PlayStation's handheld PSP just made an unexpected comeback

We’ve been blessed with many fantastic video game handheld consoles over the years offering gaming on the go wherever our travels may take us.

Arguably, leading the way in the handheld console market is Nintendo with the original Game Boy released in 1989. Since that time, other console manufacturers have attempted to replicate Nintendo’s success such as SEGA, Atari, Sony and more recently, Valve with the Steam Deck.

Check out the evolution of PlayStation handheld gaming below!

This is why rumours have been making the rounds that even Microsoft wants a slice of the Nintendo pie with reports of an Xbox handheld console being on the way. Depending on who you ask, many will give you a different answer as to which handheld console is the best but perhaps many will answer with the PSP.

The PlayStation Portable was released in 2004 which was followed up by the criminally under-utilised PS Vita in 2011. The PSP has blessed us with some true greats of handheld gaming such as Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and God of War: Chains of Olympus to name a few.

Understandably, acquiring a PSP and all of its best games is not so straightforward nowadays with its hardware and software being obsolete. Sure, you can acquire the goods from second-hand sellers, but it will require a large degree of treasure hunting.

However, a talented modder by the name of Macho Nacho Productions on YouTube has taken the capabilities of Sony’s PSP to the next level allowing the beloved handheld console to make a comeback in 2024.

The modded PSP comes equipped with a new IPS display which makes games much clearer and brighter, and even has HDMI connectivity so that you can connect it to your HDTV. To make this upgraded hardware possible, the UMD disc drive has been removed to allow the installation of custom firmware via a MicroSD card.

That being said, the removal of the UMD disc drive is perhaps not a bad thing as it makes the all-digital console more accessible to play a variety of games at ease without having to swap discs, not to mention that purchasing all the UMD-based games you want isn't as easy as it once was.

YouTuber Macho Nacho Productions has provided step-by-step instructions on how to mod your PSP but if you’re unsure whether or not you can do it, hiring the services of someone who knows how might be worth considering.