Sony Japan exec confirms that PSP will support the popular music format; but says system launch this year will depend on software publishers.
TOKYO--The PSP will indeed be able to download and play back MP3 files, Sony Computer Entertainment network systems chief Izumi Kawanishi confirmed today in an interview with Impress AV Watch. And later in the interview, Kawanishi elaborated on quite a few aspects of the PSP's release and development cycle--including some doubts about whether or not the PSP will indeed release this year in Japan.
Support for MP3 files is a reversal of a long-standing company policy in which the vast majority of Sony devices only supported the company's proprietary ATRAC3 music format. Last month during the Tokyo Game Show, SCE included MP3s on the list of audio codecs that would comply with the portable hardware, although it made no further announcements.
According to Kawanishi, PSP owners will be able to download MP3 files by connecting the handheld to a PC via the USB port. The PSP will then be recognized by the PC as a USB mass storage device, and PSP users will be able to simply drag and drop the MP3 files from the computer's hard drive to the PSP.
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