I found my old Sony PlayStation Portable!

This is my Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). I would like you to take a minute just to look at it. It's an original Japanese PSP-1000 model, bought from Maughan's Micros in the MetroCentre back in early 2005, when buying imported consoles was still a thing! Not a problem for the PSP as the games don't come with any region locking. I'd pretty much forgotten I had it until clearing out a bookcase and finding it hiding on the bottom shelf. A quick search for a three-in-one mains adapter was successful and the console was soon charging.

That screen ain't half reflective.

As you can see, it's still in decent nick, though that is helped by the wonderful industrial design and build quality. For £180 (about £250 in 2020) at UK launch, you were getting a serious piece of kit. It's solid, with a reassuring heft and has certainly withstood the test of time with only a couple of blemishes. Unlike the more child-like Nintendo handhelds, this was aimed at adults, at least as far as the design goes. It was also a success, with this and follow on models selling a combined total of over 80 million units - though that was still only slightly more than half of the Nintendo DS sales total.

Spec-wise, you've got two 333MHz MIPS32 R4000 processors, 32Mb of RAM, a gorgeous (for the time) 4.3 inch 480 x 272 pixel LCD screen and a UMD (Universal Media Disc) drive. Battery life out of the box was good for three to six hours depending on how much the software demanded from the hardware and is easily replaceable. For those of you who don't know, I consider this "a very good thing". There are also decent front facing stereo speakers and built in wi-fi.

It honestly looks better in the glass and plastic.

It's nice to hold in the hand, not too small to cause immediate cramp, not too large to become tiring after extended periods of play. The controls, excluding the analogue nubbin, are in the right place and the four face buttons, as well as the clear plastic shoulder buttons, feel perfect, though the smaller controls below the screen are a bit fiddly and not that pleasant to use. That analogue nubbin, though, whilst a lovely design, is a smidge too low on the face of the PSP, and long term use, at least for me, causes mild cramp in my left thumb. I know, moving it would spoil the symmetry of the machine and may not be possible with the internal design but, it's a minor annoyance. Then again, so too is the Switch and it's uneven analogue sticks. Or maybe that's just me. Speaking of holding it, that lovely shiny finish is not good for hiding fingerprints.

Anyway, this particular PSP still has my original memory card in it and from that, I can see I have played Ridge Racer, Field Commander, EA Replay and the Powerstone Collection. Not that I have any of those games anymore, but can I hell remember getting rid of them. In fact, with no games to play on it, the PSP is only slightly more useful than a chocolate frying pan, especially with only the PSP branded 32Mb Memory Stick Pro Duo card that came in the box to hand. Fortunately, a quick trip to Games Galaxy in Consett sorted that issue out and I now have Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee (also known as Everybody's Golf - this particular game is an American release - but that's the joy of region-free gaming) and Tomb Raider: Legend to play. I'll also probably pick up some other titles from CEX whenever I am next visiting Durham or Newcastle. Their prices are really decent (£2.50 for quite a few of the more popular titles, sometimes only 50p for the more esoteric games) and whilst they have a good selection online, paying £1.95 postage per item is outrageous, especially when you're only looking to buy a few of the very cheap titles.

Two decent little titles.

So, some observations from using it for the past couple of weeks...

The screen, as much as it might have been amazing in 2004, is merely decent now. True, we're spoilt by ultra high-resolution mobile displays these days, but the viewing angles aren't brilliant and nor is it uncommon to find dead pixels on some examples. I can't see any on mine, which is fortunate. Having said that, this is fifteen year old tech, and it still shows off games at their best.

Also, that battery life - whilst three to six hours may sound good, anyone with a Nintendo Switch knows that the more power-hungry games will bring that down to three hours at a push. Same goes for the PSP, though even now, mine still offers about two to two and a half hours, which is not bad considering its age. Getting a replacement battery shouldn't be a problem though.

Memory cards - yes, they are Sony's own format. Yes, they were stupidly expensive when the PSP was first released but yes, they can be found a lot more cheaply now if you have a look on Amazon. There are adapters for Micro SD cards as well, which is handy. Still, not as bad as the situation for the PSP Vita - which to be honest was one of the reasons I didn't buy that handheld when it was released and I recall an awful lot of criticism at the time for Sony's pricing policies.

And then there is the UMD themselves. I actually like the format, dinky little 1.8GB disks, but I never saw the point of the TV/film side of them, and when launched, these were vastly over-priced. Not a problem for me with my Japanese device as media titles were region-locked, but I do feel for anyone who invested heavily in the film and TV shows that made it to the format. That also leads me on to the media player side of the machine - yes, that early '00's desire to have all in one portable media machines - you young 'uns now call them mobile phones. The PSP isn't entirely successful with that, needing a PC to transfer and convert files as and when required. Not exactly easy to use and, in the early years, hobbled by those memory card prices as well.

It's so dinky...

But that's taking away from what the PSP actually is: a damn good handheld gaming system with a wide variety of titles. As with the PS2, there is a ton filler as well, but like that system, if you can't find a title that takes your fancy, there is little hope for you as a console gamer - and yes, I thought long and hard about that definition :-).

I've always enjoyed handheld gaming systems, from the early days of the Sega Gamegear, various flavours of Gameboy, GB Advance and GB Micro, to the PSP, Nintendo DS and 3DS. That extends to the modern day Evercade, reviewed here. The only machine I have never owned, but would have liked to, is the PSP Vita, Sony's ultimate handheld gaming follow up that it allowed to die prematurely. That particular machine is on the list though... Back to the PSP, and it is a superb gaming system and one that, as it still works, deserves to be used. Plus it's a fairly cheap collectors system if you shop around, but as always, there are some titles that go for silly money. For me, there is something about the sound of the UMD drive spinning up, the tactile solidity of the machine, and the sheer capability that it delivers (squint and you'll think it's a PS2) that makes the PSP a lovely little machine to own.