This DIY Sony PSP Console Proves People Still Care About PlayStation Handhelds

A hardware hacker designed the most genuine mod to turn the PSP into a console. Better than that, you can use it to play your PSP’s age-old UMDs. The $275 PS Placeable is a 3D-printed shell resembling the original PlayStation 2. It even contains an actual, modded PSP. It fits so well into the old-school PlayStation aesthetic, it’s a reminder that Sony used to do great handhelds.

The PS Placeable grants access to an HDMI port to plug into your TV and opens up the option to play the original PSP’s UMDs while letting you pair a Bluetooth controller. This may be your best bet to play LocoRoco on the big screen with a PS4 or PS5 controller. There’s a slot that opens out the top that lets you insert your old UMDs if, like me, you still have some of those old plastic-covered discs lying around.

You can make one yourself, of course, and the maker of the hardware hacker, Retro Mod Works, provides Github repositories for both the STLs and codebase for Bluetooth connectivity. The best part is that it’s a non-destructive mod that’s reversible if you so choose. It works with the 2K and 3K PSP (or the PSP-2000 or PSP-3000). It won’t work with the first edition, 1K PSP. You could—technically—pair the PSP with a monitor or TV, but then you’re left struggling to control the screen with the tethered handheld.

You can see it in action in a video from the Macho Nacho YouTube channel. Retro Mod Works—a retro game streamer who goes by Dan—said he worked with the project’s coder, Stephen Cooper, to design the console so that he could play games he owned without resorting to software emulation. He also wanted to design something simple enough that it may interest non-modders in the wonderful work of hardware hacks.

On its store page, Retro Mod Works said they received over 100 orders in less than 24 hours. “That is the complete stock of broken PSPs I have squirreled away for over the past year for this project,” they wrote. The console modder said they’re focused on filling current orders before tackling new ones. There is a form for the modder to reach out when there’s room to mod your PSP. If you send in your own handheld, the total cost of the PS Placeable is $185.

An additional Switch Station lets you replace the UMD drive with a PCB to emulate PSP games on the big screen or take them with you on the go with the original controls and hardware. The Bluetooth board replacement also lets you connect a controller. The Bluetooth PSP mod kits cost $40, while the printed shell costs $15, and PCB or electronics are not included.

Retro Mod Works went an extra step and included several guides on buying the right parts and putting everything together from the website. The other aspect of the design is you may also want to pair the device with an upscaler. The kit doesn’t come with one, so depending on the use case, you may want to look into those made by Retro Tink or Morph 4K.

The PS Placeable’s design is far less intense than that of modders who have made consoles into handhelds, like the modder who put a screen on top of an original Xbox board. It also showcases just how much gamers still want a more portable PlayStation. Modders previously turned the PlayStation 5 into a laptop-sized device. Last month, Sony finally added game streaming to the PlayStation Portal remote player.

Both PSP and PlayStation Vita still have their fans. The Vita is often cited as the best handheld of its time, but it didn’t receive nearly as much support as Nintendo provided to its 3DS. Sony is reportedly developing a new PlayStation handheld to compete with the Steam Deck and other handheld PCs, but it could be years away. The interest in the PS Placeable is just more evidence that people love their Sony handhelds. Now Sony has to acknowledge that with new hardware.