Still miffed that the Sony PSP is regarded as a "failure" just because it didn't sell as much as the DS, the best-selling handheld in history.
More than 80 million units is a hell of a lot, and the PSP library is vast and interesting, and should absolutely be revisited today. Seriously, take a look through the PSP library sometime and you'll be shocked at the kinds of games that made it to the system - there's still a ton of hidden gems there to discover and love across every genre imaginable. It's hard to believe that something so successful is seen as a flop, isn't it?
Well, one of the big hurdles it faced is that young adult western gamers (The main demographic for the PSP) tend to look down at portables, often being confused at the insinuation of owning one when they already have a home console. Americans specifically tend to not spend a lot of time in transit where such a device would be useful, so I can somewhat understand it, but it's still strange how common the sentiment is.
I feel Sony could have broken this stigma by more heavily marketing the system's exclusives, drilling in the idea that "the next MGS/Twisted Metal/GoW/etc. is only on PSP" to convince PS fans that they would be missing out if they only stuck with the PS2/3. But instead they played up the angle that "it's a portable PlayStation", which is fine, but didn't do much to address the bizarre handheld stigma in the west. Meanwhile the DS stuck with Nintendo's typical market of children, in addition to the new casual market segment which would eventually be totally claimed by free phone apps, which gave them a huge lead in the pre-iPhone world, and Sony eventually relegated the PSP to the otaku market.
Moreover, it was a fantastic multimedia machine, and could have been even better if Sony gave people better tools for managing that media as the market shifted to digital distribution. UMDs made sense in 2004 when flash media was still expensive and minuscule in size.
Speaking of the iPhone/iPod, the PSP was a fantastic multimedia machine in a world before the mass adoption of digital distribution. The PSP could play games, videos, music, photos, books, live TV, internet radio, browse the web, read RSS feeds, stream music, make video/audio calls, take photos/videos, share demos, navigate with GPS, and even remote play from a PS3!
Keep in mind that the iPod still couldn't play video in 2004, so PSP doing everything AND games was very compelling. In that 2004-era context, UMDs made sense when flash media was still expensive and minuscule in size. Sure they were a battery hog, but the storage capacity of UMDs was great enough to call it a worthwhile tradeoff.
Really, the only thing that was missing was an iTunes-like management software to auto-convert files to the system's native format. This was eventually made via Sony's MediaGo software, but that only appeared in 2009 - late in the system's life.
Oh gosh the homebrew - we can't talk about the PSP without talking about the homebrew! The PSP HB scene is one of the most prolific in history, making the system do things that seem impossible. Even some original homebrew games got picked up by Sony for official release, like No Gravity. I spent countless hours using the system as an emulator machine, as it could handle most systems up to the N64 competently well, something not many other handhelds could claim until at least the turn of the next decade. I guarantee this alone convinced many to pick one up, albeit much to Sony's chagrin.
There's still a lot that makes the PSP special to this day, and I absolutely recommend picking one up and hacking it to explore its games if you're interested. Or get its big sister console the Vita if you'd rather keep all your Sony handheld gaming in one place! But the Vita's a story for another day. Let's close this out with a list of recommendations for new PSP players!
- Crush & Echochrome are super creative and stylish 3D puzzle-platformers
- Jeanne D'Arc is one of the few SRPGs to live up to Tactics Ogre's legacy in being a strategic playable political drama
- Final Fantasy Dissidia is one of the deepest fighting games ever made, truly boasting the complexity of a JRPG
- Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake is a colorful and fun online team-based multiplayer game with a focus on melee combat in a capture-the-flag tug of war. (Full disclosure, I worked at the company who made the FP series, but I never worked on any of the games, and I was a big fan of the games well before I worked there as an adult.)
- Hammerin' Hero is a 3D remake of a classic 8-bit platformer, featuring adorable new art and improved level designs
- Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip is the true Mario Tennis RPG sequel we deserved but never got
- Mega Man Powered Up is a total reimagining of Mega Man 1, packing an online level editor and multiple playable characters like Roll, playable in a MM platformer for the first (And I believe ONLY) time!
- Outrun 2006 is one of the best arcade racers ever, and it's only available portably on PSP
- Valkyria Chronicles 2 & 3 skipped the PS3 and went portable-only, and they're both unique 3D SRPGs, still only on PSP to this day.
Finally, my last two recommendations aren't games, but rather general owner advice for those interested.
- If you're planning on getting a PSP and hacking it, I highly recommend picking up a MicroSD-to-MemoryStick Pro Duo adapter. They're super cheap and easy to find these days, and will make it much easier to load up with games.
- If you're just interested in emulating the system, PPSSPP is a polished and feature-rich option, even if I feel a lot of the system's charm comes from the real thing's compact handheld hardware.
So that's the end of my rant - I love the PSP and Vita and want them to be remembered for the admirable successes they were, even if they'll always live in the shadow of their even-more-successful competition. So go out and give the PSP another shot, I know you'll find something unexpected that you'll love!
