PSP game downloads have swept through the PlayStation community like a storm in recent years. Sony PlayStation portable units have been a faithful companion for many children and teens today. In terms of popularity, it is almost synonymous with games, just like music is for the iPod. But before you start downloading games for your PSP unit, there are a few things you need to know about how to play those PSP game downloads.

Our computers run on an operating system, ie Windows or Mac. Unlike PCs, our PSP units run on PSP firmware. This is the core operating system of the PSP that gives your PSP the ability to play games, video, and audio. The firmware is installed on your console’s flash disk. Sony would occasionally release new firmware versions to add more functionality to its console or to fix some bugs that are inherent in older versions.

However, you may not know that only older versions of PSP firmware such as version 1.00 and 1.50 can allow you to play PSP game downloads. How do you check the firmware version of your PSP? Just take a look at the system software information in the system setup menu. Newer versions come with firmware versions greater than 2.00. If you just bought a new PSP, you don’t need to check if it is compatible with PSP game downloads.

This feature is a security protection feature to prevent any user from running unauthorized software on their PSPs. While it has its merits in expanding the functionality of your PSP, it can be crippling if you plan to play some older console games like Nintendo, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, or PSP game downloads. You may not also know that Sony only allows you to update its firmware to higher versions. You cannot reverse the process once you have updated your PSP. This disability sounds more like a double-edged sword to many people.

Some software designers have been hard at work behind the scenes for years before coming up with ingenious ways to overcome this problem. The solution is in the form of PSP emulators. PSP emulators are software that can read and run game programs that operate on a different architecture, that is, a console unit like Nintendo. There are so many emulators out there, free or paid versions that can easily “convert” your PSP to play any type of console game and PSP game downloads, new and old, proprietary or non-proprietary.

Did you know that there are now plenty of PSP game download sites that offer you lifetime access to their huge vaults of games, music, movies, software, and more. of PSP? Learn more on my blog about how you can join the millions of online users who are downloading PSP games right now while reading this article, without spending more than the cost of a family pizza.

The content in this article is provided for educational and illustrative purposes only and is in no way associated with Sony, PlayStation, or any Sony company or subsidiary. This article may be reprinted or freely distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog, or website. Author’s name, biography, and website links must remain intact and must be included with each reproduction.