this post was submitted on 06 May 2026
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No better time than now to pick one up!
I went from being amazed that anyone would opt for native hardware for older gaming (I am a huge fan of retro handhelds!) to being amazed anyone would not want one. There's something to be said about the original games on the PSP, it just feels 'right'.
And they're relatively inexpensive (if you buy from Japan) to get one in nice shape these days. I've got another on the way from Tokyo right now:
4690 yen is about $30
That's junk. It doesn't work.
Edit: wait, you seem like you know what you're doing. $30, if you can get it to work, would be a great buy.
The word 'junk' on Buyee/Japan's online marketplaces doesn't mean what it does elsewhere. It can mean anything:
Junk absolutely doesn't mean they're broken! Listings tend to go into a little detail on what is wrong with the consoles :)
I've bought a TON of handheld consoles through Buyee. DSi's (I got a great DSi LL in box with all the bits, barely used for $52 AUD), GBA SPs, I even got a launch Switch to jailbreak from Japan!
I actually wrote a article on a 'junk' PSP from Japan, you can read more on it here:
https://gardinerbryant.com/i-bought-a-junk-psp-from-japan-heres-how-it-went/
I live in Japan and when I go to a Hard Off or whatever, "junk" is usually just for parts so it's good to know it means different things on buyee. Thanks!
What site/service are you buying from?
From Buyee!
I actually wrote an article about that process and what you can expect (and do to get the best deal, in my eyes) on Buyee
You can read it here if you're curious:
https://gardinerbryant.com/i-bought-a-junk-psp-from-japan-heres-how-it-went/
wow it was already modded whwn you bought it? and i love thesilver/white design it looks still so futuristic, great article!
Thank you!
It was a surprise, since the listing had no indication it was jailbroken, but the fun thing was just how old that was!
You never really know what you'll get with 'junk' listings :)
Nice article, thanks. I’ve never really been into handheld gaming, but reading that made me want to try it out. Buyee also sounds like a very handy service!
Wow, that's an amazing compliment, glad you liked the article and that it began to sway you to the (older) handheld scene :)
Thank you!!!
I read that! I couldn't find it again, didn't realise it was you :)
Thanks!
Oh that's excellent! I'm glad I could help!
I don't really care for most PSP games, but the system is a great platform for emulation of games from the 2d age, from the NES to the GBA, from the master system to the genesis and even the PS1.
Wait, the PSP can run a GBA emulator?
Absolutely. Check out TempGBA4PSP and frogGBA