Support NeoGAF

[Staal]

Originally I bought a PSP 2000 in 2007 and fell in love with portable gaming. Aside from gaming the RSS feature was amazing and got me into listening to podcasts.
After the Vita was released I gave it to a friend who wanted a cheap gaming platform.

Recently bought a PSP Go and I still really like the machine.

I'm really happy with the Vita as a successor, but the PSP has a special place in my heart.

 

[KillerMan91]

It's a damn shame Vita couldn't lived up to the PSP legacy,Sony definitely dropped the ball here. PSP is proof that AAA gaming can be done on a portable.

I still don't see how Sony dropped the ball with Vita. They handled it pretty much completely same way as they did PSP. It's just that when PSP launched handheld market was far healthier and that meant tons of great third party content.

 

[bobawesome]

Seeing Ridge Racer running at 60FPS on the PSP back in 2004 was just jaw dropping. The whole UMD movie concept too. Portable movies with DVD quality video back then? Insane.

The PSP was so far ahead of its time.

Edit: This! On a handheld! In 2004!

The PSP blew me away in 2010. I couldn't even imagine owning one in 2004/2005.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

I still don't see how Sony dropped the ball with Vita. They handled it pretty much completely same way as they did PSP. It's just that when PSP launched handheld market was far healthier and that meant tons of great third party content.

That was precisely why they messed up with Vita, the market had changed around them but they went in with almost exactly the same approach as in 2004. This rude wake-up call (same with Wii U) did eventually convince Sony and Nintendo to get with the times and lower the barrier to entry for game developers, creating a healthy market for independent developers to jump on board. Both PS4 and Switch eventually benefited from this, even if Vita and Wii U didn't succeed because of it.

The same thing happened to a lesser extent with the 3DS - Nintendo made a big gamble on the boxed games market when at that time traditional handheld-style gaming (before Games-as-a-Service) was being undercut by the $0.99 app.

This old GameCentral analysis, written shortly after the Vita (back then, Next Generation Portable or NGP) reveal, was largely on point:

But as impressive as it is to see Uncharted running on a portable console the truth is none of Sony’s first party games have ever had the sales or cultural impact that would imply they were such a necessity for the PSP2. Uncharted certainly deserves to be more popular than it is but after two tries already it seems unlikely it ever will be. Likewise Resistance, LittleBigPlanet, Everybody’s Golf and wipEout are well known amongst the hardcore – but not necessarily by anyone else.

As well as showing off just how powerful the PSP2 is this line-up, which also included a tech demo for Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4, also suggests that Sony’s portable is still primarily interested in replicating the home video game experience on a portable. And we’ve no idea why.

The success of the Nintendo DS and iPhone is all due to them offering gaming experiences that are not only appreciably different from those you’d see on a home console but also specifically designed with portable play in mind (i.e. not too complicated and playable in short bursts). The PSP has never offered this and that is at the root of its failure in the West.

In Japan the overwhelming popularity of Monster Hunter means that the PSP is viewed very differently there. But Monster Hunter Freedom’s success is based on its portability and the way it encourages social interaction – unfortunately for Sony and Capcom it does so in a uniquely Japanese way which has never translated overseas.

The Japanese success is also due to the console’s low development costs, which allows local developers to continue to make games purely for a home audience – just as they did in the PlayStation 2 era. It’s hard to imagine how the PSP2 is going to continue this legacy though, since making games that look almost as good as the PlayStation 3 mean spending almost the same amount of money.

Also remember that when PSP launched in 2004/2005, the portable media player market was very much still contestable. Sure, there was the iPod (soon iPod Video and Nano), but these were pre-iPhone devices, the PSP was the first massmarket device that offered a large, 16:9 display and the capability to enjoy Photos and Videos on it (and a crude web browser), as well as Music. That made it appealing to a larger audience. As soon as the iPhone and iPod Touch happened, this advantage fell away, and the PSP stuck out like a sore thumb. Viewing photos, listening to music and browsing the web just didn't work well with buttons and sticks. And the device - lumbered by its UMD drive - wasn't as portable.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

It has a lot of great games, but the hardware never quite gelled for me. Felt it needed a second analogue nub, much more so than the DS ever did.

 

[mcz117chief]

Still my only smart device I have so I take it with me wherever I go. Music, movies, games, all in one.

 

[KingpinZero]

I remember getting my 1000 on launch day, i was in Akiba at the time, in line. It was a great experience.
After a while i got the Ceramic White when it got released, had a friend send it over.
The same friend gifted me for my birthday the Crisis Core Limited Edition Slim, number 7326, which i still have today.
Playing the PSP in those years was amazing. A portable console truly capable of some serious home-quality titles.

Ridge Racers 1 and 2 blew me away;
Also Armored Core Formula Front (Japanese was like auto-guided, european and usa version were different, you could actually "play" the ACs like any other normal AC)

But games such Dexter, Tekken 5 DR and Tekken 6 really shown what the console was capable of.
Worth to mention other great titles:

Soul Calibur
Ace Combat
Medievil Resurrection
Mortal Kombat
GTI Club
WRC
Colin McRae Rally 2005 (glorius port, i'm still puzzled how they did it, its almost on par with ps2)
Dissidia and Duodecim
Kingdom Hearts
Pursuit Force 1 and 2
Burnout games
GranTurismo

basically this console had almost every game in the lineup up in the AWESOME status.

 

[Rmagnus]

The system that introduce me to the claw! Countless hours with it and monster hunter.

 

[JohnSpartanLee]

Played through all of these on my trusty old PSP:

Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast
Rondo of Blood remake
Symphony of the Night ("cesspit of hatred and lies" version)
Rondo of Blood
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy IV Complete
Crisis Core
Ridge Racer
Wipeout Pure
Bust-A-Move Deluxe
Pinball Dreams
Pinball Fantasies

PS1 emulation:
Alundra
Fade to Black (Flashback sequel)
Final Fantasy VII
Symphony of the Night ("miserable pile of secrets" version)
Resident Evil Director's Cut (standard version with correct music)
Dino Crisis

Best portable ever.

 

[KillerMan91]

That was precisely why they messed up with Vita, the market had changed around them but they went in with almost exactly the same approach as in 2004. This rude wake-up call (same with Wii U) did eventually convince Sony and Nintendo to get with the times and lower the barrier to entry for game developers, creating a healthy market for independent developers to jump on board. Both PS4 and Switch eventually benefited from this, even if Vita and Wii U didn't succeed because of it.

The same thing happened to a lesser extent with the 3DS - Nintendo made a big gamble on the boxed games market when at that time traditional handheld-style gaming (before Games-as-a-Service) was being undercut by the $0.99 app.

This old GameCentral analysis, written shortly after the Vita (back then, Next Generation Portable or NGP) reveal, was largely on point:



Also remember that when PSP launched in 2004/2005, the portable media player market was very much still contestable. Sure, there was the iPod (soon iPod Video and Nano), but these were pre-iPhone devices, the PSP was the first massmarket device that offered a large, 16:9 display and the capability to enjoy Photos and Videos on it (and a crude web browser), as well as Music. That made it appealing to a larger audience. As soon as the iPhone and iPod Touch happened, this advantage fell away, and the PSP stuck out like a sore thumb. Viewing photos, listening to music and browsing the web just didn't work well with buttons and sticks. And the device - lumbered by its UMD drive - wasn't as portable.

Oh sure. But still it kinda rubs me wrong way when people say Sony dropped the ball compared to PSP. They could have done more but people are really looking PSP trough nostalgia goggles when it comes to how Sony supported it. I think Vita had unfortunate timing. Tech was not there to push Switch like system so they tried to go with same plan as with PSP. I think Switch is pretty natural evolution of PSP and Vita and something Sony probably had done too if they were still in handheld market.

 

[Atomski]

Mine ended up running like crap after hacking it to much. Honestly thought it was a pretty boring piece of hardware. Looked sexy but nothing game wise blew me away. I ended up playing my DS more cause it just had more of a wide spectrum of games. In the end I just used it for emulation..

 

[VLiberty]

The success of the Nintendo DS and iPhone is all due to them offering gaming experiences that are not only appreciably different from those you’d see on a home console but also specifically designed with portable play in mind (i.e. not too complicated and playable in short bursts). The PSP has never offered this and that is at the root of its failure in the West.

honestly, this is not true at all. PSP offered tons of different experiences, and the fact that most people ignored their existence in favor of the big console-like games proves that it's exaclty the opposite. luckily, I haven't heard this myth in a long while

 

[KingpinZero]

honestly, this is not true at all. PSP offered tons of different experiences, and the fact that most people ignored their existence in favor of the big console-like games proves that it's exaclty the opposite. luckily, I haven't heard this myth in a long while

This.
But i mean, looking at the lineup it's hard to assume the opposite.
It had everything, with excellent quality, almost ps2 like.
I could name some games (beside the others) on top of my head, such the three GTAs, Lumines, WipeOuts, Peace Walker...and so on.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Oh sure. But still it kinda rubs me wrong way when people say Sony dropped the ball compared to PSP. They could have done more but people are really looking PSP trough nostalgia goggles when it comes to how Sony supported it. I think Vita had unfortunate timing. Tech was not there to push Switch like system so they tried to go with same plan as with PSP. I think Switch is pretty natural evolution of PSP and Vita and something Sony probably had done too if they were still in handheld market.

I doubt they'd have done a Switch-like system because the PS4 exists. Usually the moats you build around you as a company hamper your ability to try new things or send you on a myopic path.

Switch only really exists because the Wii U is dead, and 3DS is on its way out, it's a completely fresh start for Nintendo and a reset from "zero" (probably the last time, going by Iwata's words of making sure forwards and cross-compatibility is a big deal for NX). Sony still has its console business, and would have had PS Orbis in the works, so I doubt they'd make a hybrid.

A lot of what makes Switch unique - the kickstand, detachable controllers with large sticks and inputs, large screen, the dock and two power modes - are completely unexpected for a portable device. They wouldn't have happened if Switch weren't a hybrid, but Nintendo has evidently acknowledged that the pocketable device is the smartphone, and the Switch is more like a tablet you stuff in your bag.

All of which has led to a handheld that plays console games really, really well (6.2" high res screen, proper sized sticks and triggers), a lot better than Vita ever did, but if Sony or Nintendo were making a distinct "handheld" successor it wouldn't have gone this way.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

honestly, this is not true at all. PSP offered tons of different experiences, and the fact that most people ignored their existence in favor of the big console-like games proves that it's exaclty the opposite. luckily, I haven't heard this myth in a long while

Most of those experiences failed to find a large audience globally, which is the point. If you look at the games that were unique to the DS - your Laytons, your Nintendogs, your Devil Survivors, your TWEWYs - they were the games driving system sales. And that's in spite of there being rampant piracy on both DS and PSP.

The more "handheld-like" experiences on the PSP weren't driving hardware sales or software sales in the west. Games like Project Diva weren't even released overseas (and if they did, they'd see a similar sales fate as the PS3/Vita/3DS games), stuff like Z.H.P. and LocoRoco failed to resonate, as did Practical Intelligence Quotient (Sony's answer to Brain Training in marketing). Games like Tactics Ogre: LUCT, The Third Birthday, Ridge Racers 2, while great, again, didn't resonate with the market in the same way.

There's a reason DS didn't succeed off the basis of console-like experiences like Mario 64 DS and Metroid Prime Hunters, and instead the games driving its massive install base were entirely new IPs and new games, not riffs on existing ones.

This didn't happen with PSP outside of Japan, the big sellers were PS2 derivatives, which didn't have the same reach. Then, ironically, Sony shifted to the kids' market with PSP in its later years, despite the stigma Nintendo once got for being "kiddy". The DS ended up getting the DSi XL - aimed at an older audience.

This chart says it all really. PSP software sales were minuscule compared with other platforms at the time, and in a region where Sony platforms are well received.

I'm not saying PSP games are bad, or worse, or anything like that, just that the games that the format played host to didn't resonate with the masses. Personally I never really liked console-style games on PSP, I favoured arcade games (Ridge Racers 2! OutRun 2006! Project Diva 2!) and games made for the smaller screen (Tactics Ogre: LUCT!, Yggdra Union! Star Ocean remakes! Star Soldier remake!).

But it's clear that DS and PSP both played host to very different experiences too. For enthusiasts like ourselves, that meant that both platforms were essential. But you can't really claim that the sort of games that were popular on PSP weren't what led Sony to miss out on a roaring success.

There weren't any games that performed like this globally on PSP, for instance:

DS had dozens of success stories like that, and they all happened to be games that PSP just didn't have, or couldn't have due to its traditional control inputs.

 

[KillerMan91]

I doubt they'd have done a Switch-like system because the PS4 exists. Usually the moats you build around you as a company hamper your ability to try new things or send you on a myopic path.

Switch only really exists because the Wii U is dead, and 3DS is on its way out, it's a completely fresh start for Nintendo and a reset from "zero" (probably the last time, going by Iwata's words of making sure forwards and cross-compatibility is a big deal for NX). Sony still has its console business, and would have had PS Orbis in the works, so I doubt they'd make a hybrid.

A lot of what makes Switch unique - the kickstand, detachable controllers with large sticks and inputs, large screen, the dock and two power modes - are completely unexpected for a portable device. They wouldn't have happened if Switch weren't a hybrid, but Nintendo has evidently acknowledged that the pocketable device is the smartphone, and the Switch is more like a tablet you stuff in your bag.

All of which has led to a handheld that plays console games really, really well (6.2" high res screen, proper sized sticks and triggers), a lot better than Vita ever did, but if Sony or Nintendo were making a distinct "handheld" successor it wouldn't have gone this way.

It just kinda fits where Sony was going with their handheld line (I mean PSP 2000 back in 2007 had already TV-out). I mean of course it wouldn't had been replica of Switch but really. What other options Sony would had had for new handheld tech other than Tegra? It makes most sense if you want to build powerful handheld like Sony did with PSP and Vita. With as powerful chip as Tegra inside of this new handheld I don't see scenario where there would had not been some kind of TV connectivity with the device considering the history of Sonys handheld line. Switch really feels like evolution of PSP and Vita with some extra Nintendo spices.

 

[User123456]

I still don't see how Sony dropped the ball with Vita. They handled it pretty much completely same way as they did PSP. It's just that when PSP launched handheld market was far healthier and that meant tons of great third party content.

It was the right machine at the absolute worst possible time. Consoles in general were falling out of favor with japanese developers, who made games for mobile instead.

I think that now that the mobile game hype has mostly died down, and especially since the PS4 is on fire, a new portable effort by Sony could succeed. Especially if they try to leverage some of the positive relationships they must have made with developers over the course of the PS4's life.

Unfortunately I don't think Sony subscribes to this idea...

 

[Rob2K19]

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. My favorite PSP game. Good times.

 

[1st Course]

It was a good emulation machine for its time.

 

[kuYuri]

Got my PSP 2000 and a 16GB memory stick pro duo for it. Still got a backlog of games for it, lol.

I just checked recently, did you know people are still making levels for Mega Man Powered Up? A game that came out in 2006, meanwhile, Mario Maker 3DS in 2016 didn't have online level sharing.

 

[TheOmegaSpartan]

I'm still playing mine right now. Getting through Persona 3 for the first time. But I keep it around since it's the only way I can play Star Ocean First Departure and Second Evolution.

 

[TheKastorian]

Got a PSP back in 2007 and I freaking loved it (and still do)! Have owned all Sony consoles except the Vita. Reason? The crazy pricing of the Vita memory cards and I am fully convinced that's what killed it. I hope Sony realizes this if they're ever going to make a new handheld.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

It just kinda fits where Sony was going with their handheld line (I mean PSP 2000 back in 2007 had already TV-out). I mean of course it wouldn't had been replica of Switch but really. What other options Sony would had had for new handheld tech other than Tegra? It makes most sense if you want to build powerful handheld like Sony did with PSP and Vita. With as powerful chip as Tegra inside of this new handheld I don't see scenario where there would had not been some kind of TV connectivity with the device considering the history of Sonys handheld line. Switch really feels like evolution of PSP and Vita with some extra Nintendo spices.

PowerVR GPUs, which powered the Vita and iPad 3, continue to power the iPad and iPhone, and offer best-in-class performance with minimal throttling.

So a Vita successor would have probably seen Sony go with them again with some customisations, provided they want a fanless design again. Tegra is too power hungry for fanless, but that was conveniently a good setup for the Switch, since the fans ramp up more when it's docked and the device is large and thin enough to make a fan unobtrusive.

I share this viewpoint when it comes to Switch/Vita comparisons:

Comparisons to Vita usually seem pretty warrantless - they disregard important context re: Switch's functionality and convenience, in order to paint this awkward narrative that Switch has simply been done before, that positive appraisals of Switch's hardware and its value proposition as a hybrid can be attributed to the overzealous eagerness of ignorant fans. Vita was a nice handheld, but if you can't understand the differences people see in the Switch, that's totally on you.

 

[Orniletter]

Remembering the PSP

(...) I still remember being absolutely mind blown seeing Ridge Racer PSP on that gorgeous screen (...)

???

The PSP was a gigantic leap over what Nintendo was doing back in the day, but the display was always shite. All 4 versions had terrible screens.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Remembering the PSP


???

Interesting old screen review for the PSP by DisplayMate

PSP scored 5/11
DS Lite scored 7/11

I still found the PSP display to be way ahead of its time until the DS Lite and GB Micro came along.

I could get over the ghosting and low colour saturation (56% of sRGB gamut vs 74% on DS Lite display) for a while thanks to its sheer size and resolution.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Ghouls and Ghosts + Rondo of Blood remakes were both excellent.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Remembering the PSP


???

The PSP was a gigantic leap over what Nintendo was doing back in the day, but the display was always shite. All 4 versions.

You said it yourself.

"Back in the day"

What other portable device even came close apart from maybe a high end laptop if you want to get technical?

Yeah it had issues being of lower quality LCD, but at the time, going from the DS to that, or even more emphasised if you went from GBA to the PSP, it looked phenomenal.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Interesting old screen review for the PSP by DisplayMate

PSP scored 5/11
DS Lite scored 7/11

I still found the PSP display to be way ahead of its time until the DS Lite and GB Micro came along.

I could get over the ghosting and low colour saturation (56% of sRGB gamut vs 74% on DS Lite display) for a while thanks to its sheer size and resolution.

Yep. The DS Lite was a gorgeous, albeit small screen. But no LCD ghosting and the colors were fantastic.

GB micro though....i played mine the other day and those blacks, man. Does it even do Black at all? and the contrast ratio looks incredibly poor.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Yeah, the GB Micro blacks are really obvious, on both my JPN and EUR models. But it was a massive leap from the original DS fat at any rate. Had that crispness to it and the backlighting was excellent. It's looking undersaturated compared with the DS Lite/DSi though.

 

[Phoenix944]

I went back to the PSP with Final Fantasy II and jesus this games bores me...
But I had a blast with this console, especially with Monster Hunter and MGS.

 

[KillerMan91]

PowerVR GPUs, which powered the Vita and iPad 3, continue to power the iPad and iPhone, and offer best-in-class performance with minimal throttling.

So a Vita successor would have probably seen Sony go with them again with some customisations, provided they want a fanless design again. Tegra is too power hungry for fanless, but that was conveniently a good setup for the Switch, since the fans ramp up more when it's docked and the device is large and thin enough to make a fan unobtrusive.

I share this viewpoint when it comes to Switch/Vita comparisons:

Well shame that we will probably never know what Sonys new handheld had been. I still really don't agree with that your quote though. of course Switch is doing a lot more than previous Sonys handhelds as it's a new evolution of them but still it shares more with Sonys handheld line than Nintendos own. When you adjust these consoles to their time periods PSP back in 2005 was just as much home console gaming on the go as Switch is today. Playing real 3D open world GTA on the go was fricking mindblowing back in 2005. just like now playing something like Breath of the Wild on the go. I would compare Switch more to PSP than to Vita.

 

[nickerous]

Love the PSP. I got a 1000 back in 2005, basically for hacking purposes. I eventually did gather a library of around 30 games...25-30. Great system. Bought a 2000, lost it in a fire (well, got it back, but it would not turn on...the battery and memory card still worked though). Bought a 3000 with the Metal Gear Big Boss pack and 2 PSP Go systems when gamestop was clearing them out. Still have all of them....even the fire damaged 2000. Still look for games too, but haven't bought any in a few years now.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Imagine how much better the games would've been with a second stick.

 

[JoeNut]

still got my OG psp, havent used it for years. Patapon is the GOAT psp game

 

[Wolf Akela]

Seeing Ridge Racer running at 60FPS on the PSP back in 2004 was just jaw dropping. The whole UMD movie concept too. Portable movies with DVD quality video back then? Insane.

The PSP was so far ahead of its time.

Edit: This! On a handheld! In 2004!

Yup, just to put things into perspective, 2004/2005 mobile games looked like these:

The sad thing was that Ridge Racer was probably the best graphical showcase for racing games on the PSP. There were other racing games, some with better graphics quality, but they also had worse framerates. 60FPS full 3D games on a portable was probably unheard of at that time.

I absolutely love Ridge Racer 2 (same game, few extras, rereleased in EU). It's probably the only racing game I've 100% completed. I love how the game suddenly takes off its training wheels without warning.

 

[kimifan141]

I still have my psp 1000 and psp 3000 in working condition, i use to to play Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast every now and then + its my way emulating a ton of stuff like sega cd.

i still think of buying a psp go but hooked to nintendo handhelds from the ds to 3ds they just have that portability and games.

 

[aravuus]

I just remembered I need to finish Persona 5 so I can move on to Persona 2

Shame only one of them is on PSP in English

e: only one of the P2 games lol, not talking about P5.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Well shame that we will probably never know what Sonys new handheld had been. I still really don't agree with that your quote though. of course Switch is doing a lot more than previous Sonys handhelds as it's a new evolution of them but still it shares more with Sonys handheld line than Nintendos own. When you adjust these consoles to their time periods PSP back in 2005 was just as much home console gaming on the go as Switch is today. Playing real 3D open world GTA on the go was fricking mindblowing back in 2005. just like now playing something like Breath of the Wild on the go. I would compare Switch more to PSP than to Vita.

But the post is specifically saying that a lot of Switch owners (including myself) see it as a lot more than just playing console games on the go. Tabletop multiplayer, having the capability for 2 players anywhere, any time), the dock itself, all make it feel like a far more flexible device. It also helps that a standalone console doesn't exist from Nintendo.

But yeah, the PSP was mindblowing at its time, I enjoyed the initial wave of home ports and adaptations: Ridge Racers, OutRun 2006, Tales of Eternia, GTA Stories, THUG 2 Remix, Burnout Legends. It felt like the GBA, with its SNES ports, was brought ten years into the future.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

I absolutely love Ridge Racer 2 (same game, few extras, rereleased in EU). It's probably the only racing game I've 100% completed. I love how the game suddenly takes off its training wheels without warning.

Ridge Racers 2 is one of the best games of all time. I loved the modern era of Ridge Racer: RRs2, RR3D and RR6 are so, so good (RR7 lost its way with a broken upgrades system).

You're absolutely right that those games are basically the pinnacle of racing titles on PSP. It's probably because they were made from the ground up to be optimised for PSP, but it's astonishing what Namco achieved at launch. Other racers on PSP either suffered by way of being ports (OutRun 2006 is playable, but the framerate is all over the shop), or poor adaptations of console games (Sumo Digital worked on F1, DiRT, FlatOut I think, and Split/Second, but they all disappointed). Burnout Legends was hugely impressive back in 2005, but was locked to 30fps so didn't "feel" like Burnout.

Ridge Racers 2 was, and still is, the real deal. I actually bought it off the Japanese PS Store just to have it digitally on my PSP.

 

[bluenote]

Anyone know how many physical games were released in North America for the PSP?

 

[Dokukinoko]

The emulation scene on the PSP was so awesome at the time (qj.net). You had developers make/port not just NES/SNES emulators, but CPS1/CPS2 (e.g. Marvel VS Capcom!), and even somewhat obscure Japanese PC platforms like the PC-98. Most ran fairly well on the hardware, although not perfect.

 

[Trunx28]

imported my first PSP from Japan, good ol' Lik-Sang. Together with Ridge Racer .. Man, this thing was the GOAT handheld for a long time. My PSP 1000 is still in working condition, collecting dust with my UMD-collection. Bought a lot of UMD movies as well, when they were on sale for 2€ each. I even got the DVD/UMD King Kong combo box with 2 UMDs for one movie.

Few flaws, though:
Why on earth only one analog stick? Playing 1st person shooters is a chore, had to wait for the Vita to finish Resistance.
Loading times where ass. Thankfully the PSP go changed that later on.
Watching your own movies: In 2004 you had to wait a looong time for a movie to be converted into the PSP format

Favourite games:
Jeanne D'Arc (aquired an US account only for this game)
Ridge Racer 2 (more content than 1, best racing game)
Outrun Coast 2 Coast (THIS is handheld racing!)
Crisis Core (dat Soundtrack!)
Puzzle Quest (best version)
Persona 3
Resistance: Retribution
DTM Racing
Breath of Fire 3
Everbodys Golf
Wipeout (... but the loading times ...)

and many more

 

[water_wendi]

i wonder where Cousin Pete is nowadays?

 

[Northeastmonk]

I had gotten a few used from EB until I bought a slim crystal.

I spent a lot of time playing Jeanne D'Arc, Legend of Heroes, PoPoLoCrois, Riviera, Valkyrie Profile Lenneth, God of War, Crisis Core, FFT, Metal Gear Ac!d, and so forth.

I still love playing all the PSP titles I have digitally on Vita.

I remember the Star Wars PSP Slim bundles. I had a Daxter Slim when they came in.

I finished Manhunt 2 on PSP and it play well for me. The games were great. I feel like there's variety with the Vita, but you probably have to either import or search a bit harder to find that same kind of variety. Digitally, you can have a pretty good collection of PSP games online. PSN has quite a few PSP games still.


I remember the year it launched and I really wanted one. The original launch boxes looked cool from what I remember. They were somewhat large machines.

 

[DJ Incompetent]

Also you could have just bought the physical game and ripped it to a ISO digital format or download the digital version off the net and play it on your CFW PSP Go if you bought the physical version of course then its fine since you have no other way of playing what you bought on your PSP Go

Dunno, guy. There's not a lot of "just" to assuming CD ripping tech could easily handle a custom format miniature disc you'd have to break a casing to get out. You're not wrong, but there's a few mental steps of "you can do that!?" before even getting to the CFW hurdle.

I'll watch the longplay one day..

 

[Shifty1897]

Jeanne D'arc was so good. Crisis Core too.

 

[Skyzard]

PSP was a great system. 2 great wipeouts, 2 great ridge racers, every extend extra, metal gear acids, lumines, tekken, burnout, loco rocos, patapons and more that I've forgotten about. PS1 emulation was pretty sweet too.

Played so many local multiplayer races of ridge racer when I was younger.

Good times.

I still keep mine about (also got a pspGO) though I use my phone for PSP emulation with retroarch and a DS4 pad. Except for the games that I re-bought digitally on vita.

I barely played my DS because the PSP was so awesome. Imported mine from Japan, couldn't wait.

 

[bonchooski]

All of this is getting me itchy to buy one, can you still buy games digitally?

 

[Toadthemushroom]

All of this is getting me itchy to buy one, can you still buy games digitally?

Yup. Just beware, if you have 2-factor authentication switched on, you can't log-in or change PS Store accounts on the PSP itself, so you'll need to download from the PS3 and transfer games to PSP.

 

[bonchooski]

Yup. Just beware, if you have 2-factor authentication switched on, you can't log-in or change PS Store accounts on the PSP itself, so you'll need to download from the PS3 and transfer games to PSP.

Shit I don't have a ps3 only a Pro am I out of luck with transferring games?