You may have heard a lot of stories about the Sony PSP being recalled due to dead pixels on their LCD screens. But is this just urban legend, or a genuine major fault to be cautious about when considering buying a Sony PSP.

Naturally, PSP Overload have been intensively investigating the "dead pixel" horror around the globe.

It turns out that there were quite a few complaints shortly after the Sony PSP's first release in Japan from customers complaining of 1 or 2 pixels staying permanently dark or permanently lit bright on their new LCD screens. Most people said it didn't affect their gameplay or when watching videos, but against a black or white screen, it stood out a bit.

Then, not long after the US release, similar complaints flooded their way into Sony.

Sony originally responded to the press by stating that it is natural for LCD screens to display a few dead pixels due to the way the technology works and that it even states in the PSP's manual that this may occur. But this didn't seem to put many minds at rest and complaints continued to arise.

Then, Sony pointed out that 9/10 it does not affect gameplay and the customer should try using their PSP for a week or 2 to see if it really bothers them, if they are still unhappy, Sony will abide by their 1 year warranty and repair or replace the affected console.

To respond to these concerns, the Laughing Buddha shop who sell a Japanese imported version of the handheld console have said that they will open the PSP and test the machine before dispatching it to check for dead pixels if you give them your permission. They say they want all their customers to be completely happy with their purchase and are selling the Japanese import for £179 inclusive of delivery.