BrutalChats! We reminisce (a LITTLE) about Sony’s first portable

Sony’s first ever portable gaming console hit the shelves in North America on March 24th, 2005. Since it’s been a decade (and a bit) we thought we’d tale a stroll down memory lane.

For starters, I can’t believe it’s been ten years since the PSP debuted in the US. Also, I can’t believe that we had such a ‘meh’ response to the whole anniversary thing here on BG. Sure, I know that the console wasn’t exactly a system that lit the world on fire, but it wasn’t terrible by any stretch and I really thought the team would have some great memories of the little guy.

The PSP actually had a nice lineup of solid to great titles too. It had little in the way of consistency though (I thought anyway), which was probably one of its downfalls in the Western market. It kind of seemed like months would go by without something good to play, or a ‘big’ game release to get excited about. That’s something that Sony doesn’t seem to have learned from either as the PS Vita, the PSP’s successor, has pretty much the same issue. For every good, big game release, there’s a looong wait with little to cheer about.

Even so though, to mark the occasion we remembered the little console in a group chat not too long ago. As I said, the reaction within our team was less than enthusiastic, which might say quite a bit about the PSP in and of itself.

Here’s our chat, with minimal edits, presented for your reading enjoyment:

Jason – Editor-in-Chief – Anybody have any good memories about the PSP? I just got reminded that it was the tenth anniversary of Sony’s first portable console and I thought it might be fun to chat a bit about it!

My best memories of the PSP were actually in the early days of its release. I remember being knocked over by the quality of the graphics and sound, and the games were fantastic. I remember playing the hell out of Lumines, Need for Speed, and Wipeout, like crazy, way more than my consoles at the time. When the PSOne games started to hit, I was in heaven too, and I’m pretty sure Dark Forces, FF7, and Street Fighter Alpha are still on the memory stick!

Nadia – Canadian Staff Writer – I do! I still have a PSP with loads of games in a box where I store them!  I Loved the RPGs that were available at the time and I just loved the portability that it provided!

Lisa – US PlayStation Editor – Never owned one.

Kiri – UK PlayStation Editor – I have only ever played one game on PSP, and that was Persona 3 Portable, and I loved it, it did start my love for Persona, It was one of those games I could not put down.

Jason – Just remembering now, I actually sold my PSP two or three times. I have the last one now- it’s so light it feels like I’m going to break it when I play.

Hanna – Community Manager – I remember Troy getting one just before we were married – and he took it on the flight to Hawaii. I remember some cheering character from some golf game – i think she’d shout “Cheer goes!”

Jason – I took my PSP every time I travelled and I don’t think I actually ever used it more than once or twice.

Nadia – I had a black PSP and it just stopped working, and so I got another one, and while the frame around the screen is cracked a little, it still works like a charm! it’s hardly noticeable.

One of my favourite games is Lunar Silver star harmony, and I even have monkey ball!

Troy – US Staff Writer – Yup! I second Hanna on her comment. I think it was Hots Shots Golf 2. Loved playing Disgaea 2 on it. Recall trying to use it to listen to podcasts, too.

Benj – US Staff Writer – PSP got me started with Persona 3 and that’s when I got weird with the Shin Megami Tensei universe. Good times.

Mike – Indie Editor – I wanted to get a PSP but never went through with it. I picked up the Vita very quickly. It’s been a good purchase, especially with PS Plus.

Jason – I loved Lunar on Sega CD. Easily one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Oddly enough, I bought the PSP version, but I couldn’t get into it again for some reason.

What changed your mind Mike? Was it just the PS+? Was that even around when the Vita came out?

Nadia – Lunar 2 eternal blue was also good : ) I liked the fact the title rhymes lol.

Jason – Lol yep. Great game. That was never released for the PSP was it?

Nadia – Unfortunately no.

Benj – Ohhh yeah! Lunar was awesome!

And that’s it. Meh right? Even with our lackluster response, we’d still love to hear your thoughts about the PSP! Have any good (or bad) memories about Sony’s first handheld baby? Leave ’em in the comments below.