In technology parlance PSP means PlayStation Portable. I know this because I just looked it up on the Internet. I did this because I had no clue what a PSP is. That being said, after a little research it appears PSP is quite the hot topic these days; surely a subject to impress your sex/tech savvy friends with next time you’re invited to one of the many adult Internet literary salons held in dimly lit, smoky downtown lofts where Ornette Coleman plays in the background and everyone enjoys fine cheese and wine.
So apparently, the PSP multimedia device is a transportable amalgam of games, music, video, photos, and Internet – all packed into 6.7-inch-by-2.9-inch frame. That’s all well and good, but as we like to say around here, “What about the goddamn porn?”
Have porn, will travel is the new mantra on the lips of adult content producers as they begin their quest to co-opt the mainstream entertainment bliss of the PSP revolution. Enjoying ones’ porn in private has always been the ambition for porn consumer – and mobile porn sounds like a juicy avenue to explore for adult producers seeking to exploit any remaining bastion where porn can and will be viewed … and jerked off to. (For the record, the PSP can easily be held in one hand, and a hands-free stand is also available from third-party vendors.)
“Hey, it's mobile video; porn is a natural, “says Andy Alvarez, president of Webmaster Central. “ Just like PCs, it makes a great excuse: ‘Honey I'm just playing Grand Theft Auto,’ and secretly you’re checking out a hot European threesome.”
It should come as no shock that behemoth media company Sony is reportedly none-too-pleased with pornographic material showing up on its PSPs, but while Sony does maintain creative control of all games for the PSP, they are almost powerless where movie content is concerned.
"It is utterly undesirable, but we cannot stop software makers from selling such videos," a public relations official at Sony Computer Entertainment said in a widely circulated statement released early last summer.
With their ‘Sorry, folks, we just can’t stop the porn stuff, so stop bothering us and go buy Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 to ease your pain,’ statement issued to stave off critics, what remains to be seen is just how swift the co-opting of the medium by adult producers is and will contnue to be.
“The PSP is the first Personal Media Player with wide acceptance,” says Sam Sugar, founder of SugarBank.com. “Any portable video device will carry porn eventually, but until there are more options, for most Americans the PMP category will mean PSP.
“Of course this is a nail in the coffin of DVD,” he continues. “All this content will be downloaded online. With PMPs you can plug into your TV or beam to TV wirelessly, and the need for DVDs will diminish.”
The question is whether the PSP porn craze will plateau and lose cachet for adult go-getters, or if the medium has staying power as a bona fide, unceasing revenue generator.
“PSPs open another great channel for distribution of adult content and branding,” says Jonathan Silverstein of ContentBlowout.com, who clearly sees PSP as a prime mover in the adult sector.
The buzz has clearly enticed numerous adult companies, making them anxious to jump on the bandwagon and procure first-class seating while it’s still available. Playboy, for instance, has begun producing content for the PSP as well as linking to PSP via Playboy.com, which offers free video and photos of ”Cyber Girl” Amy Sue Cooper.
“It's exactly like mobile-phone video ... it will catch on in Europe first simply because Europeans are a lot more mobile than Americans,” says Alvarez. “We're always close to a PC so in the States it will take a little longer. I think it's one more example of how our industry adapts and grows no matter what.”
It’s not yet known whether PSP porn will have any enduring profitability, or whether regulations and other methods queued to rein in adult content from such handheld devices will crop up. But the wellspring of both new and recognized adult companies who have sparked, financially and creatively, the flame of yet another digital platform on which to transmit smut is quite remarkable.
