and they retail at a little less than a normal DVD.
Benefits
- The PSP also doubles as a wireless Internet browser. As long as there a signal close by, you can use the built-in browser to surf most websites. Some advanced websites will not load, but most of them will on the PSP. This new web browser has enticed buyers even more and can be used to help look up codes or cheats when playing a PSP game.
Significance
- The PSP is looking to grab buyers from all aspects of handheld electronics. There are plans for a GPS system to be included with the PSP, and after that it will have almost everything but a cell phone. The ability to play highly detailed games along with all of the extras makes the PSP a landmark handheld system and well above former handheld systems like Game Boy and Sega Game Gear.

Sony PSP