Almost two decades after Sony launched its most divisive handheld, the PSP Go is getting a second look. A new video picking up the device in 2026 asks a simple question: is it still worth it?

The answer, it turns out, is a qualified yes — if you know what you're getting into.

The PSP Go’s unlikely second life

The PSP Go was always an odd duck. Launched in 2009, it ditched the UMD disc drive of its predecessors for a slide-out screen and digital-only downloads. It was smaller, sleeker, and more pocketable than any PSP before it, but it also required a permanent internet connection to buy and redownload games — a serious ask in an era before fast Wi-Fi was everywhere.

In 2026, that bet on digital looks less foolish. The PSP Go’s compact form factor makes it a near-perfect candidate for an everyday carry device — a gadget you toss in a bag or coat pocket and forget about until you need a few minutes of distraction. The video that prompted this discussion explicitly frames the PSP Go as “the ultimate everyday carry,” suggesting that its physical design has aged better than its software ecosystem.

That framing matters. The “everyday carry” community, made up of people who carefully curate the small tools and electronics they bring with them daily, prizes devices that are small, durable, and multifunctional. The PSP Go fits that ethos: it plays games, it plays music and videos, and it slips into a pocket without bulging. Its slide-out screen still feels clever, and its metal construction gives it a premium weight that modern plastic handhelds often lack.

The video’s central question

The video’s title — “Is the PSP Go still worth it in 2026?” — sets up a tension that any retro hardware fan will recognize. On one hand, the PSP Go is objectively old. Its screen resolution is low by modern standards. Its processor is slow. Its battery is aged, and replacing it requires serious surgery. The PlayStation Store stopped accepting purchases on the PSP years ago, and many of the device’s online features have been shut down.

On the other hand, the PSP Go still does one thing exceptionally well: play PSP games. And those games, from the excellent library of action, RPG, and puzzle titles released between 2004 and 2014, are still fun. The video seems to argue that the PSP Go, with its small size and solid build, is the best way to revisit those games if you’re willing to work around its limitations.

The source material does not specify which games the video shows or whether it covers custom firmware, but the broader implication is clear: the PSP Go can still deliver a satisfying portable gaming experience in 2026, provided you accept it for what it is — a dedicated retro device, not a modern console replacement.

What “worth it” means in 2026

The value proposition of any old handheld depends on what you want it for. If you’re looking for a device to play the latest triple-A titles or stream games from the cloud, the PSP Go is not the answer. If you want a reliable, pocketable machine for quick sessions of classic PSP titles — and you already own a library of digital games or are willing to use alternative methods to load them — then the PSP Go starts to make more sense.

Everyday carry culture is built on the idea that the best tool is the one you always have with you. An iPad Mini is powerful, but it’s big. A smartphone is always with you, but its game selection is limited by touch controls and freemium mechanics. A Nintendo Switch (non-Lite) is large and requires a separate case. The PSP Go slides into a jeans pocket and offers physical controls for dozens of excellent games that still hold up mechanically and artistically.

That’s the niche the video is exploring. It’s not arguing that the PSP Go is objectively better than a smartphone or a modern handheld. It’s arguing that, for a specific kind of person — one who values compactness, nostalgia, and dedicated game controls — the PSP Go remains a viable option.

The challenges the video likely acknowledges

Any honest appraisal of the PSP Go in 2026 has to address its real-world problems. The battery is likely degraded, and replacements are not plug-and-play. The screen, while crisp for its time, is small (3.8 inches) and rendered in 480x272 resolution. The memory is limited unless you use a Memory Stick Micro adapter — itself a dying accessory category. And the digital storefront is effectively dead, meaning you cannot walk into a store today and buy new PSP Go games officially.

The video almost certainly grapples with these issues. The phrase “take a fresh look” suggests an honest reassessment, not a puff piece. But the conclusion — implied by the headline’s use of “amazing” — is that the PSP Go still has enough magic to overcome its inconveniences.

Why the PSP Go matters now

Retro gaming has become a thriving subculture, and devices like the PSP Go sit at a sweet spot: old enough to be nostalgic, young enough to still be usable without heavy modification. The PSP Go is not a museum piece like a Game Boy. It’s a device you can actually play, with a library of games that still look good on its small screen and control well with its physical buttons.

In 2026, the conversation about whether a 17-year-old handheld is “worth it” says more about our relationship with technology than it does about the device itself. We live in an era of constant upgrades, where phones are replaced every two years and gaming consoles are expected to last a generation. The idea of pulling a 2009 handheld out of a drawer and playing it regularly feels almost rebellious.

That’s the real story the video is telling. The PSP Go is not perfect. It was not perfect when it launched, and it has not improved with age. But it is unique. There is no other handheld that feels quite like it in the hand, that slides shut with such satisfying precision, that fits so naturally into the rhythm of a commute or a lunch break.

What comes next

The video does not answer whether Sony will ever revisit the PSP form factor. (The PlayStation Portal, Sony’s 2023 remote play device, is a very different product.) But the ongoing interest in the PSP Go suggests that there is still appetite for a premium, ultra-portable handheld that plays a deep library of older games — one that companies have largely stopped making.

For now, the PSP Go remains a curiosity, a gadget for enthusiasts who don’t mind a little inconvenience in exchange for a lot of charm. As the video likely concludes, whether it’s “worth it” depends entirely on what you want from your gaming hardware. But the fact that we’re still asking that question in 2026 is evidence that the PSP Go, for all its quirks, earned its place in the history of portable gaming.

And sometimes, that’s enough.