Exhibit: PlayStation Portable — PSP (2004–2014)
Released: December 12, 2004 (Japan) · September 1, 2005 (UK)
Manufacturer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Units Sold: 80.82 million worldwide
Status: Sony's most successful handheld
Console Gaming on the Go
Sony entered the handheld market in 2004 with a statement of intent. The PSP was not a toy — it was a multimedia device with a 4.3-inch widescreen display, UMD disc drive, Wi-Fi, and the ability to play music, videos, and games. It was the iPhone before the iPhone — a pocket-sized entertainment centre.
Its games were genuine console experiences. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. God of War: Chains of Olympus. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. The PSP delivered experiences that had no business fitting in a pocket.
Iconic Games
- Monster Hunter Freedom Unite — the game that made the PSP essential in Japan
- God of War: Chains of Olympus — console-quality action on a handheld
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories — open-world GTA in your pocket
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII — the prequel that expanded the FF7 universe
- Persona 3 Portable — the definitive version of one of gaming's greatest RPGs
The UMD Question
The PSP's UMD format — a proprietary mini-disc — was both its strength and weakness. It enabled genuine disc-based games but was fragile, slow to load, and incompatible with anything else. The PSP Go, released in 2009, abandoned UMD entirely for digital downloads — ahead of its time but poorly received.
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