PSP to play other systems' games this year

The PlayStation Portable has a library of games and movies created specifically for it, but one of the system's most underused capabilities is its ability to play games from other systems. Sony has offered a modest selection of original PlayStation games for download on its North American PlayStation Store, but those willing to tamper with the system's firmware, violate the system's warranty, and deal in illegal ROM acquisition have long been able to play games from classic systems such as the NES on the handheld.

The PSP user base is likely to see a significant uptick in legal retro gaming soon, given that Sony Computer Entertainment America marketing head John Koller told MTV that discussions are underway to make available on the PSP more games from bygone days by the end of the year.

"PS1 is included, but everything is on the table," Koller said, adding, "We look for some of those big hits from all of the past games in their history and look for ways we can bring them over. It's not always easy. There's obviously technical areas that need to be bridged. But when those are solved, consumers will see a wide variety of retro games and brand-new games coming to PSN."

Additionally, Koller said that the regional disparity in original PlayStation releases will be corrected. The US and Europe have thus far only seen a few dozen games from the system offered for download to the PSP, whereas the Japanese online store boasts a catalog hundreds of games deep.