PSP in 2020?

[Bixler]

I find myself in possession of some PSP games in my library that I got in a lot. Unfortunately I can't play them because, well, I don't have a PSP. 

• Ys The Oath of Felghana
• Ys Seven
• Crimson Gem Saga
• Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade
• Brave Story New Traveler
• Knights in the Nightmare
• Disgaea 2

I've never had a PSP before. I guess I should be on the market for a 3000 since that was the last model (right?), but can anyone lay out the pros and cons of PSP gaming in 2020? What the best games are that aren't an absolute fortune, whether it's worth getting one now, if there are any necessary refurbishments I should be aware of? 

 

Do you still use your PSP? What do you like about it? 

[toptenmaterial]

I wish that I still had my PSP 3000. They are wonderful for emulation. All the old stuff plays great and there is an excellent PS1 emulator built in. It just feels right in your hands. Regretfully they are probably very expensive right now. Perhaps you could post a WTB thread.

[ClassicGMR]

20 minutes ago, Bixler said:

Do you still use your PSP? What do you like about it? 

1) CUSTOM FIRMWARE paired with a micro sd adapter.

2) The PSP library is impressive. I enjoyed almost every title I played on the PSP. Every system has clunkers or games that just don't "fit you". This library had very few for me.

3) Great battery life. Running CFW means the drive isn't being used. This pushes the battery life so far ahead of what it was ever meant to run.

4) Emulation up to Playstation 1 is excellent. Just do NOT use RetroArch. Find stand alone emulators especially from ZX-81 if possible. PSP2600, PSPINT, etc.

 

  EDIT:

12 minutes ago, toptenmaterial said:

Regretfully they are probably very expensive right now.

Yes unfortunately. These used to go for $50 at most but now the junky broken ones are more than that. If you want "it just works" you're looking at like $75. Good shape and power, memory card, battery and maybe a game? $125-$150 easily.

 

EDIT 2:

I have had my PSP 1000 since 2010 and, aside from having to replace the battery about 5 years ago or so, it has been a workhorse. I never felt it necessary to upgrade. The screens are supposed to be better on the 2000 or 3000 but I love my PSP and I use it so much even today. Waiting for my wife at doctor appointments, 5 minute quick sessions, gaming in bed, emulation on the go... the list goes on!

 

EDIT 3:

Wow I have to shut up after this one... but...

 

Star Control II for the PSP (CFW required)! With 3DO voice!

Edited December 17, 2020 by ClassicGMR

[toptenmaterial]

9 minutes ago, ClassicGMR said:

1) CUSTOM FIRMWARE paired with a micro sd adapter.

2) The PSP library is impressive. I enjoyed almost every title I played on the PSP. Every system has clunkers or games that just don't "fit you". This library had very few for me.

3) Great battery life. Running CFW means the drive isn't being used. This pushes the battery life so far ahead of what it was ever meant to run.

4) Emulation up to Playstation 1 is excellent. Just do NOT use RetroArch. Find stand alone emulators especially from ZX-81 if possible. PSP2600, PSPINT, etc.

 

  EDIT:

Yes unfortunately. These used to go for $50 at most but now the junky broken ones are more than that. If you want "it just works" you're looking at like $75. Good shape and power, memory card, battery and maybe a game? $125-$150 easily.

 

EDIT 2:

I have had my PSP 1000 since 2010 and, aside from having to replace the battery about 5 years ago or so, it has been a workhorse. I never felt it necessary to upgrade. The screens are supposed to be better on the 2000 or 3000 but I love my PSP and I use it so much even today. Waiting for my wife at doctor appointments, 5 minute quick sessions, gaming in bed, emulation on the go... the list goes on!

I loaned mine to an ex and she returned it mangled. End of an era. One cool thing about the emulation, it handled GBA very well. So, it was kind of like having a GBA SP! PSP was a very special machine. 

[HoshiChiri]

I haven't busted out my PSP for a bit, but I'd never get rid of it- it's a very solid lil' system with a great library!

 

The only accessory I'd consider is the component cable- it lets you play on a TV (at least on the 2000/3000, I'm not sure it works on the 1000.)

 

Be sure to keep your eyes open around secondhand sources- it's not well known so you might get a lucky hit. I got a 3000 for my sister-in-law at a yard sale a couple years ago for $5... it was in a travel case, so it looked like an empty case at a glance. Even had a couple games with it!

[wolfy62]

1 hour ago, HoshiChiri said:

I haven't busted out my PSP for a bit, but I'd never get rid of it- it's a very solid lil' system with a great library!

 

The only accessory I'd consider is the component cable- it lets you play on a TV (at least on the 2000/3000, I'm not sure it works on the 1000.)

 

Be sure to keep your eyes open around secondhand sources- it's not well known so you might get a lucky hit. I got a 3000 for my sister-in-law at a yard sale a couple years ago for $5... it was in a travel case, so it looked like an empty case at a glance. Even had a couple games with it!

Thank you so much for mentioning the component cable.I didnt know that existed and Amazon has it for $30. Gotta play on the big screen some.?

I was given a PSP by my best friend one month ago with 2 games.All I needed was a new battery and charger for it.

I went to two retro game stores and shopped Amazon for cheap and highly regarded games.

I now have 15 games and I love the system. Better late than never for sure!

[Steven Pendleton]

I keep my hacked PSP go on its dock with the component cable ready here on my desk at all times. I don't use it much lately, but it's one of the most useful and convenient systems I've ever owned.

 

I also have 2 or 3 2000s (I forget, exactly...) and have tried a friend's 1000 and another friend's 3000, so I can also say that I prefer the go the most when hacked, then the 2000 is next, then the 1000, then the 3000 with its ugly scanlines, then the unhacked go, which suffers from its lack of a UMD drive and the death of the PSP PSN store... not that it actually even can connect to my router anyway since the PSP uses some outdated protocol from like 2003 or whenever. You can't really go wrong with any PSP model, though. go has the best screen overall, and it's even somewhat comparable to the Vita 1000's beautiful screen.

 

Many PSP owners have recently found that their batteries have gone bad and started to swell, but if you get a good battery for the 1000/2000/3000, you will be fine.

[JeremyR]

Yeah, the battery thing has affected all 4 of my PSPes. Maybe it's my climate

[Ninjabba]

The PSP is one of my favorite consoles by far.. it had so much quality going for it, but strangely enough it was considered a failure in the Western market. I think I own about 60 titles for it.

Still playing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on this machine with my brother a few times a year, and recently started up FF7 Crisis Core again after finishing the FF7 Remake on the PS4.

 

[Mockduck]

PSP is great, didn't realize there was a premium on it nowadays. As others have said, the biggest tech issue you are likely to face is the possibility of a bad battery and need to find a replacement (or use the power supply). Even if you don't hack it, the thing has plenty of use for someone into deeper gaming. 

 

I would not be afraid to pick up a PSP-2000 or 3000. I have had a 2000 for years and there are a few things I like a bit more about it, although I no longer remember what the differences were. Maybe a slightly nicer screen? Or maybe I'm thinking of the Vita on that one. 

 

[Bixler]

I appreciate all of your replies! While the price of a PSP 3000 in excellent, minty condition is a bit of a put off on my budget, it seems like it has several titles, mostly RPGs, that I'd like to eventually get around to. I suppose I should put out a call for one in the WTB forum, and see if I can snag some titles I've come across that I'd like to play (Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics WotL, Syphon Filter, the God of War games...)

[Mockduck]

Quick Google got me the answer:

 

The main difference between the two models is the screen. The PSP-3000 has a brighter screen, but some users saw scan lines when playing certain games. Most players probably wouldn't even notice, but if you're picky about graphics, stick with the PSP-2000.

 

I had an issue with those scan lines big time; they were very visible to me. 

[TrekMD]

I have my original PSP-1000 and a modded PSP-3000.  Love this thing! 

[Video]

I have a 1k and a 3k, the 3 is lighter, and slightly thinner, it also has a video out port so you can get various video cables to attach it to tv. Keep in mind, on tv it has a post card border since the system is low resolution. The 1k is my workhorse though, taking a larger battery gives it a longer life, but as batteries are all old now, this may be a moot point.

 

Over all, I liked it, when you stick to "made for it" games, but many console games made it that just didn't work due to go few controls. It was hit and miss on consoles, gta was imo great, but that's about all the consoles I liked on it. 

[NE146]

I have the original launch PSP and a PSP 2000. I play the PSP 2000 very frequently even today, although with it's emulation ability, I mostly only use it for PSP & PSX games.  If I'm going to play gb/gbc/gba for example, I prefer to play them on their respective consoles.

 

What I do regret missing out on though is the Vita. Not sure why I took a pass on that but I wouldn't mind getting one now. 

[Mockduck]

9 hours ago, NE146 said:

I have the original launch PSP and a PSP 2000. I play the PSP 2000 very frequently even today, although with it's emulation ability, I mostly only use it for PSP & PSX games.  If I'm going to play gb/gbc/gba for example, I prefer to play them on their respective consoles.

 

What I do regret missing out on though is the Vita. Not sure why I took a pass on that but I wouldn't mind getting one now. 

The Vita freaking ruled, despite all the Internet nonsense telling me I was supposed to dislike it and make fun of it, I got almost a decade of the best portable gaming from it. Although nowadays I've largely moved over to the Switch, I still find myself wishing I had the Vita instead of the Switch for a few reasons. Wish I'd picked up a couple of spares given how hard they are to find new now, and the price they are commanding (not super high, but they have def retained their value). 

[RARusk]

13 hours ago, Video said:

I have a 1k and a 3k, the 3 is lighter, and slightly thinner, it also has a video out port so you can get various video cables to attach it to tv. Keep in mind, on tv it has a post card border since the system is low resolution. The 1k is my workhorse though, taking a larger battery gives it a longer life, but as batteries are all old now, this may be a moot point.

 

Over all, I liked it, when you stick to "made for it" games, but many console games made it that just didn't work due to go few controls. It was hit and miss on consoles, gta was imo great, but that's about all the consoles I liked on it. 

There's a special battery cover that will allow you to use the 1000 battery in a 3000. That's what I have and it works great. BTW, when I have my PSP in storage I always take the battery out.

[Austin]

On 12/17/2020 at 12:41 AM, wolfy62 said:

Thank you so much for mentioning the component cable.I didnt know that existed and Amazon has it for $30. Gotta play on the big screen some.?

I was given a PSP by my best friend one month ago with 2 games.All I needed was a new battery and charger for it.

I went to two retro game stores and shopped Amazon for cheap and highly regarded games.

I now have 15 games and I love the system. Better late than never for sure!

Small disclaimer -

 

The PSP doesn't go full screen (for PSP games) when doing its video output. You'll be playing with big black borders on all sides of the screen unfortunately. Not the best experience on a small display (but probably fine on a big TV).

 

Also, third-party cables tend to be much cheaper. Generally I try for first-party component cables, but in the case of the PSP it might not matter much. You might want to do some research on it if you plan on picking up a set of cables.

 

*edit:

 

To the OP, the PSP is a great platform. I highly recommend adding one to the collection. It's got a wide array of games and should appeal to just about anyone when they really dive into the library. If you are into RPGs in particular, it has a ton of them. And it looks like you already have a few in your collection already.

 

Funny you received Ys: Oath in Felghana. That's one of my favorites and it's a is a remake of Ys III: Wanderers From Ys. It is ridiculously good as far as remakes are concerned, and even if you're not familiar with the original, the gameplay is fast and fun. The music kicks.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Austin