ony’s new “Walkman For the 21^st Century”, the PlayStation Portable made its debut at E3, and while there were many things that impressed us about this new tiny marvel, there are certain things that caused us to have some concerns.  The Game Informer editors sat down recently and talked about these items, and we’ve compiled this little feature, “Triumph and Trepidation: The PSP”.

It’s sleek.  It’s way sexy.  It does a ton of stuff.  Here’s ten things that really got us drooling for the PSP.

1. The 16:9 widescreen display on the PSP has got our juices flowing, as does the ability to display 16.77 million colors. Never before has a screen been so large on a portable device, and games should look nice and vibrant on the screen.  Not only that, but movies will look awesome in their original widescreen format.
2. 802.11b built-in wireless will not only make online multiplayer gaming a breeze and user-friendly, we’re also excited to see the possibilities for connecting the PSP to a PS2 or PC.
3. The damn sexiness of the unit is enough to make any jaded portable gamer giddy with delight. Having actually handled the unit, we can safely say that in terms of sheer sex appeal, the PSP is unrivaled.  This baby is hot.
4. The games, the games! At E3, Sony showed off a trailer consisting of a mind-boggling number of titles or franchises that are PSP bound, including Gran Turismo, Metal Gear, and Hot Shots Golf. With such strong support from third-party developers, the PSP is promising a very strong line-up of titles.
5. Movie and music playback is just icing on the cake, but very, very sweet icing indeed. While playing games is definitely the main draw of the PSP, Sony is really gunning for the ability to transform the unit into a “media player” type of device, and we’re all for that.  The less crap we have to tote around on a daily basis – the better.
6. Accessories! Sony is planning to not only release things like a stand and special headphones, but also more notable things like an attachable GPS and digital camera as well as a add-on keyboard device.
7. The possibility of being able to use Sony’s Connect to download music and other content is a smart move and one that we’re hoping comes to fruition.
8. Different color schemes, while all not important, is a pretty cool feature and will allow for any gamer to get the PSP in their own unique colors. Think iPod, with much more sexy.
9. The UMD is shaping up to be a nice medium for the PSP. With the ability to hold 70 minutes of video or music, as well as the fact that the discs are relatively low in cost to make, we could be seeing some low-cost games and movies.
10. While Sony hasn’t commented on concrete tech specs, it’s pretty clear that the PSP will be able to easily handle 3D graphics, which should result in some truly impressive game titles.

But, for all the good, there’s the bad; actually not bad but more like worrisome. Here’s a list of caveats that currently have us wondering…and waiting.

1. Battery life. While SCEA president Kaz Hirai said that the device will range from 10 to 2.5 hours, that makes us a bit worried. We’d like to see a beefier battery that can take some punishment and offer up more reliable longevity, especially for gaming. Nothing is more of a buzz kill than only being able to play a game for a couple hours before you have to stop and recharge the unit’s juice.  If the PSP’s battery will crap out after just watching one movie, we’re going to be extremely disappointed.  Either that or we’ll have to bust out our GBA’s to play games after our PSP is dead.
2. Cost is another mystery, one that could end up either breaking the unit or making it a huge success. Sony hasn’t commented on price as of yet, but we’re guessing the unit could retail for anywhere in between $300-500, at once making it the envy of gadget freaks but also alienating it from Joe and Jane Average Gamer…with average budgets.
3. Screen scratch. Sony didn’t officially comment on whether the unit would ship with a protective cover or carrying bag. If it doesn’t, the beautiful PSP screen could end up a scratched mess. Let’s hope that Sony does the right thing and ships the PSP with some sort of protection. 
4. Size matters, and the PSP is quite a bit bulky, long, and not exactly pocket friendly. True, it fits in the palms of both of your hands, but one look at the GBA SP should give anyone looking for something truly portable a good idea of what they’re after.
5. Having to buy movies and music on UMD, DVD, and CD could get really annoying. Say you buy a DVD movie to view at home, but also want to be able to take it on the road to watch on your PSP. From the looks of it, you’ll also need to buy the movie on UMD, thus doubling your copies of the movie simply for the reason of portability.
6. Memory Stick, while a handy little portable system for toting around data, has us a bit worried. Sony will undoubtedly be forcing gamers to download music and video content to their proprietary media - the Memory Stick - for future viewing and use. Keep in mind, Memory Sticks aren’t cheap. Frankly, the idea of spending another $100 on a 256 memory stick doesn’t sound too appealing, given the fact that the unit will probably be costing so much in the first place.
7. Going in too many directions at once could ultimately hurt Sony. While SCEA president Kaz Hirai has stated that the PSP is first and foremost a gaming system, the inclusion of movie and music playback could turn off those folks simply looking for a portable gaming solution.
8. The possibility that there won’t be a record-enabled PSP at launch or possibly ever limits the PSP on some of its potential abilities, such as recoding lengthy audio or storing a large number of digital pictures on a UMD. True, copyright law is a harsh mistress to deal with, but it would be nice to see the PSP be able to support recording to UMD, at least in the future.
9. Extra costs could eventually cut into the PSP’s appeal. With talk that there may be secondary costs in order to connect the unit with a PS2, as well as the almost mind-boggling array of accessories, the expensive launch price of the PSP could just end up being the tip of the iceberg when it comes to shelling out your hard earned dollars.
10. A successful launch is imperative for the PSP, not only to give gamers a good first impression, but also to differentiate the unit from the realm of interesting but expensive techno-gadgets, like the companies PSX uber-media center. Sony will need a solid line-up of titles and readily available product for consumer demand.  With no playable software at this years E3, will Sony be able to launch in Japan this year?  That’s the big question.

-The Game Informer Staff