Chapter 1. Presenting the PlayStation Portable

So what doesn't it do?

Most people think of the Sony PlayStation Portable as a wee gaming system. That's a truth, but it's far from the whole truth. Though it does do games, with a level of polish that outshines other handheld (and many nonportable) game platforms, it's far from an expensive toy.

If you've tooled around with a PlayStation Portable (PSP), you already realize that it may be the most versatile device of its kind. Besides crunching out some of the best games on the planet, complete with incredible 3D graphics and fantastic, crystal-clear audio, it proudly flaunts a bunch of other capabilities. It does video, both from disk and from your computer; it plays music and other forms of audio; it shows photographs on its crisp display; it lets you surf the Web with its built-in browser; and thanks to a community of driven do-it-yourselfers, it's capable of all kinds of other things that Sony may not have thought of. It's just the right size to fit into your pocket or purse and still present an awesome set of comfortably placed controls, ports, buttons, switches, hatches, and other gizmos that let you do all kinds of fun stuff.

It's small enough to tuck into your carry-on luggage, yet has a bright and juicy display that's clear as a sunny day.

It's host to scores of games and movies that you can buy at any self-respecting electronics, media, or game store, and it can replace your iPod to boot.

It's just heavy enough to injure a mugger who might (understandably) try to steal it from you.

Let's face it; this thing is gold. It only looks like black plastic.