TECH NEWS – A group of Google engineers hacked PlayStation Portal to play PSP games natively on Sony’s Remote Play accessory!

A Google engineer demonstrated their hacking of the PlayStation Portal. This allows the device to play PSP games. Portal is designed as a handheld device that remotely controls the user’s PS5 console. But that hasn’t stopped fans from trying to expand the accessory’s uses.

Despite its limited uses, PlayStation Portal received good reviews and struggled to stay in stock for long at popular retailers.

The eye-catching form factor has proven to be the most ergonomic method of Remote Play since the PS3.

The PlayStation Portal features a native run of PSP games

Google engineer Andy Nguyen took to social media to show off a hacked PlayStation Portal device running the PSP emulation software PPSSPP. After “more than a month of hard work” and the help of another Google engineer, Calle Svensson, Nguyen’s device can natively play PSP titles. In the image shared by Nguyen, Portal is running the acclaimed PSP title Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

Largely thanks to the PlayStation Plus Premium level, subscribers can already play PSP games on the device, but a limited selection of select PSP titles can only be played via streaming via Remote Play.

Hacking PlayStation Portal to run PSP emulation software natively on your device means no internet connection is required. Not to mention that the entire PSP library becomes playable on Portal. So, not just titles curated for PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Store. Unfortunately for fans anxiously waiting to get their hands on this hack, Nguyen stated, “We don’t have any plans to release it in the near future”, as there is still much work ahead of them. However, given the post’s success, the team may share some demo videos as early as this weekend.

Despite rumours that a new PlayStation handheld is in development, Sony has yet to announce any new hardware.

After the failure of the PSP’s successor, the PS Vita, Sony more or less withdrew from the portable gaming market. Still, Portal’s success may lend credence to reports that a new dedicated handheld is in the works.

The success of the Nintendo Switch and various handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally proves that there is a market for portable gaming devices. There have even been rumours that Microsoft might be planning a handheld Xbox console. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer even fueled Xbox handheld rumours with his recent social media activity.

Source: X

After more than a month of hard work, PPSSPP is running natively on PlayStation Portal. Yes, we hacked it. With help from xyz and @ZetaTwo pic.twitter.com/AXuRROo6Ip

— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) February 19, 2024