Your system may become a music jukebox of sorts with an upcoming unlicensed peripheral

If you point your browser at The MP3 Enhancer website, you'll notice a puzzling new peripheral that will soon be released for the PlayStation. Though not much information is offered, it looks like the device, titled the MP3 Enhancer, will enable you to play MP3 files on your PlayStation. The device will retail for around $50.

MP3 files are audio files that have been compressed to a very small size using a powerful compression routine. CD quality audio files using this compression can get as small as a megabyte a minute, and usually get smaller if you cut the quality further. The format was devised for easy music transfer over the Internet - small files with incredible sound quality.

It looks like the MP3 Enhancer may offer a way of transporting MP3 files from the PC to the PlayStation for external listening, much like the Diamond Rio, a portable MP3 player. How much memory or what kind of features this device will have is still unknown - the company's website is extremely cryptic about the unit. We're guessing that you will have to interface this device with a PC to transfer audio files to the PlayStation - another reason why we question the necessity of the MP3 Enhancer.

The Internet domain (www.mp3enhancer.com) is registered to Visoly Inc. - the company responsible for the Game Enhancer (the mod-chip alternative to play Japanese and copied games on the PlayStation), as well as the Z64 backup device for the N64. We'll keep you informed as and when the unit becomes available.

Courtesy of IGN.com