Should I Buy a PSP?

[shwisha]

I'm a huge wipeout fan and the titles for PSP look awesome. Now that PSPs run around $100 it seems like it could be a good purchase. I was wondering what the racketboy community thought.

1. Which PSP should I buy?
2. A modded PSP that can play old games (PSX, GEN, NES, SNES...) would be nice but if modding them is a pain and unintuitive then I probably won't enjoy it.
3. If I'm modding it I would like lots of space for many games.
4. Am I better off not hacking it?

[BoringSupreez]

1. Which PSP should I buy?

The 3000 is best, but anything besides Go is ok.

2. A modded PSP that can play old games (PSX, GEN, NES, SNES...) would be nice but if modding them is a pain and unintuitive then I probably won't enjoy it.

I don't believe it's very difficult at all.

3. If I'm modding it I would like lots of space for many games.

That's not a problem, they sell memory cards with tons of space.

4. Am I better off not hacking it?

IMO, yes, but it's up to you. I just don't like emulating, I'd much rather play NES games on an NES than anything else.

[Opa Opa]

1. Which PSP should I buy?

If you plan on playing UMD's... anything except a PSPgo. The 2000 series is probably the most recommended.

2. A modded PSP that can play old games (PSX, GEN, NES, SNES...) would be nice but if modding them is a pain and unintuitive then I probably won't enjoy it.

Modding is easy. Wololo dot net for your modding guide.

3. If I'm modding it I would like lots of space for many games.

Buy a larger memory stick.

4. Am I better off not hacking it?

Your call. Hack if you want to play emulators and use homebrew apps.

---

If you end up getting a PSP, I highly recommend PURCHASING your games.

Support the game industry!

[noiseredux]

tl;dr: yes. You should buy a PSP.

[swiftzx]

What genres do you like? Keep in mind that the psp isn't for everyone; I learned that the hard way

[shwisha]

What genres do you like? Keep in mind that the psp isn't for everyone; I learned that the hard way

Well I'm a big fan of classic gaming of course but besides that I enjoy games that are light on story but heavy on gameplay.

Some of my favorite games include

First Person Shooter: The Quake series
Adventure: Shadow of the Colossus
Side Scroller: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Puzzle: Intelligent Qube
Racing: Wipeout
Sports: The Tony Hawk Series

[BoneSnapDeez]

I play primarily JRPGs and I have grown to love my PSP. I haven't tried any modding or emulation (yet). Let me give you my pros and cons of the system:

+ It's inexpensive (nowadays).
+ Big screen, great visuals.
+ Fantastic control scheme, reminds me a lot of the Dreamcast.
+ Huge library of JRPGs and niche titles...

- ...that can be difficult to find. The fact is that most stores have a very small PSP game selection. Be prepared to do a lot of online shopping.
- Games are on discs (UMDs) so you'll have to be prepared for load times and be willing to purchase memory sticks. Contrast this to the DS, where there are no load times and no memory devices required.
- Unit itself isn't designed as well as it could have been. It's not a clamshell, so I'd recommend some sort of screen protector (I have a Hori one, cost about a dollar). Also, the system is made from that type of shiny black plastic that collects like dust and fingerprints like precious commodities.
- Game library isn't as strong as the DS library (purely my opinion).

Overall, it's a great system. I say buy one, then hop online and get some games. I would recommend some, but I don't know if you're into JRPGs.

[swiftzx]

I play primarily JRPGs and I have grown to love my PSP. I haven't tried any modding or emulation (yet). Let me give you my pros and cons of the system:

+ It's inexpensive (nowadays).
+ Big screen, great visuals.
+ Fantastic control scheme, reminds me a lot of the Dreamcast.
+ Huge library of JRPGs and niche titles...

- ...that can be difficult to find. The fact is that most stores have a very small PSP game selection. Be prepared to do a lot of online shopping.
- Games are on discs (UMDs) so you'll have to be prepared for load times and be willing to purchase memory sticks. Contrast this to the DS, where there are no load times and no memory devices required.
- Unit itself isn't designed as well as it could have been. It's not a clamshell, so I'd recommend some sort of screen protector (I have a Hori one, cost about a dollar). Also, the system is made from that type of shiny black plastic that collects like dust and fingerprints like precious commodities.
- Game library isn't as strong as the DS library (purely my opinion).

Overall, it's a great system. I say buy one, then hop online and get some games. I would recommend some, but I don't know if you're into JRPGs.

I agree for the most part for the most part with your points. I can recommend some ds titles on the other hand:

FPS: Metroid Prime Hunters, COD series
Adventure: Super Mario 64 DS, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, 3 Castlevania games
Side Scroller: New Super Mario Bros, Yoshi's Island DS, Sonic Rush, Kirby Super Star Ultra
Puzzle: Tetris DS, Planet Puzzle challenge, Professor Layton
Racing: Mario Kart DS, Diddy Kong Racing, Asphalt 2
Sports: Tony Hawk American Wasteland

[brunoafh]

Yes, you should. It's arguably the best handheld console ever. Easily the best one this gen anyhow, unless you strongly favor first party Nintendo games.

[CD AGES]

IF u like the Wipeout series, go straight for PULSE and forget about PuRE on PSP, u won't regret it. In regards to PSP model to get, just ignore the PSPgo.