Sony to Enable Web Browsing for PSP

By Geoff Duncan Published July 22, 2005

At a Sony strategy event called "PlayStation Awards 2005," Sony revealed that it plans to release a "version 2" firmware update for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) gaming device which will enable wallpaper and photo browsing functionality, in addition to a reasonably featured Web browser.

According to a source at the event and online reports, the Web browser will be compatible with HTML 4.0.1, but will not support Java or browser plug-ins like Macromedia’s Flash. The PSP is equipped with a built-in wireless antenna capable of Internet access, but previously the only way to surf the Web via the PSP was to modify the game "Wipeout Pure" to expose a limited browsing feature.

Recommended Videos

The PSP firmware revision will also support WPA wireless security; add photo browser support for TIFF, GIF, PNG, and BMP images in addition to JPEG; support AAC and WAV audio in addition to MP3, support H.264 and MPEG4 video; and offer "Personal TV"—at least in Japan, where Sony has partnered with Portable TV and DoCoMo’s iMode online service o supply downloadable television content which users can save to the PSP’s memory stick.

Sony also announced it will be releasing white PSPs, but only in the Japanese market.

Former Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Topics

QuickCharge: This Week in EV

Gaming

Google Play is copying one of the Nintendo Switch’s handiest features

Sidekick can now save the previous 30 seconds of an Android game after something worth recording has already happened

google-playstore-sidekick-AI-for-android-games

Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.

Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.

Gaming

You can now play Zelda and Mario Kart on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, no emulator needed

An open-source project brings Switch games like Zelda, Mario, and Metroid to Apple devices without an emulator, but getting everything running takes some work.

Nintendo Switch 2 Running Mario Kart

Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.

Why does this run so well on Apple devices?

Gaming

Modern Warfare 4 brings Call of Duty back to its glory days. I hope the streak lives.

Infinity Ward’s latest campaign goes back to Call of Duty’s roots and recaptures what made me a fan more than a decade ago.

Call of Duty MW4 menu screen

The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.

After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.