The Japanese company has launched a software solution designed for the PlayStation Portable gaming console, which will compete with the much more famous solution Apple created for sorting and playing multimedia files. The PSP Media Manager is a PC-based application which will keep the mobile device packed with music, video, photography and other content.

The software is installed on the computer and the connection is established via a USB 2.0 link. The application will scan the suited content stored on the Pc and even formats that aren't compatible with the PSP can be played by the gaming console, after the PSP Media Manager transcodes them and transfers over the now compatible content.

The PSP Media Manager doesn't only handle music, it also allows users to copy over digital photos and videos, the latter can be encoded in the AVC format, derived from H.264. Much like iTunes, the Sony software provides tools to manage and transfer podcast, electronic magazine and video blog subscriptions. The PSP Media Manager will also monitor and update with new items added to websites' RSS feeds.

The software is available immediately on the US Sony website and costs $20. It should be available next month as a boxed product and it will also include a 6ft USB 2.0 cable, some free video and photo content and five free downloads from Connect.