The Ultimate PSP Guide to PSP Hardware

Sony's Portable PSP Hardware

Sony produced five PSP models: PSP-1000, PSP-2000, PSP-3000, PSP-Go N1000 and PSP-E1000. In addition, Sony Ericsson released Xperia Play, a PlayStation-certified smartphone that looks and feels like a PSP. The PSP line was discontinued in October 2011, but many of the handsets remain available online. The successor to the PSP line—the PS Vita—was introduced in December 2011. Each of the PSP models, the Xperia Play and the PS Vita are covered in this Guide. 

All PSP Models

• What Is a PSP? This article asks if a PSP is a portable PlayStation or a tiny entertainment center.
• PSP Specifications for All Models. This is an index with links to PSP specs list. Specs for each model are also listed on the appropriate page in this Guide.
• Choose the PSP That's Best for You. Different models are better at different things, so read this to help make your choice easier
• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Different PSP Models. Pretty much what the title says. This article presents the same information as the one above, but organized by model rather than by intended use.
• What's in the Box? Complete list of content for all the various packs and bundles the PSP has come in.

The PSP-1000 Guide

The original PSP may seem big and clunky now, but when it first came out it was sleek, powerful and...expensive. The PSP-1000 still has a lot of fans, especially among folks who want to create their own software known as homebrew or who use some of the cool add-on accessories that came out when excitement over the PSP was high, but which don't work with later models.

• PSP-1000 Specifications. The raw list of what the PSP-1000 has, inside and out, plus some more considered information on what those specs mean in real life.
• Top Things to Do With Your PSP Beside Play Games. A look at what else you can do with your PSP.
• The Best PSP Accessories for PSP-1000. Check out the best of the accessories that came out when the PSP was first released.

The PSP-2000 Guide

The PSP-2000 isn't radically different from the PSP-1000, though it's thinner and lighter and a little more capable. Also, it can run Skype. Fans dubbed it "PSP Slim" in the Americas and "PSP Slim and Lite" in Europe, because it is easier to hang on to for longer play sessions. The best-added feature and the one that made it worth upgrading was the video-out ability, which let you play anything stored on your PSP on your TV. 

• PSP-2000 Specifications. The raw list of what the PSP-2000 has, inside and out, plus what speculation on what the data really means once you have the device in your hands.
• How to Play PSP Games on Your TV. The PSP-2000 added video-out capability and here's how to use it. This works with games as well as movies.

The PSP-3000 Guide

The main upgrade for the PSP-3000 was a brighter screen, which earned it the name "PSP Bright." Some sharp-eyed gamers noticed scan lines on the screen with the earliest releases, leading many to opt to stick with the PSP-2000, but this was resolved with later releases of the model.

• PSP-3000 Specifications. The raw list of what the PSP-3000 has inside and out.

The PSP Go (PSP-N1000) Guide

The PSP Go was an experiment, in a way. Sony seemed to be trying out some things, like removing the UMD drive and adding onboard memory. The form factor was considerably different from previous models, though the innards were comparable. Sadly the PSP Go flopped, though it has loyal fans.

• PSP Go Specifications. The raw list of what the PSP Go has, inside and out.

The PSP-E1000 Guide

Someone at Sony decided the world needed a budget PSP model, despite the gradual price drops the PSP-3000 was seeing. The PSP-E1000, a stripped-down model that retains the UMD drive but loses size, a speaker and Wi-Fi, was announced in 2011.

• PSP-E1000 Specifications. Certain features were dropped or altered to create this budget PSP. Plus you can read the raw list of what the PSP-E1000 offers inside and out.

The Xperia Play Guide

Technically, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is a "PlayStation-certified" smartphone and not a PSP at all. However, it can run PSP games so it earns a mention on this list.