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Sony May Expand PSP Functionality

From GameDaily:
Sony's new 2.0 PSP firmware has just been released in the U.S. enabling web browsing and more, but Sony is not likely to stop there. Sony Computer Entertainment platform development chief Izumi Kawanishi has indicated that they are considering adding Flash support and better Javascript functionality, as well as support for USB peripherals like a mouse and keyboard. More inside...

Although Sony's PlayStation Portable is already a pretty versatile device, it seems that Sony is planning on slowly expanding its capabilities to add even more functionality. According to an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment platform development chief Izumi Kawanishi on Japanese technology website ITmedia (and partially translated by GameSpot), Sony is strongly considering adding to its PSP web browser, as well as releasing several USB peripherals in the future.

Going beyond HTML
Some of the new features for the PSP web browser—which is currently nothing more than a basic HTML browser—that are being considered include Web-based game content, downloadable movies, support for e-mail and Macromedia Flash, and also increased Javascript capability. Kawanishi also indicated that they are thinking about supporting downloadable games for the PSP and that he'd be curious to see what simple games users could create on their own and then distribute online.

[ "... a mouse and keyboard would not only make surfing the web much easier but also open the door for other possibilities like word processing" ]


Flash has become an integral part of many websites, so enabling Flash on the PSP would certainly better the portable web browsing experience. Kawanishi explained that his development team is actually very open to basically any Internet-related functions as long as the PSP's memory could handle it and the unit's performance doesn't suffer. As such, the development team has to experiment with Flash on the PSP before deciding to implement it.

Kawanishi also said that his team will probably release a manual to give website designers guidelines on how to make web pages specifically for the PSP. He explained that memory constraints are sometimes problematic because the PSP relies on the unit's internal main memory to handle the data streams; it currently does not use the memory stick pro duo because just as with any memory card, if it should pop out a number of errors could be triggered suddenly. That being said, Sony may allow for displaying saved web pages via the memory stick pro duo in the future.

USB peripherals forthcoming?
In addition to fleshing out the web browser, Kawanishi told ITmedia that Sony is looking at releasing USB peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard, which would not only make surfing the web much easier but also open the door for other possibilities like word processing if such software is made available. Another potential peripheral mentioned was the Global Positioning System (GPS), which actually had already been shown at last year's E3. A GPS peripheral could have some interesting implications for both web-based applications and PSP gameplay.

In related news, PSP firmware 2.0, which was made available in Japan weeks ago, has finally been released for the U.S. The update patches a few security holes, gives PSP owners the ability to use the much talked about web browser, adds support for wallpapers and also some new media formats, such as the higher-quality AVC video.

From this editor's experience, the newly released official PSP web browser is a nice improvement over the hacked browser enabled through Wipeout Pure. The pages load faster, you can bookmark your favorites, and inputting text has been made slightly easier. With better Flash and Javascript support and email, the PSP could offer a fantastic portable web browsing experience. As it stands right now, it's more than acceptable if you're in a pinch.

posted by Sneaker15 @ 12:03 PM