PS3-PSP media playback compatibility

And so the PlayStation 3 launched in Japan last night. A lot of things, unexpected or not, happened within the past few hours. We all used to think that we'd be moping for a week until the precious console reach our shores next week (or next year if you live in Europe). Contrary to that, we were treated to a good number of developments including the release of Firmware 1.10 and the whole deal with replacing the HDD.

Anyhow, include the PS3-PSP connection to that list of developments as it was proven that the two are actually good buddies who could work hand-in-hand to entertain you. While there are a number of things the two can't do yet, the tandem, although still in its infant stage, has been making waves already.

The PS3 is compatible with virtually any type of USB, given that the device's directory is properly structured. The PSP can be attached like any normal device, but since the handheld's and the console's directory are the same, the PSP Memory Stick should be pre-formatted out of the box.

Furthermore, the PlayStation Portable is recognized by the PS3 as a, well, a PlayStation Portable, starting from icons and folders down to the name you've given your handheld. All your media files will show up in the PS3, in the exact way as they are stored in the PSP and file transfer and loading can go as fast as the memory stick allows.

This next bit is not actually a glitch, but it is quite noticeable that the PS3 is picky when it comes to displaying thumbnails. The console displays thumbnails of pictures but it doesn't display thumbnails for videos, unless it's in HDD. Also, don't expect a standard bitmap or an auto-generate of a running thumbnail. What the PS3 does is quite similar with how the portable reacts with THM files: generates and stores a thumbnail video. Also, it was noted that albums of music files didn't get to have any thumbnails at all.

Here's a quick list of remaining observations on the media functionality between the PS3 and the PSP:

• the PS3 does not have the ability to modify or browse PSP saves
• the built-in Memory Stick formatter can not be used to format a stick on PSP
• it seems that the PS3 lack the feature to play downloaded games off of anything but PS3's internal hard disc
• the PS3 can offload game saves to the PSP's Memory Stick whether they're from PS3, PS2 or PS1

Thanks PSPUpdates