I resurrected my PSP after a decade, and Sony needs to make a new one

Back in 2010, my parents got me a PlayStation Portable—more commonly known as the PSP — for my eleventh birthday. To date, it remains one of the best gifts I've received. I spent hours every day playing GTA Liberty City, Chinatown Wars, FIFA, God of War, and a ton of other games on the console. It was a massive upgrade from the Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP I had earlier — in terms of graphics, screen size, and the overall experience. As I grew older, though, I built a custom PC and moved to PC gaming, which meant that my PSP was now lying unused in the closet. It stayed like that for over a decade, until I recently unearthed it while moving out of my current house.

I tried charging it and turning it on, but soon realized that the battery was swollen. Thankfully, a replacement battery was just $10 on Amazon, which helped me bring the console back to life. I booted my PSP, downloaded some ISO files to run games for which I didn't have UMDs, and spent the entire evening reliving my childhood. I was so impressed that if Sony launched a new version now, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Here's why.

Still as snappy as day one

The UI still looks fresh and modern

One of the most impressive aspects of the PSP when it launched was the modern, snappy UI. It looked much more polished and elegant compared to other handheld consoles back in the day, like the Nintendo DS. Even in 2025, the UI doesn't look dated at all. The icons are nice and appealing, the animations when browsing through the UI are smooth, and there's absolutely no lag whatsoever. If someone told me a new handheld launched with the PSP's UI, I would completely believe them.

Apart from the UI, even the rest of the console has held up extremely well. The buttons are nice and tactile, the analog stick works well, the L1 and R1 buttons are nice to have, and the onboard speakers are immersive. The display's pixel density is certainly on the lower side by today's standards, but it was undoubtedly crisp for something that launched in 2010. A 1080p or 2K display on the updated version will certainly help.

Games were ahead of their time

Impressive graphics even today

Some of my most fond memories while gaming on the PSP include playing hours of FIFA, not just by myself but with a bunch of friends, thanks to the WLAN functionality. This is yet another feature that made me believe the PSP was ahead of its time. Playing multiplayer games was an excellent option, since you could compete with your friends in real time. Apart from that, I spent a lot of time playing GTA Liberty City and Chinatown Wars. I fired up these games now to see how they play—and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

Both FIFA and GTA run just like they did back in the day—smooth, with no frame drops. While I've certainly lost touch, I was able to score a few goals and perform multiple tackles while enjoying the gameplay. Of course, the graphics aren't as modern as the latest version of the game on PS5 or PC, but that is to be expected from a 15-year-old portable console that's the size of a modern-day smartphone. I also tried completing a mission in GTA Liberty City, and everything from driving a car to walking around the map was smooth as ever. Sony certainly packed in a lot of power in this tiny console, and it shows. I can only imagine how much better the performance would be with modern silicon and software.

It was a modder's dream come true

From modded games to third-party apps

Apart from using UMDs to play games, one could easily modify the PSP's firmware to play ISO games downloaded from the internet. That's not it. Several homebrews allowed running mods that could turn the PSP into a wireless monitor for your PC, a game controller for playing PC games, an e-book reader, etc. If you didn't want to go through the hassle, the PSP also had built-in apps like Skype, a web browser, an RSS channel, a media player, and a comic reader. These features made the PSP an all-in-one multimedia machine that was perfect for travel.

Then, there were the add-ons. Sony sold a PSP Go Cam accessory that could be attached and screwed onto the top of the PSP. This camera could be used to take pictures, make video calls on Skype, and even run AR-based games like EyePet and Invizimals. I also got a cable that could output video from the PSP's small screen onto a large TV. So when gaming at home, I could play all my favorite games without squinting. These additions show how Sony had designed the PSP so thoughtfully, keeping in mind multiple use cases. It was truly ahead of its time.

Make it happen, Sony!

I've owned hundreds of gadgets over the years — but the PSP holds a special place in my heart. It still works like it did when it was new, the gameplay is still enjoyable, the buttons are still tactile, and the analog stick has no drift issues (I'm looking at you, Nintendo) even after 15 long years. This seems like the perfect recipe to replicate for a gaming handheld in 2025. The Nintendo Switch 2 recently came out, and the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, MSI Claw, and other such handhelds are becoming increasingly popular. Considering this, I would love a new Sony handheld with the PSP's DNA. I have been contemplating picking up a Steam Deck for a while. But I guess I'll wait and pray for a PSP redux soon.