In school, game consoles are prohibited. Students are not allowed to play with them nor even to bring them. The moment a PSP is sighted, it is confiscated. And it will never be returned until the end of the school year.

But this fact will not prevent the PSP from being a topic of discussions in school. During breaks, students (not just boys) will often be seen arguing about certain games and movies, all of which they played in their PSPs at home. Accessories, upgrades, new moves, they will all find more and more things to talk about regarding their beloved game consoles. It almost seems as good as bringing the actual thing in school anyway.

Why? I wondered. What is so captivating about the PSP. I’ve handled the various versions of PlayStations before. I’ve also had my share of playing the Gameboy. What could be so different from all of them that many people are going gaga about this new tech toy.

And so I went to SM to look at the console for myself. The PSP was bigger than a GB advance, but with a much more elegant screen. It had the appeal of a phone but with joypad buttons instead of a keypad. Its analog stick is a bit more discrete than in its predecessors, beautifully blending with the flat console and not sticking out like before. It was starting to impress me yet this were all still just hardware. I wanted to know what it could do aside from looking good.

So I tried it out. I was instantly amazed. The graphics of the PSP games were so much better than any of the games I played before, even better than those I tried in my laptop. It could also play DVD movies. I tried hiding a smile when the saleslady showed me. This is certainly a very interesting gadget, I thought. But just when I’m sure I’ve seen everything, the saleslady told me to switch on the wireless LAN button. What?!! It’s not just a game console, it’s also a like a WIFI laptop.

I was hooked. Now I understand why people are going crazy about PSPs. I can now sympathize with them because I want one for myself too. Now, if only I can confiscate one! Hehehe! Just kidding!