GristyMcFisty reported to us via our news submit that Sony´s PlayStation Portable will also support the MP3 audio format. According to Izumi Kawanishi, chief of Sony Computer Entertainment's
network systems unit, the user will be able to download MP3 by connecting the
handheld to a pc via the USB port. The PSP will be recognised as USB mass storage device and the gamer will be able to simply drag and drop the MP3 files.
Besides MP3, the portable device can accept JPEG and of course Sony's ATREC3plus audio format. Browsing and playing back the files will be done with the Cross Media Bar (XMB), a interface which was also used in Sony´s PSX system ( a hybrid of a DVD recorder and the PS2 sold only in Japan).
Further, the PSP supports play back of video files in H.264/AVC MP Level3 format and Sony might release a tool that allows you convert video files to this format on a computer.
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Izumi Kawanishi, chief of Sony Computer Entertainment's network systems unit, also elaborated on aspects of the release and development cycle for the handheld gaming unit, expressing some doubts about whether the PSP will launch this year in Japan as planned. Support for MP3 files is a reversal of a long-standing company policy, in which the vast majority of Sony devices support only the company's proprietary ATRAC3 music format. Last month, during the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment included MP3s on the list of audio codecs, or compression-decompression technology, that would comply with the portable hardware, but made no further announcements. |
I think, after Sony´s announcement to support MP3 in their digital audio player next year, MP3 support is the first step and a real improvement for portable gaming devices. Read the full article over at CNet.
Source: CNet
