Chapter 6. Introducing Your PSP to Your PC

At some point, you'll probably want to connect your PSP to a computer, such as a Windows PCwhich is what I'll focus on in this chapter because (1) I don't have a Mac and (2) neither does about 90 percent of the rest of the world. That's not to say that you can't connect a PSP to a Mac. In fact, you can do almost everything in this chapter with a Mac as well as you can with a PC. To do this stuff with a Mac, simply do whatever it is you do with a Mac that's equivalent to what I instruct you to do with a PC. If you don't know how, ask another Mac person or consult a pertinent manual.

To find a Mac person, visit the art/production department at any publication company; most art departments work on Apple equipment.

Anyway, as I said, you'll eventually want to connect a PSP to a computer. There's a myriad of reasons to do this, most of which concern transferring various files to and from your PSP's Memory Stick Duo(s).

You'll probably need a USB cable, as described and pictured in Chapter 2. If you don't have a USB cable, go get one unless you have some other way of interfacing a Memory Stick Duo with your computer. Visit any self-respecting game, computer, or electronics store, and look for a USB cable made to be compatible with a PSP. The proper cable will have a standard type-A connector on one end (Figure 6.1) and a mini-B connector on the other end (Figure 6.2).

Figure 6.1. If you're using a USB cable, plug this end into the PC as shown.

Figure 6.2. Meanwhile, this end of the USB cable plugs into the port on top of your PSP.

You may already have a proper USB cable. Some cameras, MP3 players, and other USB 2.0 devices use the same type of cable as your PSP. If you have a portable device, check the small end of the cable to see whether it will fit into your PSP.

You can transfer all kinds of things to and from the PSP, including music, video, and picture files. After they're stored in the proper folders on the PSP's Memory Stick Duo, you can play or display these files anywhere you can use your PSP.

The PSP supports various file formatslots of them, in fact. Chances are that if you have digital audio or photos, the PSP already supports them. It's a bit picky about video files, though, supporting a mere single format.

With such a stunning array of capabilities, the PSP replaces video players, MP3 players, and those bulky plastic photo thingies that take up more room in your wallet than your credit cards do.