Additionally, the new system comes standard with USB 2.0 and 802.11b Wi-Fi
wireless LAN connectors that allow for multiple PSPs to be simultaneously connected
to one another. Data and software can then be downloaded either by using the
wireless LAN connections or through the use of a Memory Stick Pro Duo. The
PSP also adopts the small high-capacity optical medium Universal Media Disc,
the UMD. This format not only allows for 1.8 GB of space, it also provides
an extremely versatile format for games, music, and video. The press conference
demo showed off the trailer for Spider-Man 2 (the movie not the game)
as well as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children which is coming to
both the DVD and UMD formats. To protect the content, a robust copyright protection
system has been developed which utilizes a combination of a unique disc ID,
a 128 bit AES encryption keys for the media, and individual ID for each PSP
hardware unit.
Unfortunately, Sony did not announce a price point for the system so how much the unit will cost is still somewhat of a mystery. We expect officials to announce a more formal pricing structure at the upcoming ECTS or Tokyo Game show events; but we wouldn't mind if something a little meatier came down the pipeline before then. Click on our media page below to view the first official images from the system and stay tuned to IGNPSP for more throughout the day.
Sony UMD discs will have no region protection for GAMES but there will be copy protection.
UMD(TM) Specifications Dimensions: Approx. 65 mm (W) x 64 mm (D) x 4.2 mm (H) Weight: Approx.128bit Profile: PSP Game (full function) UMD Audio (codec ATRAC3plus(TM), PCM, (MPEG4 AVC)) UMD Video (codec MPEG4 AVC, ATRAC3plus(TM), Caption PNG) 10g Disc Diameter: 60 mm Maximum Capacity: 1.8GB (Single-sided, dual layer) Laser wavelength: 660nm (Red laser) Encryption: AES
Disc Drive: UMD Drive (Playback only) Profile: PSP Game UMD Audio UMD Video.