I don't think I hve the same definition of "everyone" as the author.
Also my observation is that nothing that ever appear trendy on tiktok, instagram or youtube ever translate to real life. There are just an awful lot of super niche trends happening at the same time that only those in their respective algorithmic bubble are aware of.
I know of one person at work who uses one but that is about it. It could be a million people that have picked these things up, that is but a drop in the ocean considering how many people there are.
I bought a PSP on my first trip to Japan in 2008. I think it was around 30k yen. I remember the store I was at had used ones labeled with which firmware version they had, and I got a slightly more expensive one with an older firmware (3.4.0?) because it was one that had some vulnerability that involved a specially crafted save file for Lumines that allowed installing a custom firmware.
It was(/is) a great device for playing ps1 and snes games. It doesn't seem so special now that there are so many emulation focused handhelds, but at the time it felt really awesome to be able to play games like that on a plane.
I do get it, I am sure there is a decent market for a new PSP like device with more modern processing capabilities but I am not sure if that would be a 10 million+ user kind of device. PSP came in right before online made a really large encroachment on game systems. Things like the PSP Go didn't fly because of that, nowadays it might do a lot better.
As an aside, I really liked the brief time I got to work on PSP software. From what I remember it was a fixed function GPU and a decent enough CPU that all felt really balanced for the time. After working on things like Gameboy Advance and a little bit of Nintenod DS, it felt like an ocean of possibility compared with those two. I'm sure if I was to go back to it now it would feel claustrophobic but at the time it was pretty comfy.
I fondly remember loading up a janky version of MAME that only ran Pac-Man via the newly discovered kxploit on my PSP in ~2005. That sent me down a two-decades-long road of fiddling with so many devices, making them my own.
I have huge respect for the folks who spent countless hours freeing devices like the PSP from the control of the corporations that wanted them locked down. I think we'll need a lot more of that spirit in the years ahead...
For years one of my best friends growing up didn't have Internet, and my only communication with him was when he would walk to the McDonald's for the Wi-Fi with his PSP. We would chat over MSN.
I recently got a PSP (along with a special cable that I can use to hook it up to my TV); there is a pretty strong aftermarket ecosystem for them.
I mean a PSP is great, but in 2026 I'd rather go for a 2nd hand Android that can not just emulate PSP but a plethora of other platforms as well with much better performance and usecases.
Pair that with a 30-40$ controller extension like the Razer Kishi and you have a really powerful retro gaming device.
+1 to this point, I really wanted a PSP my entire childhood but never got one, bought one back in 2022 purely because of the memories I had of 4-5 of us huddled around the community (read pampered friend's) PSP.
A creative's best work is born from constraints. It's why PICO-8 exists for people nostalgic for that specific olden era. I think the PSP could make a fantastic target for meatier handheld-focused games that put design first, as many of its second-tier games did. Lots of great strategy, platforming, and racing. A beautiful wide-screen with just enough resolution, just enough horsepower to drive it with rich, saturated 2D and some 3D, and a basic enough control scheme to rule out the lame tech-demo category of 3D action games. I cannot describe how much WipeOut, Namco Museum, and Tactics Ogre time I had on my PSP.
And the PICO-8 has produced some impressive projects, such as UnDUNE II (https://liquidream.itch.io/undune2) which reimplements the old Dune II game (which started the entire RTS genre). Yes, within the PICO-8's constraints. I loved Dune II, and while I don't plan to pick up a PICO-8 just to play it, I love that this exists.
I've seen the Sony PSP for about $100 or $200 on eBay. Along with cheap UMB disks and accessories. I'd rather have a Steam Deck so I could play modern games, though.
I see the writer of this article did a guide on how to get them cheaper from Japan in another one he did, but I've no experience with that.
Seeing what my PSP can do in 2026 (from emulating Switch through to Steam/GOG/Epic etc games), you can pry it from my cold dead hands. I do see the appeal tho, the PSP had nice hardware design going for it.
I don't think I hve the same definition of "everyone" as the author.
Also my observation is that nothing that ever appear trendy on tiktok, instagram or youtube ever translate to real life. There are just an awful lot of super niche trends happening at the same time that only those in their respective algorithmic bubble are aware of.
I know of one person at work who uses one but that is about it. It could be a million people that have picked these things up, that is but a drop in the ocean considering how many people there are.
I bought a PSP on my first trip to Japan in 2008. I think it was around 30k yen. I remember the store I was at had used ones labeled with which firmware version they had, and I got a slightly more expensive one with an older firmware (3.4.0?) because it was one that had some vulnerability that involved a specially crafted save file for Lumines that allowed installing a custom firmware.
It was(/is) a great device for playing ps1 and snes games. It doesn't seem so special now that there are so many emulation focused handhelds, but at the time it felt really awesome to be able to play games like that on a plane.
I do get it, I am sure there is a decent market for a new PSP like device with more modern processing capabilities but I am not sure if that would be a 10 million+ user kind of device. PSP came in right before online made a really large encroachment on game systems. Things like the PSP Go didn't fly because of that, nowadays it might do a lot better.
As an aside, I really liked the brief time I got to work on PSP software. From what I remember it was a fixed function GPU and a decent enough CPU that all felt really balanced for the time. After working on things like Gameboy Advance and a little bit of Nintenod DS, it felt like an ocean of possibility compared with those two. I'm sure if I was to go back to it now it would feel claustrophobic but at the time it was pretty comfy.
Kids just find out how retro games are so much more fun than modern games.
I fondly remember loading up a janky version of MAME that only ran Pac-Man via the newly discovered kxploit on my PSP in ~2005. That sent me down a two-decades-long road of fiddling with so many devices, making them my own.
I have huge respect for the folks who spent countless hours freeing devices like the PSP from the control of the corporations that wanted them locked down. I think we'll need a lot more of that spirit in the years ahead...
For years one of my best friends growing up didn't have Internet, and my only communication with him was when he would walk to the McDonald's for the Wi-Fi with his PSP. We would chat over MSN.
I recently got a PSP (along with a special cable that I can use to hook it up to my TV); there is a pretty strong aftermarket ecosystem for them.
I mean a PSP is great, but in 2026 I'd rather go for a 2nd hand Android that can not just emulate PSP but a plethora of other platforms as well with much better performance and usecases.
Pair that with a 30-40$ controller extension like the Razer Kishi and you have a really powerful retro gaming device.
That's a valid point ngl
But there's something quite nostalgic about holding the console you had as a kid and going down a good old happy memory lane
This only works if you had it as a kid. At the very least, you have to be old enough to have had it as a kid.
+1 to this point, I really wanted a PSP my entire childhood but never got one, bought one back in 2022 purely because of the memories I had of 4-5 of us huddled around the community (read pampered friend's) PSP.
A creative's best work is born from constraints. It's why PICO-8 exists for people nostalgic for that specific olden era. I think the PSP could make a fantastic target for meatier handheld-focused games that put design first, as many of its second-tier games did. Lots of great strategy, platforming, and racing. A beautiful wide-screen with just enough resolution, just enough horsepower to drive it with rich, saturated 2D and some 3D, and a basic enough control scheme to rule out the lame tech-demo category of 3D action games. I cannot describe how much WipeOut, Namco Museum, and Tactics Ogre time I had on my PSP.
And the PICO-8 has produced some impressive projects, such as UnDUNE II (https://liquidream.itch.io/undune2) which reimplements the old Dune II game (which started the entire RTS genre). Yes, within the PICO-8's constraints. I loved Dune II, and while I don't plan to pick up a PICO-8 just to play it, I love that this exists.
I've seen the Sony PSP for about $100 or $200 on eBay. Along with cheap UMB disks and accessories. I'd rather have a Steam Deck so I could play modern games, though.
I see the writer of this article did a guide on how to get them cheaper from Japan in another one he did, but I've no experience with that.
Seeing what my PSP can do in 2026 (from emulating Switch through to Steam/GOG/Epic etc games), you can pry it from my cold dead hands. I do see the appeal tho, the PSP had nice hardware design going for it.