The much-anticipated Sony Playstation Portable, available 3/27/05, has just received news of another feature that will undoubtedly increase an already high “want” level.
Today, Yair Landau, vice chairman of Sony Pictures announced Sony would be releasing software that will allow the PSP to interface with Sony’s music download service, Connect. Through this interface, users will be able to acquire songs to be played on the device.
News of the PSP’s announcement comes shortly on the heels of Sony’s new line of flash-based mp3 players. In less than 24 hours, Sony has thrust themselves into the portable digital music players, a market dominated by Apple’s iPod.
Landau made other announcements concerning the PSP as well. During his discussion, Landau indicated Sony was working on another piece of software that would allow the PSP to connect to personal computers, be it Mac or Windows-based.
However, the lack of an internal hard drive limits the potential of these upcoming features. Because the PSP relies on flash memory cards, filling your PSP up like an iPod is out of the question. Landau also lamented about the flash card reliance in a News.com article:
Landau on Monday complained about Sony’s reliance on Memory Stick, a flash memory card format invented and largely promoted by Sony. The PSP relies on Memory Stick for storing game data and shuttling content from a PC.
“The Memory Stick is ridiculously overpriced,” he said, adding that he hoped Sony would begin to “price it more competitively.”
However, the idea of offering a portable music player, on top of everything else the PSP features, gives the device a versatility unmatched by other entries. Especially when you consider the PSP’s $250 price tag.
Of course, once you buy the accessories, especially the memory stick, the price will be above $300. But that’s still competitive with other, less versatile portable media players.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
