So today’s article I wrote is just me plodding along wondering out loud why the Sony PSP has become so popular again all of a sudden.
I mean, clearly “so popular” is an exaggeration in the grand scheme of things, these are no-doubt extremely small numbers compared to other handhelds available. Scrolling social media really has shown a lot of them on feeds for me in 2026.
If you’re interested in why I think they’re showing up more lately, then read on with my article. I go through a reason in each ‘section’, but If you’ve got your own ideas, I’d love to hear them below here. Oh and if you’re thinking:
“hey there’s no in-depth investigative journalism here, it just looks like they wanted an excuse to write about the PSP!!!”
…you’d be right. I’ve been obsessed with them lately. This is my 4th PSP article in a very short time. I do so love them!
Anyway, if you want to see some old PSP TV ads, some nostalgia, and want to chat about PSPs (plz do), then here’s the link:
The Vita also rips (arguably more) ass, as it does everything the PSP does and more, it’s also the easiest console to hack there has ever been. I picked up a Japanese one for like 90 bucks and it’s one of the best all around devices there is.
Hacking it also let’s you swap O and X for canceling and selecting. To my knowledge, that’s the only downside of getting a Japanese Vita.
O is maru, X is batsu. Maru = circle for yes and X = Batsu for incorrect. Japanese people make the same gestures with their arms to signal if something is right or wrong. It’s funny that they changed it for the west, I wonder what would’ve happened if they didn’t
Yeah, Japan was actually surprised when American game devs started using X for confirm. They never even anticipated that it would happen, because the X/O symbolism is so heavily engrained in their society that it was glaringly obvious to them that O was confirm. Their original intent was always to use the Nintendo layout for confirm/cancel, but then western devs misunderstood the buttons and swapped them.
To them, an O is like a checkmark or thumbs up emoji. Imagine if an American console maker developed a console with a thumbs up button, and Asian devs started using the thumbs up button as Cancel. The American console manufacturer would probably be pretty fucking confused by the decision too.
I get that confusion in Baseball. Crossed arms and “no” gesture means safe, thumbs up means out? I guess it makes sense from the perspective of the pitching side. But I always have to remember which is which.
That’s a two second fix.
Yeah I have a psp. It’s an impressive little console that’s almost like a ps2 on the go. Plus it’s very easy to jailbreak. The funniest thing about the psp is the marketing video with one guy singing about wanting a psp for Christmas.
Even if you’re on the ‘wrong’ firmware, a jailbreak takes a matter of minutes these days! Add in the ability to use expanded batteries (I have a 1400 mAh in mine), adapter cards to use micro SD in the ‘shape’ of the proprietary memory stick duos, all those games and you’ve got a wonderful machine!
Wow. I had a psp way back and I can’t remember what happened to it , gave it away or lost it. Came across a ps vita and jail broke it and it’s awesome. Maybe if I see a psp crop up on eBay or marketplace I’ll have to scoop I had no idea you could expand the battery!
This inspired me to go dig out my old PSP only to discover that I have no battery… I threw it out when it pillowed years ago and forgot about it. I’ll have to play on Retrodeck for now!
Have an uovote for mentioning my fav Steam Deck software! I love RetroDECK and can’t stop recommending it!
Out of curiosity, how does it compare to EmuDeck? I haven’t personally used RetroDeck, so I was wondering if it had anything that would make me switch from EmuDeck.
I think it is the better of the two. I dislike how EmuDeck organizes itself (it doesn’t). Last time I had it installed, it had 32GB in so many different incomprehensible folders in my Steam Deck. I had three emulators running, with a handful of games. It was also a complete nightmare to uninstall when the time came. But in the end, it just comes down to preference.
RetroDECK can all run from a SD card. ROMs, BIOS, HD texture packs, mods, everything runs perfectly and in a nice little self-contained space. I love it!
You can always test it out, if you have a spare SD card they’ll run side-by-side. And you can read my interviews, chats and articles with the RetroDECK team too, if you’d like to see what they’re all about :)
Same, it’s brilliant, and the devs have created the nicest community around it too.
Same thing just happened to me. I dug up my old psp from my childhood and the battery was crazy thick. I’m glad I caight it before it committed a Note 7.
I picked up a 2 pack with a USB charger from amazon for like 10 bucks last year, then when I dug out my old PSP the battery was fine. I love my old PSP.
PPSSPP because I can’t trust second hand dealers anymore.
Why not? Are they selling broken stuff now or something?
Or something.
???
EVERYONE is getting one? Bruh, that is simply not the case, don’t make stuff up just to sensationalize for clicks and engagement just because your TikTok algorithm started showing you more PSP stuff. You’re literally just spreading your TikTok garbage over to here now trying to “make fetch happen.” Be better man, you’re doing their work for nothing. For real.
Everybody was not, in fact, kung-fu fighting.
I don’t think people who say “everyone” ever literally means “everyone”. It’s a niche and the hype around old devices is real so the author is just commenting on it. I get hating sensationalized titles but this really isn’t as terrible as you are making it out to be.
I really didn’t think that:
a) my article was click-bait (we’re a reaaaaaaaaaaaaaally small site, there’s no need to even try click-bait!), and
b) I needed to explain that I didn’t mean ‘everyone’
Glad you can see that, this seems weirdly attack-y.
If Dash says “everyone’s getting one,” who are you to determine who belongs in that set or if Dash’s lived experience and perceived uptick in PSP purchases is invalid? It’s Dash’s observation that many people are suddenly picking up used PSPs. Chill the heck out, my dawg. Comments like this make the world a genuinely worse place to be.
EVERYONE is getting one? Bruh, that is simply not the case, don’t make stuff up
Hyperbole is a rhetorical device
before making stupid comments like this, read my article “why everyone is stocking up on sand”: https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
I should really get replacement batteries for my two PSPs.
I had a 3000 with a cracked screen. I could use it to display on the TV. But I went ahead and changed the screen out. I must have messed up the wiring though, because now it only works when plugged in.
Designers Republic art detected.
Neat. Took me a while to make out the title, though.
I’ve always wanted one. From when they first came out, to now. I just don’t know which one I want to eventually get, or in what color.
Ahhhh let me shamelessly share my own article on my preferred method of buying one these days:
https://gardinerbryant.com/i-bought-a-junk-psp-from-japan-heres-how-it-went/
I’d recommend the PSP-2000. They have twice the RAM of the 1000, better battery life, and (to me) they feel a little heftier in a good way over the 3000.
What model has the best sound/speakers?
The only one to really avoid is the PSP-Street (the ‘budget’ console, it only came with one speaker), so the ones to go for are pretty much the 2000 or 3000, from what I know they used the same speakers, 3.5mm jack, etc. And for the best possible sound (obv), using headphones really works wonders on these
I love my old psp! I still enjoy playing it. I feel like, in a time where things aren’t made to last, things that do hold up, really deserve reverence. So even though I’ve never stopped loving my psp, I gain more respect for it over time.
I still got my original 1001 model from 2005 that still works some how. It was built like a goddamn tank because I abused the absolute shit out of it.
You can get drop-in (kinda) IPS displays for the 1000 these days, if you want to give it new life!
I’d rather leave it original and get another one refurbed with a new screen. Mine is so worn out that the disc drive barely works and so crooked it sticks out of the case.
Touching on the burnout section of the article, it’s not quite as cool as the PSP but I’ve been playing a lot on my Switch 2 as a form of digital detox as well. I put limits on all the addictive apps on my phone, and downright uninstalled most of them, so when I’m itching for dopamine my phone can’t give me it’s nice to turn to a game console. The switch 2 also doesn’t have notifications or egregious game updates. Currently playing through factorio and having a blast just kinda … ignoring the state of the world.
I’m someone who played on Nintendo handhelds growing up, but I always admired the design of the PSP. It felt so much sleeker than the DS at the time, and it’s remarkable how impressive it looks even today.
What are the most interesting hacks and tinkering projects that you can get up to with a PSP or Vita today? I’m considering getting one now.
Phats had IR ports so anything with IR can be played with.
It can emulate a lot of old systems including the n64 to some degree. PS1 too.
The web browser became useless for the modern web a long time ago, but it can still be used for very small/simple sites.
Lots of homebrew games out there.
Great platform to learn Lua on
It’s basically cracked open entirely… So good learning platform for that too.
Funny. Just today I installed a CFW on a PSP Phat. Not for personal use, though; I’ve never liked what was available on the PSP, and I have a Steam Deck I can emulate on.
But my younger brother bought a second hand PSP.
Oh man I loved my PSP back in the day, I played a ton in it. I had a modded one and I also installed PSX and GBA emulators.
I remember that when I bought it, it came already modded but it wasn’t a permanent mod. To activate the mod after rebooting I had to navigate to the images folder and load up a PNG (I think?) image that was called Chicken or something like that. The most annoying part was that it didn’t work consistently, so often times it would cause the console to hang and I had to try again. It always blew my mind how an image could trigger the hack like that, looking back I guess it was a malicious payload or something and some race condition somewhere idk.
If I remember correctly, after a couple years I was able to change the mod to a permanent one. I sold it like 10 years ago
Some thoughts on why i might like a vita but have not:
i like emulating older consoles, but i can do so on my phone. i just have to make sure the phone and the old controller are charged, which can be a small hassle.
i guess that’s just one thought. i liked the article!
