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Train to be a doctor using your PSP

New e-learning tools create a wealth of possibilities for the console

Train to be a doctor using your PSP
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PSP

Okay, so educational software isn't quite as high up there in terms of excitement as the announcement of a new Metal Gear game. But education is important, apparently, so we thought we'd bring you news from Nottingham-based e-learning company Atlantic Link, which has just just announced it has produced tools to allow its educational courses to run on PSP.

The company's MD Mike Alcock explains it all more succinctly than we could manage, so let's hear what he has to say: "The traditional problem with courses on the PSP is that they've never been designed for the smaller screen and are often shrunken versions of courses designed for viewing on PC screens.

"To tackle this," he continues, "we have enabled our software to author at the native screen size of a Sony PSP. Because the output of Content Point is Flash, the courses still contain all of the high quality and interactivity of Atlantic Link's usual output, but with the benefit of small screen design. Quizzes, games, activities, audio, video and Flash animations are all supported, giving users the richest possible course experience."

No specific courses have been confirmed for the PSP yet, but the company says the potential is massive and could result in tourist guides, language training, interactive museum guides and even medical training being made available for on-the-go use to PSP users.

Users will be able to save a course to memory stick and run it from there, or access their course directly from the internet. Whichever they choose, the course will fit their PSP's screen and be modified for the console's layout.

There's a sample of Atlantic Link's PSP e-learning here for those curious about how it'll look. We'll hopefully bring you more on this when software launches. That's if we haven't used it to train as vets by then, in which case we'll all be far too busy.

Kath Brice
Kath Brice
Kath gave up a job working with animals five years ago to join the world of video game journalism, which now sees her running our DS section. With so many male work colleagues, many have asked if she notices any difference.