HDMI Cable for PSP 2000 & PSP 3000 Handheld Console

(Video Review for this posted on GamersXtreme.org, as the file size was too large)When the PSP entered the market back in Japan late 2004 and early 2005 in North America, it served as Sony’s first gaming handheld device that was set to compete with Nintendo’s handheld dominance. While it never sold near the numbers of Nintendo’s handheld, the device itself was still excellent and one worth owning. Throughout the years, the PSP received model revisions: the original PSP-1000, slim PSP-2000, slim and more vibrant LCD PSP-3000, and the all-digital PSP Go. When the PSP-2000 model released, all further models received a feature that let users output their PSPs to TVs to play their games on. There were composite and component cables released for them, but in our current technological standpoint, those inputs are becoming more difficult to find on TVs. The folks over at LevelHike have been on a mission to provide HDMI solutions for retro gaming consoles, and the PSP is one they put out recently. They kindly provided us a review unit so let’s give this a look.The PSP HDMI adapter is very simple to use. Simply plug the device into the AV out port of the PSP, plug the micro USB adapter into the device to power it up, and plug the HDMI cable from the device into the TV, and then go to the PSP’s display settings to output the device to the TV…and that’s it. Oh, and you can also just hold the display button on the PSP device itself for a few seconds to switch the output to your TV as well. You’ll notice the device itself has a Menu and Game toggle switch, which lets you basically change the aspect ratio to either keep its native output resolution, or fill the whole TV. Now, the device is not meant to upscale the visuals by any means, so jagged edges will be present and more noticeable than on the portable screen itself, but that’s no different than if you used the official Sony component or composite cables.Throughout my use of the device, everything worked really well. There was no noticeable lag at all, and visually everything appeared to look identical to the output the official Sony cables. Even audio is handled quite well and nothing sounded off or jarring by any means. Even during video capture, the visuals and audio were on-point.Now, the device retails for $29.99, which is reasonable for what it is intended to do. The ability to play PSP games on the TV (without a PlayStation TV device, which is fetching for a fairly high price currently) is always one that intrigued me since the PSP-2000 model released. Seeing that the PSP got this HDMI adapter is pretty great. Just remember, that if you only have the PSP-1000 model or PSP Go, this will not work. This is strictly for the PSP-2000 and 3000 models.I know this review is probably on the short side, but I really don’t have any gripes with it after testing it out the past few months. The build quality of the device is pretty solid, and it does exactly what it’s meant to do quite well. LevelHike may not be a popular known brand like Hyperkin or Pound, but this is the second unit we have reviewed of theirs (the Sega Saturn HDMI being the first) and I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality of the their product. Whether you want to play your PSP games on the TV, capture footage, or stream games, this is a must-have for any PSP enthusiast.

The media could not be loaded. I tested this cable using my PSP 2000 with Castlevania The Dracula X Chronicles, The 3rd Birthday, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero, and Tactics Orge: Let Us Cling Together (images from 3rd Birthday and Prinny; video from Castlevania). All of the games came through beautifully, with no noticeable lag (which is particularly good with Castlevania) and a nice clean picture.The cord allows for a switch between Menu and Game aspect ratios, and I found my preference leaned towards leaving it set to menu, but that is just personal preference.I also have the official Sony component cables, purchased back in 2011, and this product blows those cables out of the water. The picture is clearer, the set-up is simpler, and the cord itself is longer, allowing for more comfortable in front of TV play (seriously, I don't know why the Sony cord was so short; I had to sit right near my TV in order to use it).This is a great product and is very reasonably priced. I can't even say that it's reasonably priced compared to upscalers, because this is the best way to actually connect this handheld system to a home display. It might actually get me to go back and finish Tactics Ogre!Just make sure to read the description and make sure your PSP model is compatible. the original 1000/1001 models didn't handle video out properly, so are not compatible with this cord (that's an issue with the OG PSP, not the cord).

It works, but the image isn't what you'd call super crisp. It's 720p and it doesn't upscale the resolution of the psp so the image looks a bit smooth. I tested a bunch of games with it and I'd say it works the best with 3d psp games. That's because 3d games in general look a lot better than 2d games when displayed through an hdmi regardless of how smooth the image quality is. I looked around and it seems that the other hdmi cables for the psp do the exact same thing, it's just a different brand. The game mode zooms into the screen and I'm pretty sure you can get the same result if you use the build in zoom mode that's on your tv, if you have it that is. Interestingly, the only exception is PS1 games on PSN because those actually need to be displayed in menu mode and because they aren't zoomed in they look really good, but definitely not as good as emulating ps1 games on a modern emulator. This product has been around since 2019 and since then unfortunately there haven't been any revisions or new editions of it by Levelhike or others. I'd pay more to have an hdmi upscaler for the psp that can provide a true hd experience but I don't know how feasible it is to produce, considering the archaic video port on the psp. Either way if you want to connect your psp to your tv this is your only real option and it provides a solid enough experience

Works very well on PSP-3000!