The PSP

The PlayStation Portable or PSP, as far as I am concerned, is the daddy of handheld console gaming.  It has a nice crisp viewing screen, which is back-lit, great for outside, and in bed.  It's controls are based on the popular PlayStation controller configuration which is so perfect it has survived over three consoles.  The PSP managed to get a nifty analog stick on the left for more precise control.  The Sound experience Is impressive if you take into account the size of the tiny speakers Sony managed to squeeze in.  You may want to invest in some high-end headphones though.  Now we come to what truly separates this from the rest, what it can do.  It can connect to wireless networks to browse text through its Internet browser.  I use it to check my balance via Internet banking.  I have ripped a CD albums and used the provided USB cable to download them to the psp for playback, with album artwork thumbnails.  With the mp4 format also supported, mobile phone vids, as well as full movies, can be viewed.  Now speaking of movies, the UMD (Universal Media DIsc) video range has been critisised for not being popular enough.  But I think they have have a good selection, even blue movies for those of us who are of a certain age.  You can view all these in glorious widescreen, the quality is amazing.  Then you have the games.  It is better than the PS One console, and in some cases superior to the PS 2.  Region free coding means you can buy games only realsed in certain countries too, meaning a massive catalouge, catering for every taste, fancy and whim what a piece of kit.