Which would be a better hand-held for playing music/movies? Here’s a head-to-head feature comparison. Tell me what you think.
Display size
- iPod : 2.5 inches
- PSP : 4.3 inches
- Winner: PSP
Display resolution and color-depth
- iPod : 320 x 240 x 16
- PSP : 480 x 272 x 24
- Winner: PSP
Audio Formats supported
- iPod : AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
- PSP : MP3 and Sony’s ATRAC3 plus
- Winner: iPod
Video Formats supported
- iPod : H.264 video: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats - PSP : H.264, MPEG-4 Part 2/3 in .mp4 containers with AAC audio
- Winner: iPod
Image Formats supported
- iPod : JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats
- PSP : JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF
- Winner: iPod
Physical size
- iPod : 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 (inches)
- PSP : 6.7 x 2.9 x 0.90 (inches)
- Winner: iPod
Weight
- iPod : 136 (gms)
- PSP : 280 (gms)
- Winner: iPod
Connectivity
- iPod : USB 1.1/2.0, composite video (with AV cable, sold separately) and audio through headphone jack or line out on the iPod Universal Dock (sold separately)
- PSP : Wi-Fi(IEEE 802.11b), USB 1.1/2.0
- Winner: possibly PSP due to Wi-Fi
Storage
- iPod : 30 GB
- PSP : NA
- Winner: iPod
Storage expandability
- iPod : NA
- PSP : Memory Stick PRO Duo, 4GB Hard Disk (not yet out), Read-only UMD
- Winner: PSP
Non-media uses
- iPod : NA
- PSP : Is primarily a gaming console. Also, tonnes of home-brew applications provide a wide spectrum of applications. Can even be made to boot up Linux/Windows.
- Winner: PSP
Cost of content
- iPod : Music - $0.99 / Videos - $1.99
- PSP : Movies - $10-$25 / Games - $20-$50
- Winner: Not sure - Not comparable
Price
- iPod : $299
- PSP : $280-300
- Winner: Both!
Interface
- iPod : Clickwheel - Very intuitive and easy to use
- PSP : Standard handheld direction pad and action keys - Semi-intuitive
- Winner: iPod
Looks
- iPod :

- PSP :

- Winner: PSP
vanchi says:
Good work, but..
. Ease of usage? (clickwheel deserves to be mentioned as a plus)
. Price?
. Availability of games and stuff here, and their affordability? (if you are also comparing non-media uses)
. Battery life?
Could you add these too?
October 18, 2005, 11:10 amfr0z3n says:
Done!
October 18, 2005, 11:29 amsanjiv says:
Hey max, the feel of pure gaming does not come in a screen as small as the PSP. U’ve got to have atleast 17 inches of screen in ur face. Sony has done a good job in it’s advertising campaign, but a majority of PSP users have been let down by the small screen. If it’s gaming consoles , PSP-2 still scores over XBox. But Xbox-2 is tipped to be better than PSP3 and revolution (affordability also matters).
Handhelds are not for games with hours of gameplay..That’s been the success factor of Gameboy.
Gaming on the go won’t catch on as much as music on the go. (Whats the fun in watching a blockbuster movie on a tiny screen also?)
BTW , nice post… If u can do a shootout on XBox-2 , PSP-3 and Nintendo Revolution I’ll be happy
October 18, 2005, 6:35 pmluke says:
Whoever Sanjiv is, you are not very clever. PSP-2? PSP3??? Its PS2 and PS3 dear. PSP2 probably won’t come out for a good few years.
December 19, 2005, 5:42 pm