It took a few months but hackers have finally broken down the PlayStation Portal and turned it into a PSP emulator capable of running PPSSPP natively.
The PlayStation Portable Simulator Suitable for Playing Portably (PPSSPP for short) is an open-source emulator designed to run PSP games on a variety of hardware, including PCs, smartphones, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S/X, and even the obscure Pandora handheld.
On February 19, Andy Nguyen, who currently works at Google as Cloud Vulnerability Researcher, revealed that he had been able to hack the PlayStation Portal handheld after months of working on the project. He did it alongside xyz and Calle Svensson.
It has been confirmed by Nguyen that there is no planned release date for the Vita to be available on every PS Portal as there are still issues that need to be resolved before this can happen.
On the bright side, Svensson has confirmed that PPSSPP is compatible with all Portal software versions currently available. Therefore, if you were planning on holding off on any updates, you don't need to worry about it.
When the PS Portal was announced, people were hoping it'd be Sony's triumphant return to the handheld market, with many PlayStation enthusiasts having fond memories of the PS Vita and its predecessor, the renowned PSP. Sadly, that's far from the case, functioning more as an accessory to the PS5 than a console of its own.
The PSP was launched in March 2005 and went on to be a massive commercial success for Sony (unlike the PS Vita), selling over 80 million units as of 2023. Its library of games includes some truly iconic gems including Persona 3 Portable, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Liberty City Stories, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and many more.
Over 900 PSP games can be played via the PPSSPP emulator, so fans should keep an eye out for any PS Portal integration developments.
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