One example of convergence – Playstation Portable (PSP)

The PSP, brought out by Sony in 2005, is a handheld console made primarily for gameplay, but also includes many other features – hence convergence. The PSP’s numerous features include the following:

Multiplayer Gaming
- AD-HOC mode (multiple players on PSP systems within range of each other)
- Infrastructure mode (Play online with people across the globe, all from the comfort of a Wi-Fi hotspot)

Watch Movies & Videos
- Watch UMD movies
- Save movies to a Memory Stick Duo
- Watch movies saved to a Memory Stick Duo
- Watch and save RSS Channel video
- Compatible Movie/Video Formats

Listen to Music
- Play music from a UMD disc
- Listen to music saved to a Memory Stick Duo
- Save music on a Memory Stick Duo
- Play and save RSS Channel music
- Compatible Music/Audio Formats

View Photos
- Enjoy sideshows
- Download photos or images
- Create custom wallpaper
- Send and receive photos (photo sharing)
- Compatible Photo/Image Formats

Go Online
- Play multiplayer online games with Infrastructure mode.
- Download individual files
- Download a PSP® Content Pack
- Surf the World Wide Web
- Check out the Official PSP® Website (http://www.psp.playstation.com)
- Enjoy RSS video or audio web feeds, weblogs or podcasts from any of thousands of websites
- Download e-books including comics and full colour graphic novels
- Update the PSP® system software

It is this large list of extra features beyond just playing games that justifies the significant price-gap between the PSP and the majority of other handheld consoles e.g. the Nintendo DS. It also means that the console brings Sony another step closer to achieving complete control of the new media technology market through console convergence. A feature that is noticeably absent is any sort of mobile phone, which would have been a possibility due to the huge Sony mobile institution – Sony Ericssons. The reason for this may have been because Sony learnt from the mistakes of Nokia, who made a huge investment in a handheld all-round console – the N-Gage. From the moment it was released the N-Gage was mocked by the industry for its clear lack of technological knowledge and laughable phoning technique.

Here is a very short run-down of the N-Gage before it was officially released, featuring Jeff Gerstmann of Gamespot.com telling it like it is. Rock on, Jeff.

Jeff was actually a lot nicer to the N-Gage than he should have been.

Key concepts:
- Portability
- Convergence
- Personalisation