X-bit labs

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Sony PlayStation Portable Reviewed. Sony’s Handheld Console Explored

TrustedReviews web-site has managed to take a closer look at Sony’s latest offering for gamers on the move, the PlayStation Portable.

“The fascia of the PSP is dominated by the 4.3” TFT screen and I can pretty much guarantee that you’ve never seen a display like this on a hand-held device before. The screen has a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, making it ideal for watching movies as well as playing games, with a resolution of 480 x 272 and a full 24bit color depth. The screen also incorporates Sony’s X-Black coating, so the image is amazingly bright and vivid. The image produced by the PSP display is just breathtaking, and I’ve yet to show this device to anyone that hasn’t been impressed by it,” TrustedReviews writes.

“Sony has redefined mobile gaming with the PlayStation Portable. I never imagined that the PSP would be this good, and this is one product that has to be seen to be believed. When Sony released the original PlayStation, the balance of power in console gaming shifted away from Nintendo. Now that the PSP is here, I expect to see the same thing happen in the hand-held gaming market.” concludes the author.

• TrustedReviews: Sony PlayStation Portable.

Microsoft to Expand on TV. Microsoft Looks at IPTV Direction

Having become the world’s main maker of software and getting bigger and bigger with every new PC sold, Microsoft Corp. is looking at different markets outside the conventional PC world. For a number of years Microsoft tried to enter the TV broadcast market. Now with the help of the new Internet protocol television (IPTV) technology Microsoft’s efforts are about to pay of.

“The technology can be used to offer a dizzying array of options: Desperate Housewives anytime you want it, the Super Bowl from a dozen different camera angles, and a nearly limitless number of channels. Telecom companies are embracing IPTV since they’re building their TV systems from scratch. Cable companies, which use older technology, are likely to begin migrating to IPTV over the next five years. Analyst Hervé Uteza with the Diffusion Group Inc. estimates that 15.3 million homes will subscribe to IPTV services worldwide by 2008, compared with 184 million using traditional cable technology,” reports BusinessWeek Online.

It seems that Microsoft’s future looks to be quite promising.

“Microsoft’s platform is the most promising. There will be a lot of Microsoft software on set-top boxes five years from now,” said analyst Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research Inc.

• BusinessWeek Online: Microsoft May Be A TV Star Yet.