IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING
PlayStation Portable is probably the best multimedia device out there.
Sure, it's not the most powerful portable one out there. We carry incredible devices in our pockets every single day, and even when it comes to gaming - things like the Switch or Steam Deck blow it out of the water. But you cannot deny that the PSP is just... cooler!
Back in the early 2000's, it was THE game changer. It could run 3D games, play music and movies, use the web, and even take photos or be used as an GPS. Back when mobile phones were pretty much exclusively used to contact others, PSP was the thing you could take with you to have fun. And even though ultimately it lost to the Nintendo DS, it still captured the hearts of many - even having a bit of renaissance recently, due to its aesthetics.
FIRST CONTACT
I got my PSP around the end of 2011 - sometime around the PlayStation Vita release date. I couldn't afford the brand new console, obviously - but thankfully, around the same time PSP Street was available for pretty cheap. Thus, I got one for Christmas, along with the camera module and two games supporting it.
EyePet was... mediocre, from what I remember. I played it a little bit, but it did not capture my heart the way Invizimals: Shadow Zone did. As a kid, I sunk quite a lot of time capturing the monsters around me, training them and fighting all around the world... in a singleplayer campaign, that is. Unfortunately, the Street model was stripped of any internet capabilities - rendering me unable to fight online, not to mention capturing the alluring Dragons.
Sometime later, I also got LittleBigPlanet - which I need to replay soon - and Sims 2: Pets, which for quite a while was the only way I could play Sims! My PC was too weak for Sims 3 at the time, and my Sims 2 disc was lost to time. Therefore, the PSP version satisfied my urge to control the little people on my screen.
PSP saved me from boredom quite a lot. Unlike XBox, which (as mentioned here) faded into obscurity due to me getting a new laptop, the little console's portability made it my go-to choice for longer travels. Back in 2014, I had to spend a few days in the hospital. My eyesight is pretty poor, and back then - due to glaucoma running in my family - I was at risk of getting the disease in the future. Thankfully, lots and lots of examining my eyes proved that I (most likely) am going to be glaucoma-free, but the few long days were saved by playing the PSP!
AESTHETICS LONG GONE
Some time ago, I noticed the Y2K and Frutiger Aero aesthetics returned - albeit still niche, they're becoming more and more present in the internet.[1] Along with it, the PSP has been slowly making its way back. Its library of amazing titles, plus the ability of playing other forms of media, also played a factor in its revival.
For this reason, I decided to pull out my console from the drawer and bring it back to its former glory.
When it comes to getting more games - I could mod the console to support playing games from the SD card. I might do it in the future... but quite frankly, I like to swap the UMD disks. I like physical media. Thankfully PSP games are nowadays pretty cheap for the most part - most of them can be bought for less than 10 euros on Vinted. In addition, PSP is not region-locked, letting me play Japanese games - which are also pretty cheap, and a lot of fun... that is, if you get past not understanding a word of Japanese.
One of my favorite games from the collection has been Gundam Battle Tactics. It's a fun fighting game about the titular massive robots. I haven't watched the show, and I only built two models so far - but the game's so good, I probably should get around watching it!
Another title worth mentioning is Worms Open Warfare 2. I'm a sucker for Worms, and while the first Open Warfare is pretty bad - its sequel is well worth playing. There's also the enitre Hatsune Miku Project Diva collection... because of course I had to have it. I'm not good at rhythm games, but it's still pretty fun!
OFF THE GRID
But PSP isn't just about games. As mentioned above - it is an entire multimedia device. The camera module of mine is 0.3 megapixels - not the most powerful in the world, but it still can take pictures.
It can play movies - from what I gathered though, you need to convert them to the proper resolution beforehand. A bit of a hassle, but not the worst.
And most importantly - music. PSP is a decent enough MP3 player. Decent enough for me to consider using more and more... It's probably a topic for a completely different post - but to keep it simple: I want to move away from Spotify and actually own my music, be it on CDs or Bandcamp. Afterwards, I could just throw the MP3 files into the SD card, and listen to it on my PSP. So far I've done it with the Perturbator discography, as well as some Health songs I had laying around - but my goal is to do this with as many albums as I can.
So... yeah, that's pretty much it. PSP has been accompanying me for the better part of the year now - be it a short round of Gundam on the way to the university or replaying Invizimals, it's my go-to console for travels nowadays just as it has been when I first got it. Are there any games you recommend checking out? Maybe you have your own story with the console? Let me know!