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The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

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Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#11

Post by HerbManic »

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#12

Post by prmoustache »

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#13

Post by netbioserror »

h4ch1 wrote: post #7

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.

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#14

Post by HerbManic »

prmoustache wrote: post #12

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#15

Post by nine_k »

AdityaAnuragi wrote: post #9
h4ch1 wrote: post #7

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#17

Post by rmunn »

netbioserror wrote: post #13
h4ch1 wrote: post #7

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.

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, saturate…

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#18

Post by h4ch1 »

nine_k wrote: post #15
AdityaAnuragi wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#19

Post by brailsafe »

As much as I love the PSP and want to read about a resurgence in popularity for it, this writing seems a bit labored. There's a bit of substance and a few nice photos in here, but I feel like I just read the same paragraph 5 times.

"It's not just this, or this other thing, it's another thing."

"It’s not always about playing through a full game, it’s about the object itself, what it says, how it looks, the feeling it gives off."

"Not as a replacement, but as an alternative."

"It’s not just a handheld. It’s a self-contained beautifully designed little bubble"

"You’re not browsing a library of endless options, you’re watching something because you decided to put it there."

"It’s not just nostalgia, and it’s not just retro collecting."

I don't think these fluffy statements contribute to the overall thesis, and it could be trimmed down a bunch. Not every blog post needs to be Jony Ive waxing on about the purity of the iPod. No shade, I appreciate the attention given to the device and community, but it's just a bit padded imo.

Re: The PSP feels surprisingly present right now

#20

Post by ajmurmann »

What's the reason to prefer the PSP over the Vita? Yes, technically the Vita has Internet but outside of downloading games via that it really isn't a distraction because it's so clunky.

I recently freed mine and have been having a great time with everything it had to offer while being so much more portable than anything mainstream sold now as portable.

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