Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Ben's Gaming Memories - Goodbye PSP, and thanks for everything!

Yesterday Sony announced that it would finally be putting an end to the PlayStation Portable. After a ten year run, the console will now fade away, and the newer PlayStation Vita will take over. Really, it's hard to believe it has even been out that long. I still remember the day I got it, just like it was yesterday...

When the PSP first came out, it was one of them consoles I didn't have too much interest in. I was happy with my brand new DS, and the "Sony Fanboys" who raided Nintendo's Nsider forums flat out annoyed me. They would join the forums, do nothing but make fun of Nintendo and the DS non stop, and then leave. It actually turned me off, despite the fact I loved Sony consoles. Even so, the main reason I didn't care for it was simply because the console didn't have too many games that interested me. I ignored it, stuck with my DS, GameCube, and PS2. I was happy with what I had. That is, until I saw it in action for myself.

During the end of my freshman year in high school, our school's gym was closed due to remodeling, and our PE class was moved to an art room which was filled with games for us to play, as well as other activities to kill time. We would take walks every once in awhile, but most of the time we were in that room. That's when I saw it. A guy I had known since grade school brought in a PSP one day, and after playing it a bit for myself, I knew I just "had" to have one. The game I got to play was an NBA game, but around that time other games I wanted were coming out as well; heck even my favorite game of all time Mega Man X was getting a remake! While I wasn't sure how I'd get one, I knew that one day I would have one in my hands. Little did I know, that day wouldn't come until one full year after I first played it.

The summer of my sophmore year I turned 16, and I decided that that would be the year I'd ask for a PSP. While a lot of people around me were asking for brand new cars, all I wanted was a $150 console, and my parents said yes. That day my mom called off work, my friend Ryan came over, and we all hopped in the car and drove off to get my license. Now we did get lost on the way to the DMV since we were going to one in a town we rarely visit (it didn't help that some guy told us to turn right into a building when we asked for help), but once we found it everything was smooth sailing. I walked into the DMV, the ladies behind the counter looked at me, took my picture, and before I knew it I had my license. (I really lucked out though. My birthday was picked for the "random testing," but I guess the ladies working just didn't care!)

After getting my license, we then headed over to a Chinese restaurant to eat, and stopped by Walmart afterwords. There my mom bought me the PSP along with Mega Man Powered Up, and we headed back home (sadly they didn't have Maverick Hunter X). Once I got home, me and my friend turned on the PSP and found out that we needed a memory card. Yeah, we didn't realize it didn't come with one... So, we waited for my dad to get home from work, and we set out once again. This time we went to another Walmart (which didn't have Mega Man Maverick Hunter X either), and I got ripped off. Using my birthday money, I bought a 200 something MB memory card for $30 bucks, instead of the 4GB one for the very same price. Back then I didn't realize just how digital heavy the PSP was going to be, and I didn't even notice the sale going on. I just wanted a memory card so I could play my game, but this did come back to bite me years later when I had to spend $60 just to play Final Fantasy VII...

Before heading back home, we stopped by McDonalds, I played Mega Man Powered Up a bit while I waited for my food, and then we headed back home. It had been a long day and I was tired, but I also had a lot of fun. Really looking back on it now, I hardly remember playing that PSP that day. I remember sitting with it in McDonalds, and I remember playing it a bit before I got on MSN to talk to friends, but that's about it. The day itself is what I remember the most; spending time with family and friends. It was a great day, and every time I look over at my PSP, I can't help but go back. Sure I love my PSP, but the memories of that day are just priceless.

Goodbye PSP. Thank you for helping me create such a great memory!