Okay, so most people buy a PSP to play games, right? But what if you're just not sure you need another game system? And what do you do with the PSP until that one game you've been waiting for comes out? Just like its big brother the PlayStation 3, the PSP can do more than just play games.
Some of the PSP's extra features will be more useful than others, but it's pretty cool that it has them at all, and each new system update adds new things to play with.
1. Listen to Music
With a PC, a USB cable, and a memory stick, you can download your music to your PSP and listen on the road. It may not be a big deal if you've already got an MP3 player, except instead of having separate machines for games and music, with the PSP you only carry one. You'll probably need a bigger memory stick than the one that comes in the box, but they're getting cheaper every day.2. Watch Movies
Movies in the PSP's UMD format are pretty scarce these days (but you can find older ones super cheap if you look). Regardless, the PSP makes a nifty portable movie player. You can either buy movies on UMD, or transfer your own DVD movies onto a memory stick. The PSP's screen might seem too small for movie-watching, but it's actually super-sharp, and the audio is great with headphones. And I swear I saw a laptop-sized portable DVD player at Walmart with a screen about the same size as the PSP's.
3. Look at Pictures
You can also download and view photos (or any other images in a supported format) with a memory stick. You can zoom, rotate, and move pictures, and even view them as a slideshow. It's an easy way to show your relatives your latest digital snapshots, without a computer. You can even transfer photos from your PSP onto your mother's PC. The possibilities of using the PSP as a portable portfolio of my art and design were a significant factor in my decision to buy one as soon as I did.4. Surf the Web
Since system firmware version 2.0, an internet browser has been one of the PSP's features. The "keyboard" might take a while to get used to, but if you've ever sent a text message on your cell phone, you shouldn't have any difficulty. You might not want to bother with websurfing at home on your PSP, especially if you have a desktop or laptop computer handy, but if you're out of the house, you can access any open wireless points. Why lug around a laptop when all you need is your PSP?