The PlayStation Portable (abbreviated PSP) was the first stab at a handheld console by Sony. Contributing to the PlayStation lineage, the PSP was released a year before the PS3 came out. The initial PSP essentially looked like an oversized Gameboy Advance. The controls followed the same was the PS2, minus a second analogue stick and level 2 shoulder buttons, but did not disappoint in comfort and playability.

The PSP came with a UMD drive, unabbreviated as Universal Media Disc. The UMD was similar to a mini CD encased in a plastic enclosure, which could then be slot in to the drive behind the PSP console and load up a game. Not only did the UMD contain games, but you could also purchase UMD movies that could be played on the PSP on the go.

The PSP console came with no onboard storage, handled by a MagicGate Memory Stick PRO Duo slot hidden at the side of the console. Used before for Sony cameras, the medium is roughly as long as an SD card, and half the width. Since the cards were not widely used, it would be quite expensive to obtain a compatible memory card, until after huge demand third party company’s engineered a MicroSD converter, so you could expand your memory without the price premium.

In the later half of 2014, the PSP legacy came to an end when the console was officially discontinued. However, the PSP continued to live by the hard work of the homebrew community. The cheap cost of a PSP console, ease of maintenance, CFW ease and great emulators kept the console going way into the modern day.

Contents

Information

  • What to Buy – Decided on buying a PSP, but with no idea which one to choose from? We cover some basic pointers to help you choose your PSP model.
  • Essential Applications – Everything you could possibly need to get the best out of your PSP.
  • Official Firmware Downloads – Here you can find a collection of official firmware downloads and locations for all versions of the PlayStation Portable, ready to upgrade your PSP!
  • Battery – PSP battery letting your portable powerhouse down? Here are some potential solutions to bring back the ‘portable’ in PlayStation Portable.
  • Free DLC Downloads – Now PSN has closed for the PSP, it is increasingly difficult to find the DLC for the games we used to enjoy. Not any more, with our free DLC archives!
  • Hardware Mods – Fancy making your PSP truly unique? Here we list some guides for making your PSP look amazing! For hardcore users only.

Homebrew

  • Custom Firmware Guide – The key to Pandora’s box. Find out the benefits of using CFW and what you can achieve with your newly unlocked PlayStation Portable!

External Guides

  • PSP-Cult CFW Guide – A popular guide for PSP that includes guides that go into further details than these, run by Discord contributor PSP-Cult.

Communities

  • PSP Reddit – The subreddit containing discussions about the console, which to this day still has a surprising amount of followers active.
  • wololo.net – A great place to find resources for PSP and many other consoles.
  • PSX Scene – One of the most buzzing community forums for the range of PlayStation consoles, including the PSP. Many enthusiast gather here, ranging from players to developers.