The PSP...

I have to admit, I was never that impressed with the PSP when it was announced. Sure, it was clearly the most powerful handheld system devised at that point, but the price and proprietary memory stick formet (with the extra expense this implied) left me feeling distinctly meh.

Fast forward a few years, and I picked one up 2nd hand. And, despite owning a 3DS (the glorious Zelda edition), I find myself using the PSP as my main portable system.

First up, I own a PSP Slim & Lite model (PSP2003 to be exact), which is a distinct improvement over the original model (lighter weight, better screen, faster CPU), running a custom firmware (CFW 6.60 ME-1.6).

The PSP S&L 200X was the second iteration of the PSP released, and tis version was improved based on user feedback based on the original units. The revisions released are as follows:

PSP 100X series 'Phat'
PSP 200X series 'S&L' (Slimmer, lighter, better screen, faster CPU, minor alteration to the facsia and button positioning)
PSP 300X series 'S&L v2' (more minor upgrades to the screen and casing)
PSP 'GO' (No UMD drive. Downloadable games only)
PSP E-1000 (low cost model. Mono sound, no wifi)

The CFW is the important part for my purposes. Using the CFW has opened the system up to the wonders of emulation, which is precisely why my PSP gets such a work out.

Being able to play SMD, SMS, NES, and PC-E games on my bus journeys to and from work is a joy. Busy bus, full of annoying teenage girls and disgruntled office workers? No problemo! Fire up the PSP and play some soothig classic games to block out the outside world.

And I should mention the PSPs own library of games, too. Motorstorm Arctic Edge, Final Fantasy 4 Complete, Monster Hunter, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are probably the most played in my collection at the minute, but with Crisis Core on the horizon (just waiting til pay-day), I reckon that finishing Zelda on the 3Ds is just gonna have to wait a wee while longer.

And, coming soon I shall be reviewing the various emulators I've been using on the PSP, to show what it does well, and what is does not so well (SNES I'm looking at you..).