Retrograde nostalgia wars: /g/ debates whether the PSP was genuinely ahead of its time

A discussion on /g/ degenerated into a lengthy technical argument about the PlayStation Portable’s place in handheld gaming history, after the OP posed a simple question: “how did they make this in 2004?”

The original poster reportedly felt the PSP was “ahead of its time,” claiming that as a child he essentially had a smartphone-equivalent device that set an impossibly high bar for subsequent handhelds. “Nothing ever replaced it,” the OP alleged. “All other handhelds after this were not trying to push tech to a new level.”

Supporting commenters mounted a comprehensive defense. One user wrote an exhaustive feature list, claiming the PSP could natively handle MP4 and MP3 files, featured WiFi connectivity, included a functional web browser, supported local multiplayer with near-zero latency, could function as an IR remote, offered PSN and online gaming, and could even play PS1 titles via converted EBOOT files. “It was INSANE value for 249€,” the user alleged, adding they still possessed a device with over 3,000 hours of screen time that functioned perfectly.

Dissenting voices countered aggressively. One respondent argued that accounting for inflation, the PSP cost roughly $400 in 2025 dollars, and modern handhelds at $100-150 (Anbernic RG Vita Pro, Retroid Pocket 5) substantially outperform it. Another commenter claimed budget feature phones in 2004-2005 already offered most of the PSP’s vaunted features: IR remotes, GPS, web browsers, removable batteries, and NES/Game Boy Color emulation.

The Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck emerged as flashpoints. Supporters of modern handhelds argued the Switch’s hybrid dock-and-portable design and the Steam Deck’s PC gaming library represented genuine innovation. Critics countered that the PSP was “already deprecated at launch” by that logic, and that modern alternatives suffered from inferior portability: fixed batteries, bulky cases, and protruding analog sticks.

One commenter offered a tempered historical perspective, writing: “It was a smartphone before smartphones were really a thing.” Users reportedly saw the PSP as a proto-device that Sony botched by failing to add cellular calling capability, potentially upending Apple’s trajectory. Another respondent noted the PS Vita later delivered even more ambitious features, dual cameras, OLED screens, rear touchpads, but squandered them through mismanagement.

The thread devolved into disputes over UMD practicality, stick ergonomics, emulation accuracy, and whether nostalgia was obscuring the PSP’s genuine shortcomings. One user dismissively wrote: “You’re only mad because I’m 100% right.” The discussion never converged.