As the Sony PSP becomes more popular, it's not a surprise to me that I'm starting to hear from people who have their PSPs ripped off and, occasionally, from people who "got a good deal" on a PSP but don't know how to circumvent the password therein. Ungood.
Unfortunately, as with Apple's phenomenally popular iPods, small expensive electronic gadgets are perfect for theft, whether it's someone ripping it out of your hands on the subway or it just "vanishing" from your backpack while you're going to the bathroom or similar.
The serial number is on the front edge, it's basically a tiny sticker:
In addition to the unique serial number of every PSP - something you should make a note of in case you ever need to prove ownership of your PSP in a situation like what's outlined here - there is indeed a unique number associated with each and every PSP, even if someone were to peel off or otherwise deface the serial number sticker on the edge: the MAC address.
That you can find by looking at the System Information screen:
The MAC address is basically the unique identifier that the device uses to connect to public networks so unless the thief is willing to pop open the PSP and actually hack the chips themselves, it's not something that is going to ever change and can be used quite reliably as a unique identifier.
However, the MAC address isn't something that shows up on the PSP box nor in the manual, though it's quite possible that your original packaging includes an indication of the serial number on the outside package. If that's the case, and if it matches the PSP in question, I'd say you have a very strong case that it's your stolen PSP indeed.
Good luck to you. Tough situation.
And if you haven't had your PSP ripped off, it might well be worth making a note of both your serial number and MAC address for foolproof identification down the road. Just in case. Write them down both in your manual and on a separate piece of paper that stays at your house, rather than traveling with you.
Questions about the Sony PSP? Find everything you need to know at Dave's PSP Help area.
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my psp was stolen i have no idea who stole it but they took the console, a movie, battry, and a 4 gb memory card
how do i go about recovering my psp