So today’s article I wrote is just me plodding along wondering out loud why the Sony PSP has become so popular again all of a sudden.
I mean, clearly “so popular” is an exaggeration in the grand scheme of things, these are no-doubt extremely small numbers compared to other handhelds available. Scrolling social media really has shown a lot of them on feeds for me in 2026.
If you’re interested in why I think they’re showing up more lately, then read on with my article. I go through a reason in each ‘section’, but If you’ve got your own ideas, I’d love to hear them below here. Oh and if you’re thinking:
“hey there’s no in-depth investigative journalism here, it just looks like they wanted an excuse to write about the PSP!!!”
…you’d be right. I’ve been obsessed with them lately. This is my 4th PSP article in a very short time. I do so love them!
Anyway, if you want to see some old PSP TV ads, some nostalgia, and want to chat about PSPs (plz do), then here’s the link:
One of my favorite, unexpected gems was Kenka Bancho. You’re a bancho (high school delinquent badass) and you have 7 days during a school trip before graduation to punch other school banchos into submission to prove you’re the best of all banchos. A real shame that only one game got localized, there are several others in the series.
I was also sad that Maverick Hunter X didn’t get sequels, so it became the sole 3D remake of Mega Man X, but it’s really good and you can even play as Vile. Speaking of Capcom, you could also play Monster Hunter 1, 2 or 3 on your PSP. I spent a significant amount of time on 2 and got nowhere near the mid game. I kept getting my ass handed by some bosses. Kushala Daora became my arch nemesis. On the other hand, beating Basarios was a piece of cake with bow and (piercing) arrow
Excellent, thank you for the recommendation! I have to re-learn how to get games on Adrenaline on my vita—Kenka Bancho sounds awesome.