The release of the PlayStation Portable one year ago was one of the most important events in the history of videogames. After all, no one had ever seriously stood up to Nintendo’s Game Boy monopoly, and Sony is the company that had come out of virtually nowhere to knock Nintendo from its perch atop the console world ten years ago.

Twelve months have passed since that day in March 2005, so it’s only fitting that we look back over them and answer the big question: Is the PSP everything everyone wanted it to be? For a piece of electronics with so many potential uses (some of them being of the homebrew variety), that’s a pretty tough question to answer, but here it goes…

1. The Games: Quality & Quantity
Walk into any store that sells videogames and take a look at the PSP section. It doesn’t take a retail industry analyst to tell you that the handheld’s first year wasn’t exactly a bountiful one in terms of game releases. On the other hand, with just over 60 titles on the shelves as of right now, the PSP certainly isn’t withering on the vine, either.

The most important factor here is the quality of games, not the quantity. The small number of truly great PSP games mostly came out near the system’s launch, leaving a long lull of worthwhile releases until late October when Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories hit the shelves. While it does take most game systems - portable or home console - at least a year to build a decent library of titles, the PSP’s library still falls short. When you factor in an average price of $50 a pop, that’s a bit of a problem. Grade: C-

2. The Games: Originality
This is one area where Sony has really failed to clearly set the PSP apart from its competition, or even it’s console brother, the PS2. An overwhelming majority of PSP games - even the really good ones - are just portable versions of PS2 games, with very few PSP exclusives of better-than-average quality. Unless you’re constantly on the move, there’s not a lot of reasons to buy a scaled-down version of Need For Speed: Most Wanted, for example, when the console version is better in every way. When Sony is putting old PSone games on the system - with missing features! - you know something’s just not right. Grade: D-

3. The Games: Upcoming Releases
Heading into the PSP’s second year, we’re thankfully starting to see and hear about some very cool new PSP exclusive games in the works. Titles like Exit, Loco Roco, Pursuit Force, new Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins and Grand Theft Auto games, and the God of War creator’s secret ‘HL’ project will help the PSP gain momentum. This early into 2006 pinning down an exact number of titles to expect is hard to do but, the PSP’s future is looking brighter with every new game announcement. Grade: B+

4. The Hardare: Delivering on the promises
Early on, the PSP was being hailed as an outright powerhouse of a system that could leave the PS2 in it’s wake. To date, we really haven’t seen any games that back this up. If anything the overall technical abilities of the PSP seems to have under-delivered based on currently available games, with only a handful of standouts that are obvious exceptions (Ridge Racer and Wipeout Fusion, to name a couple).

The lack of a second analog stick is definitley proving to be a shortcoming after a year on the market. The persistence of sometimes painfully long load times in many games is an even bigger culprit, since it can (and does) often negate the very appeal of a portable, play it anytime & anywhere system.

The overall quality of the PSP itself is exciting. The screen is sharper, brighter, and more vibrant than we could have ever wished for and it feels like a great piece of consumer electronics. Grade: B-

5. The Hardware: Beyond Gaming
A year ago, who would have thought that there would be nearly 250 UMD videos available for the PSP in the US? No Way! But somehow, perhaps because of amazing luck but movies and other video content on the UMD format is exploding. You can go into your local department store and find a PSP section right along side the DVDs. (Of course the UMDs cost as much as the DVDs and 99% of the time they lack special features - not to mention the fact that you can only ever watch them on the PSP). Music UMDs, on the other hand, have been a complete no show.

Getting your own video onto the PSP was hit-or-miss at first, but a number of commercial and dree applications have made it much simpler. PSP isn’t the most elegant MP3 player in the world but for pocket-ready video on the go, it’s near impossible to beat. And, with a wbe browser out and a lot more features in the works, the PSP is really becoming an all-in-one device. Grade: A

6. Final Thoughts…
In its first year, the PSP has proven to be some of what we expected and a lot of what we didn’t. The games weren’t as plentiful as had been hoped, nor as original or visually stunning. On the other hand, the system itself is a fantastic piece of hardware with an amazing lineup of movie content and even more potential. As we go into 2006, I hope to see more of a focus on original games and I’m definitely intrigued by upcoming non-gaming applications, such as GPS navigation. The future is certainly bright for Sony’s portable endeavor, even if it got off to a confused and slower than expected start.

Final Grade: C+