The PlayStation Portable is Surprisingly Underrated for What it Can Do

Posted on Mar 20, 2026, by sirkorgo

The PlayStation Portable, it’s a really solid console overall. The games on it were really good, the build quality of the console was amazing, and for it’s time, the PSP was an absolute performance beast. But it’s now 2026, and most people would say it’s basically obsolete.

But it’s really not though. Sure there’s the main pros: Offline gaming, no subscriptions/up selling, and a really solid game library anyone could pour hours into. But that’s just one thing the PSP can do.

The PSP supports music and photo playback alongside it’s expansive game library, making it the perfect device to take around with you for entertainment without the hassle of modern technology, or smart phones, and it gets this job done really well. Unlike iPods, the storage and battery are easily upgradeable, and you’re not stuck with a proprietary syncing software, just drag your media onto the Memory Stick, and you’re done.

With homebrew, you can unlock a LOT more than just with what Sony originally equipped the PSP with. Homebrew lets you emulate a LOT more games than just the PSP’s library, you can also read books, comics, and manga on it, so it makes for an amazing device for a lot of stuff. Something the iPod doesn’t really have.

Sony had a vision for the PSP to be a multimedia device, not just a gaming handheld. It’s effectively a glorified iPod with a buffed screen, and that’s what makes the PSP so underrated.