PlayStation Portable Slim and Lite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| PSP Slim & Lite | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Product family | PlayStation |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Seventh generation era |
| First available | EU September 5, 2007 NA September 6, 2007 AUS September 12, 2007 |
| CPU | MIPS R4000-based; clocked from 1 to 333 MHz |
| Media | UMD |
| System storage | Memory Stick PRO Duo
and internal flash memory |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi - 802.11b, USB |
| Best-selling game | Monster Hunter Freedom 2, 2.15 million (as of May 22, 2008)[1] |
| Predecessor | PlayStation Portable (concurrent) |
The PSP Slim & Lite (the name it is packaged as in the PAL territories)[2][3] is a handheld game console released and manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. At E3 2007, Sony released information about a slimmer and lighter version of the PlayStation Portable.[4] The new PSP is 33% lighter (reduced to 189 grams [6.66 ounces] from 280 grams [9.87 ounces]) and 19% slimmer than the original PSP system.[4] The model numbers have changed to PSP-2000, following the previous region-based numbering scheme (cf. the PSP-1000 numbering scheme of the "old" PSP model).
It was released on September 5, 2007 in Europe, on September 6, 2007 in North America, September 7, 2007 in South Korea and September 12, 2007 in Australia.
Contents |
[edit] Features and changes
[edit] Dimensions and weight
The PSP Slim & Lite offers a 19% slimmer and 33% lighter system than the original PSP system.[4] Internal changes to achieve this include the removal of a metal chassis (used to reduce damage in the event of sudden trauma to the system resulting from the user dropping the system on a hard surface), improved WLAN modules and Micro-controller, and a thinner and much brighter LCD.[5]
[edit] Hardware improvements
Although dubbed "PSP Slim and Lite", the PSP-2000 offers several other tweaks and improvements from the older generation. To target the original PSP generation's poor load times for UMD games,[6] the internal memory (RAM and Flash ROM) was doubled from 32 MB to 64 MB, which also improved the web browser's performance.[7]
[edit] Battery
To make the PSP slimmer, the capacity of the battery was reduced by 1/3. Due to more efficient power usage, the runtime of the PSP is still the same as the older model. Older model batteries will still work with the PSP Slim & Lite which extends the amount of playing time on the PSP Slim & Lite. However, the battery cover on the newer model does not fit over the older battery due to its bulkier size. The batteries take about one and a half hours to charge and last roughly 4.5–7 hours depending on factors such as screen brightness settings and volume levels.[8]
In mid-December 2007, Sony released the PSP Extended Life Battery Kit, which includes a 2200 MAh battery with a battery cover that fits over the bulkier battery included;[10] currently only available in North America.[citation needed] The kit comes with two new battery covers, one black and one silver. In March 2008 the Extended Battery Kit was released in Japan. However, unlike North America the batteries are sold individually with one specific cover. There are three separate kits, one with the black cover, one with the silver cover and one with the white cover. This means that North American Star Wars PSP owners, who were short changed with the American kit only coming with black and silver colours, can now get the Extended Battery Kit with colour matching cover by importing the White Extended battery kit over the internet. This would also resolve some users discontent with the Darth Vader silk screen, since the Japanese white kit comes with a plain white cover.
[edit] External appearance, inputs and outputs
The PSP Slim & Lite has a new gloss finish. The serial port was also modified in order to accommodate a new video-out feature (while rendering older PSP remote controls incompatible). PSP games will only output to external monitors or TVs in progressive scan mode, so televisions incapable of supporting progressive scan will not display PSP games. Non-game video outputs fine in either progressive or interlaced mode. USB charging was made possible (the PSP will only charge while it is in "USB mode". You cannot charge via USB when playing a game). However, there are unofficial USB charge plugin downloads for charging the PSP with a USB without the need for being in USB mode. The D-Pad was raised in response to complaints of poor performance[11][12], while buttons offer improved responsiveness, confirmed in the GameSpot "hands-on" review: "several GameSpot editors have noticed that the d-pad and buttons on the new PSP provide a little more tactile feedback for a better overall feel."[13].
A new simpler and more compact UMD loading tray design was developed, in which the tray swivels out instead of opening up completely. while the Wi-Fi switch was moved to the top of the console and the Memory Stick slot moved to the upper left. The speakers were repositioned on the front of the PSP near the top of the screen. The archaic infra-red port was also removed because it offered no use to the original PSP generation other than in homebrew applications. The analog stick was also redesigned to be more flexible and is not removable without opening the PSP.
A "1Seg" TV tuner (model PSP-S310) peripheral, designed specifically for the PSP Slim & Lite model, was released in Japan on September 20, 2007.[14]
[edit] Pricing
The announced price is set at $169.99 for the Core Pack and $199.99 for the newer PSP entertainment packages. The original version of the PSP is also priced at $169.99, until they are sold out, although some stores may lower the price as a clearout sale to try and sell their PSP systems more rapidly. The PSP Slim sells for $169.99, and the two special limited edition ones cost $199.99. The Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary edition, limited to 77,777 units,[citation needed] is currently on sale in Japan and online stores for US$399.90. In New Zealand the PSP Slim retails for a price of NZ$285.95. In Australia the PSP Slim retails for $269. In South Africa the PSP Slim retails for a price of R1999.99. In Europe, the PSP Slim will sell for €169.[15] In Singapore, the PSP Slim retails for S$280 and in Malaysia,the PSP Slim retails for RM750. In Poland, the PSP Slim retails for 669zl(PLN). In India, the PSP Slim and Lite retails for Indian Rupee 8,999. In Saudi Arabia, the PSP Slim and Lite retails for SR749. In the Philippines, the suggested retail price is PHP8,000 and over.[citation needed]
[edit] Retail configurations
In North America, the Ice Silver Daxter Entertainment Pack comes in an entertainment packet including the game Daxter, a 1 GB Memory Stick, and the UMD movie, Family Guy Freakin' Sweet Collection. About one month later, Sony released a special Ceramic White Star Wars edition PSP which has a silkscreen picture of Darth Vader on the battery cover. It also comes with the game Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. Both the Ice Silver and Ceramic White PSPs are priced at $199.99. Sony released the colors Rose Pink, Lavender Purple, and Felicia Blue in Japan at launch. A special "FINAL FANTASY VII 10th Anniversary" Edition was released for Japan only and, as mentioned above, was limited to 77,777 units.[16] The package includes a silver color unit with Final Fantasy pictures at the back, and an original Final Fantasy Buster Sword shape strap (some shops will also provide a special earphone for pre-orders).[17][18]Australia will be getting a Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Bundle similar to Japan's but it will not include the Buster Sword strap and the PSP will not have a unique number on it.
Europe will receive black, pink, and silver models, as well as the two special limited edition colors available as a bundle: Simpsons-themed yellow bundle and the red and black Spider-Man bundle. In the UK, the Slim & Lite comes in Piano Black and Ceramic White (released on October 26, 2007) colours, both retailing at £129.99.
North America has also received a 'deep red' model with Kratos, from the God of War series, silkscreened on the battery cover. The bundle also comes with the movie, Superbad, on UMD, the God of War: Chains of Olympus game, and a voucher to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. This bundle arrived in June of 2008, for a retail price of $199.99. North America is also supposed to receive a Metallic Blue PSP that bundles with Madden NFL 2009, a Football Related UMD and a 1GB Memory Stick. It has been given the standard PSP bundle retail price of $199.99
[edit] Release dates
The PSP Slim & Lite was released in Hong Kong on August 30, 2007. In North America the Ice Silver Daxter Pack was released on September 5, 2007. In Australia, the PSP Slim was released on September 12, 2007, with New Zealand following 2 days later. The Piano Black Core Pack was released on October 5, 2007, and the Star Wars Ceramic White on October 4, 2007.[19] For the Japanese market, a special "FINAL FANTASY VII 10th Anniversary" edition was released on September 13, 2007, bundled with the release of the game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, limited in quantities to 77,777 units. The normal edition was released on September 20, 2007 in Japan. In September 2007, SCEE announced 2 more Slim PSP editions, a Simpsons PSP, and a Spider-Man PSP. Both come with their movie games, and the Spider-Man pack comes with Spider-Man 3 movie UMD. The PSP Slim & Lite was also released in Malaysia and Singapore on October 10, 2007. A "Deep Red" PSP was released in Japan on December 13, 2007.[20]
Release dates are as follow:
- Japan
- Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core "Ice Silver with engrave" Limited Edition - September 12, 2007
- All Colours (Piano Black, Ceramic White, Ice Silver, Felicia Blue, Lavender Purple, Rose Pink) - September 20, 2007
- Deep Red - December 13, 2007
- Star Ocean "Felicia Blue with engrave" Limited Edition Bundle - December 27, 2007
- Gundam Limited Edition "same as European Spiderman edition with engrave" - February 7, 2008
- Mint Green - February 28, 2008
- Monster Hunter Portable "Gold PSP Slim with silkscreen and bundled with UMD case, matching pouch and matching strap" - March 27
- Matte Bronze/Gold. April 2008
- Metallic Blue June 17 2008
- North America
- Daxter Ice Silver Bundle - September 5, 2007
- Piano Black Core - October 5, 2007
- Star Wars Ceramic White Bundle with "Darth Vader" "silkscreen" on back - October 9, 2007
- God of War Deep Red Bundle with engraving - June 2008
- Grand Theft Auto Dark Green Bundle with engraving - July 2008 [21]
- Madden NFL 09 Metallic Blue Entertainment Pack - August 12 2008 [22]
- Australia
- 2 Colours - Ceramic White/Piano Black - September 12, 2007
- Simpsons - November 16, 2007
- God of War (Ice Silver, bundled with God of War) - March 27, 2008
- Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core (Ice Silver and Crisis Core Game) - June 19, 2008
- United Kingdom
- Piano Black - October 26, 2007
- Ceramic White - October 26, 2007
- South Africa - September 24, 2007
- Europe
- Piano Black - September 5, 2007
- Ice Silver - September 5, 2007
- Spider-Man "Red Glossy/Black Matte surface with black buttons" - November 11, 2007
- The Simpsons "Yellow/White PSP with blue font" - November 15, 2007
- Korea - September 7, 2007
- Hong Kong - 3 Colours (Piano Black, Ceramic White, Ice Silver) - August 30, 2007
- Malaysia - October 10, 2007
- Singapore -
- PSP Slim October 10, 2007
- Deep Red December 13, 2007, Deep Red will be stop releasing in Singapore till July 2008.
- Matte Bronze May 20, 2008
[edit] TV output and accessory port
Sony has added a TV output for the PSP Slim available through Firmware 3.60. The PSP can output in a conventional aspect ratio (4:3), and widescreen (16:9). It also offers a screensaver if the PSP is inactive for a set amount of time. It is able to output games, videos, and other media. To achieve TV output on the Slim model, Composite, S-Video, Component and D-Terminal cables are sold separately by Sony. Games are output as a progressive scan signal, which can only be carried by the component video and D-Terminal cables, and can only be displayed on a television which supports progressive scan. Although you need Component cables and a TV that supports 480p (mainly found in HDTVs), a homebrew plugin called "FuSa" allows anyone with a Slim PSP to view their games on any SDTV or HDTV using Composite or Component cables. It's also advantageous to those with TVs that do support 480p because it allows a full screen (1:1 ratio) viewing of games. The maximum resolution through TV output is 720x480 pixels, and composite video uses NTSC color encoding (no PAL composite signal is available, although it works on a NTSC compatible TV in Europe). The old Playstation Portable (PSP-1000) is not capable of this feature due to a slightly different port. As a result, original PSP accessories (using the connector) will not work with the Slim and the Slim's accessories will not work with the original PSP. Sony has released a new version of the remote control accessory designed for the Slim as a result.
Sony confirmed their GPS Accessory for the United States at Sony CES 2008. The GPS is to be retailed for the new Slim PSP models. It will feature maps on a UMD, and offer driving directions and city guides.
[edit] Homebrew
Previous downgraders, homebrew enablers, and other exploits were originally unable to run on the PSP Slim & Lite (which initially shipped with firmware version 3.60).[23] Initial tests found out that "Pandora's Battery" exploit was compatible with the new PSPs, however the screen driver, taken from the 1.50 firmware, did not work.[24] Eventually the M33 team was able to release custom firmware, and a revised "Pandora's Battery" that was compatible with the new PSP Slim & Lites. A "universal" PSP modifier program was released, titled "Despertar del Cementerio" (Awaken from the Cemetery). The Undiluted Platinum modchip no longer works, due to the new motherboard layout and IPL signature. The latest version of M33 custom-firmware, takes the user to 3.90 M33, but the 1.50 kernel install needs to be done manually. The PSP Slim cannot use 1.50 kernel due to its motherboard being significantly different to those of previous PSP models, however M33 developers have successfully gotten 1.50 to run on the Slim, however still very unstable. There is a new revision of the PSP Slim motherboard, dubbed TA-085 v2, as opposed to TA-085. The newer motherboard revision only seems to have taken away the ability to create a Pandora battery, because it doesn't allow for battery EEPROM flashing. No other abilities have yet been discovered. It is unclear at this time, but the new motherboard revision began shipping with either firmware 3.72 or 3.73, as opposed to 3.60 of the original slim PSP version. There is a way of determining the motherboard version from the box by the location of the serial number. This only applies to North American units. If the serial number is on the bottom of the box, it would be the TA-085 motherboard. If the number is on the back of the box, it may be the newer TA-085 v2 motherboard.
Another revision of the motherboard has been identified as the TA-088. The same disabilities apply as with the TA-085v2. No other revisions have been reported.
[edit] References
- ^ Platinum Titles. Capcom (2008-05-22). Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ PSP, PlayStation Portable News Articles: - Small talk
- ^ http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/2007/08/08/h-103_76465_4807.jpg.jpg
- ^ a b c PSP, PlayStation Portable News Articles: - Get the skinny!
- ^ [New PSP Tear-down] Metal Chassis Omitted to Reduce Weight [Part 1] - Tech-On!
- ^ Under the Hood: PSP Load Times - Features at GameSpot
- ^ Brian Lam (2007-07-11). New PSP Slim Coming September, Kinda Looks the Same. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ PlayStation Portable Safety and Support Manual
- ^ http://www.us.playstation.com/psp/downloads/systemupdate/PSP 370 update.html#custom theme
- ^ PlayStation.Blog » New PSP Battery and Covers Coming Soon
- ^ IGN: Capcom Fixes PSP Pad
- ^ Hands on with PSP Slim. pocketgamer.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ E3 07: Redesigned Sony PSP Hands-On. GameSpot.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ Sony Computer Entertainment (2007-07-17). ""Slimmer and Lighter" New PSP (PlayStationPortable) Comes In Six Color Variations To The Japanese Market". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- ^ Luke Plunkett (2007-08-22). PSP Slim's Release Date, Price And New Bundles/Colours For Europe. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
- ^ Buy PSP PlayStation Portable Slim & Lite - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Bundle - Order Now!
- ^ Sony's new PSP is slimmer, includes video output - Engadget
- ^ Breaking: New PSP Slim Coming September, Kinda Looks the Same
- ^ PSP Slim Hands on. ubergizmo.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Japan to receive "Deep Red" PSP with optional TV tuner. Ars Technica (2007-11-06). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- ^ PlayStation.Blog » Destination PlayStation News: MGS PS3 Bundle, Kratos PSP and DualShock3 Release Date
- ^ PlayStation.Blog » Coming this fall: Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack
- ^ Article Detail - PlayStation Portable News - PSP Updates
- ^ MAXCONSOLE - Playstation Portable - Rumor: Pandora's Battery currently incompatible with PSP Slim, flashing lights give hope
[edit] External links
[edit] Official websites
- Official PlayStation Portable website (Europe)
- Official PlayStation Portable website (North America)
- Official PlayStation Portable website (Aus/NZ)
- SCEA PSP Specifications press release
- SCEA PSP New Designed Press Release
[edit] Other links
- Old PSP with new PSP Slim & Lite comparison pictures
- PlayStation Portable Slim and Lite at the Open Directory Project
- Paul Rubens. "Three Hacker Teams Unlock the PSP", BBC News Online, BBC, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
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