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:
I went down this rabbit hole last year. Modded PSP is/was great, but modded PS Vita is SO much better…and easier.
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
Designers Republic art detected.
Neat. Took me a while to make out the title, though.
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!
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.
Have an uovote for mentioning my fav Steam Deck software! I love RetroDECK and can’t stop recommending it!
Same, it’s brilliant, and the devs have created the nicest community around it too.
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 :)
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.
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 don’t want to be that guy, but I always felt that any PlayStation controls were clunky, and only PS5 controller is comforotable to me. I much prefer Nintendo consoles for this reason, including 3DS, heck I even played Minecraft on 3DS and even though it is objectively the worst version, controls were fine to me. But playing Minecraft on Vita? Just horrible experience.
That’s so hard for me to fathom. For me it’s Xbox controllers all the way. Funny how different individual preference can be. Really, I’m just glad we both have options that fit our needs.
Hacked my Vita somewhat recently and wondered why I hadn’t done so sooner. It was really the easiest thing ever and now I can just download basically everything directly onto the thing, it’s great! It doesn’t actually have everything but most of it and it’s easy enough to get whatever else onto it.
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!
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!
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.
I felt weird/guilty using mine in public, like staring down at a little rectangle was unsocial or bad for you or something…
Turns out, it’s more like digital detox! It would be cool these days.
Ugh, where is it!? I know I still have mine.
Staring at a little screen that brings you entertainment & joy: 😡
Staring at a little screen that fills you with anger, dread, and despair: 🤩
I started taking my 1st gen switch on my bus commute & honestly it rules, especially compared to the doomscreen of sadness. Hope you find your old portable buddy!
weird/guilty using mine in public
Some people would talk shit, but no one ever blinked an eye at reading a book. Now everyone is on their phones if they have to wait in a line for 30 seconds lol
Theytm had the same attitudes against newspapers and books at first. It takes a bit to normalise things(and for the old guard to die off)
They™ were right, we need to connect with each other not isolate in media. Doesn’t matter if it’s cheap newsprint or an oled, problem is all staring up at what’s presented vs over at each other
Do you think people should have to stay in their houses if they want to read/game?
No, just wish they’d go out (or stay in!) and talk to each other more :(
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.
Last year I bought a PS Vita and I’d highly recommend that instead if you can find one for cheap! The Vita can natively run PSP games via Adrenaline, and you get the advantage of Vita games and homebrew (and a better screen).
That said, I’m a long time PSP Go lover. It’s basically the PSP in a smaller, pocketable form factor. I would absolutely get that if you can get your hands on one.
I have RetroArch on my Vita as well so I can play GBA or other games as well.
Retroarch is a bit bloated for more intensive emulation, though. You can play N64 games on Vita, but they run better in standalone emulators than in Retroarch.
Hacking it us a breeze and you can do so much stuff with it. Pretty active Dev scene also. Has become my favorite handheld, Vita is life.
Are there decent microSD to their proprietary card format adapters? Because there are plenty of cheap microSD-MSduo for the PSP
Yeah, SD2Vita is the standard and are usually found for ~$6. You put an SD card into it, then slot it into the game card slot to expand your storage.
Yeah, SD2Vita is the goto and works pretty well with micro-SD
I got one from AliExpress like 5 years ago that still works fine
I grabbed a Vita a few years ago to play around with. Never had any of their handhelds growing up so it was all new to me. Not something I regularly use and it kind of just gathers dust next to my analogue pocket and 3DS, but even so, it’s a really neat little thing and can do a lot once hacked open.
