Bizarrely, Sony just released an update for the PSP

PSP
No, us neither

Sony pushing out a firmware update isn't particularly newsworthy - but in this case it's for the long neglected PlayStation Portable, a device that's more than 10 years old. Just bear in mind that the last firmware patch appeared in August 2011.

There's nothing too earth-shattering in firmware update 6.61 - it basically adds a few stability patches, so it's even more surprising that Sony pushed it out... and that they were actually working on it in the first place.

The 31MB download is mandatory if you PSPers want to carry on using the PlayStation Network, so it's probably a good idea to get it installed and benefit from those barely noticeable stability improvements.

International availability

Japanese users are the first to get the patch, with UK and US gamers set to receive it at some unspecified point in the future. Sony says not to install the Japanese update if you're not actually in Japan.

Sony stopped selling the PlayStation Portable at the end of 2014 so 6.61 may well be a last hurrah for the device. It was a decent gaming handheld for its time - but the world has moved on.

There's even a new game coming out for the PSP this month, called Brandish: The Dark Revenant. Is the retro PSP about to enjoy a nostalgia-fuelled return to its former glories? Almost definitely not.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.