I got my Sony Pocketstation in the mail today.  For those who are unfamiliar with the Pocketstation, I will explain its history.  Released only in Japan in 1998, the Pocketstation was the first non console Playstation product.  While not officially a hanheld or meant to compete against the Gameboy, the Pocketstation was a solid product.  Essentially the Pocketstation is a memory card that can store data and access minigames stored on Playstation games. The Pocketstation has a small lcd screen and five buttons. Some games that supported the Pocketstation included Arc the Lad 2, Final Fantasy VIII, and Metal Gear Solid: Intergral. These games allowed players to train characters and then store the data on the PS1 games.  The Pocketstation may have unique abilities but its not the powerhouse that the PSP is.

Now some may same "Why didn't this come out in the U.S?".  When the Pocketstation came out in Japan I believe that it sold out rather quickly.  This raised the question of whether Sony could meet up with demands if released in America.  Originally the Pocketstation was meant to come out in the U.S.  I personally think the reason that it wasn't released here is because its somewhat of a niche product.  It was popular in Japan because I think the Japanese could appreciate the product.  If it was released in the U.S people would probaly expect it to be some sort of competitor to the Gameboy, which it isn't. The Pocketstation is meant to be an accesory to the PlayStation that enchances certain games.

The reason that I got the Pocketstation is because I'm a big Sony fan and I thought it would be a nice addition to my collection.  I managed to get a unit in perfect condition for only $55 from Ebay.  I won't be using the Pocketstation for anything other than display purposes.  Overall I'm pretty happy to have this very unique and rather unknown product in my collection.

Here is a pic of the Pocketstation  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Pocketstation.jpg