# Sony PSP

13 Hacker News commenters recommended Sony PSP and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 20 years (4 owners).

**Verdict:** Owners recommend the PSP for its strong game library, easy modding and emulator support, and nostalgia. Critics point to bloating batteries and Wi-Fi that lacks WPA2 and WPA3.

## Why people recommend it

- Easy to mod and run emulators (3 comments): "The PSP was so easy to mod and run pirated games and emulators with that I'm not sure if I've ever tried to run a UMD in the one I have." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48934397)) "I fondly remember loading up a janky version of MAME that only ran Pac-Man via the newly discovered kxploit on my PSP" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104395)) "as it had an r3k interpreter/loader for PSX games" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47502917))
- Fond childhood memories (2 comments): "I fondly remember loading up a janky version of MAME that only ran Pac-Man via the newly discovered kxploit on my PSP" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104395)) "there's something quite nostalgic about holding the console you had as a kid" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104405))
- Strong game library from big studios (3 comments): "what using PSP, PSP Vita, Game Gear, and all others have in convenience, battery, and game library" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46856771)) "supported by the biggest studios and had amazing games - no equivalent device exists today" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46760581)) "Way more modern, easier to find games for, and way cheaper as well" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48105816))
- Nice hardware design and size (2 comments): "the PSP had nice hardware design going for it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104209)) "the right size to be played everywhere" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48105469))

## What people warn about

- Batteries bloat and swell (2 comments): "Barrel jack charger, some of the worse sticks ever made, and infamous battery bloating." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48104661)) "the battery in them consistently turn into a rather spicy pillow" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50040187))
- Wi-Fi lacks WPA2 and WPA3 (2 comments): "my PSP from <20 years ago doesn't support WPA2 or 3 and therefore can't talk to my home wifi" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47885723)) "my PSP's WiFi capabilities" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49916854))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Nintendo Switch](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nintendo-switch.md): 143 recommend
- [Playdate handheld console](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playdate-handheld-console.md): 43 recommend
- [Sony PlayStation Portable](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-portable.md): 24 recommend
- [Nintendo 3DS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nintendo-3ds.md): 21 recommend
- [Nintendo DS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nintendo-ds.md): 18 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sony+PSP+PlayStation+Portable+console&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Sony PSP", https://hackerapproved.com/p/psp/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).