
The PSP Go was, frankly, ahead of its time.
A delectable little device, the glossy sliding system was perfectly portable and had Quick Resume long before Microsoft popularised the feature on the Xbox Series X|S.
But the world wasn’t ready for a digital-only handheld in 2009, and many of the PSP’s most popular games weren’t actually available on the PS Store at the time of its release. It means it was always consigned to a pretty dismal fate, unfortunately.
But personally, we still love it. At a time when handhelds are getting bigger and bigger, the PSP Go is perfectly pocketable, with a truly vibrant display and a really satisfying sliding mechanism.
You may recall the form factor was also leveraged by the similarly ill-fated Sony Xperia Play, a mobile phone device which featured traditional gamepad controls so you could take your emulated PS1 titles out on the go.
Well, retro handheld manufacturer Anbernic appears to be paying tribute to the two units with its upcoming RG Slide. While we only have a teaser trailer for now, it’s very clearly inspired by the PSP Go, with a smooth sliding operation revealing the controls behind the screen.
If it can match the size and weight of Sony’s system and pack some decent processing power, this may be a great way to emulate some of your favourite PlayStation games and take them out and about with you. We suspect more information will follow imminently.
[source twitter.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 22
Ive got an Anbernic 556, lovely oled screen, plays everything up to ps2 and some switch, love it, also use it for ps remote play 👍
@Jrs1 Nice! I've got the Retroid 5 but use it almost identically to you. A lot of Remote Play on mine as well, which works great.
@get2sammyb Cool, i really wanted to get the RP5 but got big hands so the 556 suited me better, although the rp5 is better powered (snapdragon 865) The new anbernic 557 unfortunately looks a real disappointment 🫣
I remember when the PSP Go came out and I absolutely hated the idea of it, not helped by almost none of my favourite PSP games actually being playable on the thing.
But as a piece of design? It's gorgeous. I think it's probably the nicest-looking of all the Sony handhelds, even nicer than the Vita in terms of style. I think with hindsight it could have been popular had the store support simply been better - even well after it came out there were still too many UMD-only releases.
@Chimmy1024 I think if all things were the same and it came out today, when people are more familiar with digital devices, it'd be a lot more successful.
It was an amazing product for the wrong time. Still a really wonderful piece of hardware, though.
I started with an Anbernic about 5 years ago, but later decided to go "all in" with the gaming tablet Minisforum V3 hooked up to the TV. Never looked back again^^
Ohh... my Xperia Play with MAME emulator was the best mobile I had.
One of the few ps hardware I never owned. Back then I didn't want to lose access to all my physical games, so I skipped it. It was definitely ahead of its time.
@djlard I loved that thing to death. I was really sad when it stopped working. And really surprised it didn't do well.
PSP Go, the console we owe much of Vita's backward compatibility to.😶7
@McBurn ooh, I was looking into the V3 for a while as an option, but since I also wanted something more portable for telescopic controllers and oculink I am still on the lookout.
So you're happy with the device?
@djlard I still have my Xperia Play in a cupboard. I should really break it out at some point to see if it still works. I loved that phone because I cant stand using on screen overlays to play games.
@Ilyn I'd break it out just to make sure you don't have a spicy battery.
@tameshiyaku: I don't know if it will be something for your purposes, but I'm very happy with it. I use it mostly for watching videos and playing some games on it with a controller. I kinda lost interest in portable gaming since I got myself a very big TV xD
@get2sammyb i use the Miyoo mini + for anything not needing a stick but Ive got the RP4 pro for everything else and cant stand it. For anything that uses sticks i just find them overly sensitive. Sensitive isnt the word really as its more the ease of travel and the ahort distance until you hit full tilt the sticks have. Games like Fzero GX and waverace just dont feel good to play on it. Either not responsive enough or too sensitive.
Looks good but I already got analogue pocket for my usual retro gaming play, wish they make nintendo 3ds-like handheld though so I can play 3ds games with better screen.
@McBurn onexplayer looks promising as a good hybrid option. I like the idea of a string portable device with good Egpu connectivity for a solid TV experience, but I might wait for thunderbolt/usb 5 to become a standard.
As for something psp go like, the mcon controller paired with a decent android phone looks like a nice alternative.
Damn how good was the PSP Go! I still rock one for all my emulators on the go. Pocketable, powerful, slick, all digital, just an incredible little device.
@Ilyn I also have mine...
Loved my PSPGo. It was my first 'digital' console and I remember being blown away by the possibilities - a little bit of kit packed with games that you could fit in your pocket. Traded in for a Vita which I still have (and is also awesome).
Such an amazing handheld way ahead of its time. I may search eBay and try to get one.
The PSP Go was so far ahead of it's time, one of the first digital-only handheld game consoles from a major brand that I can think of. I remember how back when it released it was hated on for it's lack of physical game support but I absolutely loved the form factor and replaced my original PSP with it, digital games just made so much sense for me as a portable since I hated having to carry a collection of games around with me. Still love the design.
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