Everyone knows gamers like candy, right? Well, maybe not all gamers like candy, but I certainly do. Especially sour candy. And though Sony hasn't licensed a whole lot of PSP-related items that aren't actual hardware or accessories for gaming, they have licensed some sour candy. Boston America Corp has put out two flavors of sour candies in PSP-shaped tins, and I've got both of them.
The Candy
In general, the candy you'll find inside the PSP Sour Candy tins isn't too bad, but I don't think I'd buy them just for the candy. I found them significantly better than the Nintendo Apple Sours (in mushroom-shaped tin) that I bought at the same time, though, and I really like sour apple candy. The PSP Cherry Sours definitely have that "cherry flavor" taste, though it's not as medicinal as a lot of cherry flavored candy. Like most candy of this type, I couldn't eat more than a few pieces at once. The PSP Blue Raspberry Sours were quite a bit better than the cherry, so if you only buy one and you plan to actually eat the candy, I'd recommend the blue tin. If you really want good sour candy and don't care about a novelty PSP-shaped tin, on the other hand, I'd go with something else entirely, like sour grapefruit gummies or even Sweet Tarts.
The Tins
PSP Cherry Sours Candy
No one buys these licensed candy tins for the candy, not really. They buy them for the tin. Because it's fun to have little knickknacks shaped like gaming gear. So how do the PSP Sour Candy tins measure up to a real PSP? Check out the image gallery for photos of the candy tins next to an atual PSP-1000 and a PSP-2000. Aside from the size difference--the PSP Sour Candy tin is about half the size of a real PSP--the tin has pretty good detail. At first glance it looks just like a little PSP, from the top, at least. On closer inspection, there are a few details that aren't quite right, though most people probably won't be bothered by them. The tin is evidently based on either the PSP-2000 or PSP-3000, because it has the speakers on the front. It lacks the Sony logo, though the PSP logo is there; presumably they left off the Sony logo since the tin is not actually a Sony product. The "home," "select" and "start buttons" are the wrong shape (oval instead of lunate) and the "home" button has the PlayStation logo on it instead of the word "home." There is also an extra button next to the PSP logo. And there are, understandably, no shoulder buttons. Only the front/top of the tin is meant to look like a PSP, so the edges are blank and the back bears the usual nutritional and copyright information you'd expect to find on a package of candy. Overall, the PSP Sour Candy tin is a nice representation of a PSP, if you can overlook some small details.
The Verdict
Although it probably had more to do with the color on the tin than with the taste of the candy, the PSP Blue Raspberry Sours definitely seemed to be selling better at my local shop (Freak Lunchbox on Barrington St in Halifax, NS, Canada, if you're in the area). There were extra red tins from the previous display piled up and half the blue tins were already gone from the display on the shelf. I'm not even going to try to guess whether or not these are going to be collectible some day, but I wouldn't buy them just for that reason. If you like gaming-related novelty items, or you're shopping for a small gift for a PSP gamer, then a tin of PSP Sours candy might fit the bill. I've got mine sitting nest to my novelty NES controller candy tin and my novelty Nintendo mushroom candy tin.
