Portable media players

This article is a never-ending list. It will always need updates and will likely have new content added to it on a consistent basis. Because of this, it can never truly be a finished article.

Before smartphones took over the tech world, you needed a specific device in order to reliably play media such as videos, music and photos on the go.

A portable media player (PMP) or digital audio player (DAP) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. The data is typically stored on a compact disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), Blu-ray Disc (BD), flash memory, microdrive, SD cards or hard disk drive; most earlier PMPs used physical media, but modern players mostly use flash memory. In contrast, analogue portable audio players play music from non-digital media that use analogue media, such as cassette tapes or vinyl records. Two flash memory type pocket-size PMPs: Sony's Walkman A810 and Apple's iPod Nano (late 2000s) A larger sized, hard disk drive memory type PMP: the Archos 605 (2000s) A small DAP: the SanDisk Clip Jam (2010s)

Digital audio players (DAP) were often marketed as MP3 players even if they also supported other file formats and media types. The PMP term was introduced later for devices that had additional capabilities such as video playback. Generally speaking, they are portable, employing internal or replaceable batteries, equipped with a 3.5 mm headphone jack which can be used for headphones or to connect to a boombox, shelf stereo system, or connect to car audio and home stereos wired or via a wireless connection such as Bluetooth. Some players also include radio tuners, voice recording and other features.

DAPs appeared in the late 1990s following the creation of the MP3 codec in Germany. MP3-playing devices were mostly pioneered by South Korean startups, who by 2002 would control the majority of global sales. However the industry would eventually be defined by the popular Apple iPod. In 2006, 20% of Americans owned a PMP, a figure strongly driven by the young; more than half (54%) of American teens owned one, as did 30% of young adults aged 18 to 34. In 2007, 210 million PMPs were sold worldwide, worth US$19.5 billion. In 2008, video-enabled players would overtake audio-only players. Increasing sales of smartphones and tablet computers have led to a decline in sales of PMPs, leading to most devices being phased out, such as the iPod Touch on May 10, 2022, though certain flagship devices like the Sony Walkman are still in production. Portable DVD and BD players are still manufactured.[1]

Notes:
1. The cheap made in China media players you still see in stores like Wal-Mart today are not included on this list, we are mainly focusing on the pre-smartphone era.
2. Android and iOS devices are not included here as well since they have their own pages.

Archos


Modal	Year	Series	MAME support
104	2006	Generation 4	None
105	2006	Generation 5	None
120	2003	Gmini	None
204	2007	Generation 4	None
400	2004	Gmini	None
402	2005 (402) 2005 (Camcorder) 200? (PocketDish AV402E)	Gmini	None
404	2006 (404) 2007 (Camcorder)	Generation 4	None
405	2007	Generation 5	None
500	2005	Gmini	None
504	2006	Generation 4	None
604	2006 (604) 2006 (604 WiFi) 2007 (605 WiFi) 2008 (605 GPS) 2007 (704 WiFi / 704TV) 2007 (705 WiFi)	Generation 4/5	None
AV100	2003	AV	None
AV300	2003 (AV300) 2004 (AV400)	AV	None
AV500	2005	AV	None
AV700	2005 (AV700) 2006 (AV700TV)	AV	None
Jukebox	2000 (5000/6000) 2001 (Studio)	Jukebox	None
Jukebox Multimedia	2002	Jukebox	None
Jukebox Recorder	2002	Jukebox	None
XS-100	2004	Gmini	None
XS-120	2003	Gmini	None
XS-200	2004	Gmini	None
XS-202	2005	Gmini	None

Cowon


Modal	Year	MAME support	Emulation Info
3D	2010	None	World's first glasses-free 3D PMP
A3	2006	None
C2	2011	None
CW200	2003	None
CW300	2003	None
D2	2006 (D2) 2009 (D2+) 2013 (D20)	None
G2/G3	2004	None
G7	2013	None
iAudio 4	2003	None
iAudio 5	2004 (5) 2005 (X5) 2005 (M5)	None
iAudio 6	2006	None
iAudio 7	2007	None
iAudio 9	2009 (9) 2013 (9+)	None
iAudio 10	2011	None
J3	2011	None
L3	2009	None
O2	2008	None
P5	2008	None
Plenue D3	2021	None
Q5W	2008	None
R7	2011	None
S9	2008	None
V5	2010 (V5) 2010 (V5W) 2011 (V5S)	None
X7	2010	None

Creative


Modal	Year	MAME support
Jukebox Zen	2002	None
NOMAD	1999	None
NOMAD II	1999	None
NOMAD IIc	1999	None
NOMAD MuVo	2002	None
ZEN	2007	None
ZEN Portable Media Center	2004	None
ZEN Sleek	2005	None
ZEN Touch	2004	None
ZEN Vision:M	2005	None

Diamond Multimedia


Modal	Series	Year	MAME support
500	Rio	1999	None
Carbon	Rio	2004	None
Forge	Rio	2004	None
Karma	Rio	2003	None
PMP300	Rio	1998	None
Riot	Rio	2002	None

iRiver


Modal	Year	MAME support
Clix	2006	None
Clix 2	2007	None
E100	2008	None
H10	2004	None
H100	2003	None
H320	2004	None
H340	2004	None
P7	2009	None
Spinn	2008	None
U10	2005	None
X20	2007	None

Miscellaneous


Modal	Year	MAME support	Emulation Info
Apple iPod	2001 - 2022	None
Astell & Kern Kann	2018	None
AT&T FlashPAC	1996	None
Audible MobilePlayer	1997	None
Audio Highway Listen Up	1997	None
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 6	2007	None
Compaq \ Hango Personal Jukebox (PJB-100)	2000	None
Dell Digital Jukebox	2004	None
eStarLabs Monolith	2005	None
Haier ibiza Rhapsody	2007	None
I-Jam IJ-100	1999	None
Intel Pocket Concert	1999	None
Iomega HipZip	2001	None
IXI	1979 (Prototype) ~1986 (Pre-Production Model)	None	IXI at Wikipedia
K-PEX 100	2006	None
LeapFrog Crammer	2008	None
Mattel Juice Box	2004	Good
Meizu M3 Music Card	2007	None
Meizu M6 miniPlayer	2007	None
Microsoft Zune	2006	None
Onkyo DP-X1	2016	None
Panasonic SV-SD75	2001	None
PonoPlayer	2014	None
SaeHan MPMan	1998	None
Samsung Napster	2005	None
Samsung YEPP	1999 - 2013	None
Sensory Science Rave MP2100	1999	None
Sirius Stiletto	2006	None
SonicBlue EMPEG	1999	None	The Linux-based, EMPEG is one of the first in-car MP3 players ever developed
Thomson PDP2201	1999	None
Tonium Pacemaker	2008	None
Transcend MP870	2014	None
TrekStor Music Stick	2004	None
TrekStor Vibez	2006	None

RCA


Modal	Year	MAME support
A/V Jukebox	2003	None
Jukebox	2002 (RD2800) 200? (RD2820) 200? (RD2820) 200? (RD2821) 200? (RD2826)	None
Jukebox HD	2003	None
Lyra	1999 (RD2201/RD2204)	None
Lyra2	2001	None
Lyra Slider	2008	None
Micro Jukebox	2004	None
Mini-Jukebox	2003	None
RD2201 / RD2204	1999	None

SanDisk


Modal	Year	MAME support
C200	2006	None
Clip	2007	None
Clip Sport Plus	2017	None
Connect	2007	None
E100	2005	None
E200	2006	None
Fuze	2008	Preliminary
Fuze+	2010	None
View	2007	None

Toshiba


Modal	Year	MAME support
Gigabeat F	2004	None
Gigabeat G	2003	None
Gigabeat P	2005 (P) 2006 (P5S)	None
Gigabeat S	2006	None
Gigabeat T	2007	None
Gigabeat U	2007	None
Gigabeat V	2006 (V) 2007 (Second-Gen)	None
Gigabeat X	2006	None
Mobilphile	2002	None