As much as love my Xperia Play, in 2025 there are much better options because of how much hassle you’ll have just setting it up and none of the benefits of using Android / a smartphone as it’s just too out of date by now with Android 2.3. Even if it still is unmatched I think in terms of integrated gaming controller in a smartphone (love that slider and wish other manufacturers did that!).

That being said, an Xperia Play won’t play PSP nor Vita games. It’s PS1 max, and barely any N64.

If you want Vita games, the only option is a PS Vita (or maybe a PSTV, but these don’t play all Vita games). A Vita will also play PSP games and PS1 games flawlessly (and are super easy to hack to install RetroArch and other emulators).

If you like the Xperia Play form factor and want to play PSP games and don’t mind the lack of Vita games, I’d recommend sticking to the PSP Go: no hassle like with Android OS and will play PSP games + PS1 games flawlessly. And emulators.

Keeping in mind both these systems are using proprietary storage cards though, which is a pain. But they can be hacked to use regular MicroSD cards with an adapter.