Google Engineers Hacked the PlayStation Portal To Run PSP Games
Utilizing the open-source emulator PPSSPP.
A group of Google engineers have hacked Sony’s PlayStation Portal to get it to run PlayStation Portable (PSP) games. The Portal launched in November but, to the disappointment of many, is only capable of running games made for the PlayStation 5 – that is until Google’s own swooped in.
Google’s cloud vulnerability researcher Andy Nguyen shared the news of the successful hack on X, alongside a photo of the Portal running one of the original Grand Theft Auto titles.
“After more than a month of hard work, PPSSPP is running natively on PlayStation Portal. Yes, we hacked it,” Nguyen wrote.
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
To pull it off, the engineers used PPSSPP, an open-source emulator for PSP games. The emulator dates back to 2012 and most of its uses have been to adapt games for the PC.
Nguyen noted that the hack was entirely software-based, meaning that no additional hardware was needed. He also said that there were no plans to release the software in the near future, so the public will seemingly have to wait for their chance to play PSP games on the Portal.
