Ultimate PSP add-ons!

The PSP might be a gaming handheld but it’s got other party tricks too. From enjoying your favourite soaps to chatting up foreigners with the power of translation, the PSP can do the lot.

Of course, it needs a little help to do all this, and that’s why we’ve rounded up the best PSP add-ons of all time.

We’ve got it all right here, with everything from chat-enabling uber-accessories, to navigation and entertainment, all from one pocket-sized box. What’re you waiting for? Accessorise!

PSP Go!Cam
It might only carry the power of 1.3 megapixels and its video capabilities aren’t great either, but the humble Go!Cam deserves a place in our top PSP add-ons. After all it did pave the way for some of the handheld’s most innovative features, such as Go!Messenger (below).

Go!Messenger
In a further attempt to make Sony’s gaming brand a more social experience the PSP got a dose of video messaging added to its growing list of talents.

Plonking the Go!Cam atop the console let handheld holders make voice calls to their PSP toting chums, as well as send instant messages and voicemail-a-like video messages.

PSP Go!Explore
Find yourself on the road needing a steer in the right direction? Slot in Sony’s sat-nav add-on and you’ll soon be racing between points of interest like a man possessed. Go!Explore was officially unveiled at 2006’s Tokyo Game Show, but didn’t reach us untill 2008. As well as a GPS receiver, the accessory comes with a UMD featuring maps of cities all over Europe, 2D and 3D graphics, as well as updates via the web!

PSP LocationFree Base Station
What good is a mini media hub if you can’t watch telly on it? That’s where the LocationFree Base Station introduces itself. Hook it up to your TV at home and it’ll teleport its signal straight your PSP via the magic of the Internet. The system means you’ll always be able to tap into your TV, no matter where in the world you are, as long as you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Sony PSP Talkman
This translating software add-on is the perfect travel accessory. Just speak into it and it’ll transform your mangled words into any language, depending on the lingo accessory pack you download from the PSN Store.

Whether you want the waiter to get your order right, or feel like chatting up the locals, it’ll help get you out of a continental pickle. You will need Go!Explore to use it though.

Go!View
Another entertaining software add-on, this telly transporter gives you access to a whole shebang of entertainment.

Peep footy, soaps, comedies and whatever else you feel. It’s powered by Sky so you know you’ll be getting quality shows. Just hop over to the Go!View site and register for one of the sport, entertainment or comedy packs from five quid a month.

Datel WiFi Max
This little trinket allows your PSP to mooch off your PC’s Internet connection wirelessly up to five times faster than regular Wi-Fi connections.

Just install the software and coax the dongle into your PC’s USB port. It’s also play friendly with your PSP files, letting you transfer music, movies and games between your PC and the handheld. Being able to connect other gadgets like Laptops and PDA’s is a nice touch too.

Logitech PSP Keyboard
Sony announced a PSP keyboard back at CES 2008 without any pictures, descriptions or, well anything else. Since then, serial peripheral producer Logitech has hinted that it’ll bring out its own PSP keyboard. It even released this picture of it, but since Sony seems to have sidelined its own button-pad, Logitech’s been left with too little information to bring the product to market. Here’s hoping we’ll get a choice of boards once Sony gets its act together and releases its own next year.

Logic 3 PSP2 SoundStation – Mini Theatre
This PSP entertainment add-on frees your hands from the console and gives movies that extra kick. It’s great for traveling and produces some decent sounds from an acoustically able brand. It’s real beauty, however, is in showing off the PSP as a great movie machine. No other handheld serves up movies as well as Sony’s console, whether they’re from UMDs in the back, or Memory Sticks in the side.

Griffin iTrip for PSP (discontinued)
If you use your PSP as a mini media centre you can easily send all its audio to the nearest FM radio. Griffin’s iTrip FM Transmitter neatly slips under the bottom of the console, so all you need to do is tune in the radio and let it stream sounds wirelessly. It’s sadly discontinued now, but you can still find them online with a bit of hunting.

PSP TV Tuner
Not since Sega’s Game Gear has a TV tuner like this been shoved in a portable console, but unlike its crumbly predecessors this beauty picks up digital transmissions using the 1Seg system found in the Far East. Sure, it’s useless to anyone in the western hemisphere, and it’s only compatible with the newer PSP Slim & Lite, but we can dream, can’t we?