What is for certain is that this is the most demanding PSP code ever written. This codebase was bought by Sony (mostly to get it off the shelves) but it may well be that elements of that product have found their way into the PSP code. Some of the compatibility glitches with certain titles look very similar to those witnessed in the aged Macintosh Connectix Virtual Game Station emulator, released back in 1999. The coding is pretty much a work of genius - there's strong evidence that the PSP's MIPS R4000-based CPU is running most of the PS1's R3000 code natively, but it's highly likely that the rest of the PS1 hardware is being emulated entirely by software. Most PS1 titles run at a humble 256x224 resolution and the emulator can match that, but additionally offers options to scale up the image 18% to fill the screen at the original aspect ratio, or else stretch the image to fill the PSP's 480x272 widescreen display. Potential problems such as the lack of all of the original joypad functions are all addressed internally by the emulator, which offers several button remapping options. While many were expecting the PS1 titles available on the Store to be ported to the PSP with modifications, the downloaded code is actually 100% identical to the titles that were released on CD all those years go, with the PSP itself completely emulating the base hardware. And the emulation performance is astonishingly good, as close to perfect as you could want, with only minor glitches being reported on a minority of titles. Original PlayStation titles can be bought and downloaded from the PlayStation Store via PS3, downloaded to memory stick then played on the handheld. A core component of the PS3-interfacing firmware 3.0, it is one of the most ambitious and complex pieces of code yet devised for the PSP. Most exciting of these new upgrades is the PlayStation 1 emulator. With the PSP more than a little moribund, Sony has plunged an adrenalin-packed syringe of extra functionality directly into the heart of the machine, injecting new features deep into its advanced innards.

At the same time, Nintendo's DS has caught the imagination in a way that Sony seems unable to match.

But a combination of shovelware PS2 ports, a basic lack of understanding as to what is required from a handheld game experience and a high price point has held the machine back dramatically. The machine had it all: ultra-desirability, state-of-the-art specs, all-encompassing support from all major publishers, plus every major Sony and third party gaming franchise on the way. When the Sony PSP launched in Japan at the tail end of 2004, it looked set to dominate handheld gaming for the foreseeable future.

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