The PlayStation Portal, that tablet sandwiched between two halves of a DualSense controller, has one function, and one function only: streaming games from the PS5 at home. But the Google tinkerers have managed to make the product much more interesting!
Strangely, Sony has decided to reduce the portal to a relatively small clientele, namely gamers who do not want to monopolize the TV in the living room to play the PS5. A niche that certainly has commercial potential, but it's a shame to limit the device to single use. Luckily, we can count on innovators to expand the capabilities of an Android tablet.
The PlayStation Portal, a PSP like any other
Andy Nguyen and Calle Svensson, two Google engineers, used their free time to do this Install PPSSPP, the very efficient PSP game emulator that works natively on the portal. The details are very poor, especially on the technical level. However, Andy Nguyen assures that the hack is entirely software and does not require any manipulation of the hardware (no addition of a special chip).
After more than a month of hard work, PPSSPP is running natively on PlayStation Portal. Yes, we hacked it. With the help of xyz and @ZetaTwo pic.twitter.com/AXuRROo6Ip
— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) February 19, 2024
The engineer, known in the PlayStation hacker community as TheFlow, has uncovered several security flaws for the PS4 and PS5. Suffice it to say that he knows perfectly the software secrets of Sony consoles. Unfortunately, there are no plans to release a tool to unblock the portal, at least not for a while. “There is still a lot to do,” says Nguyen.
And if PPSSPP can be installed on the device, why not other apps and games? Sony could also allow games to be streamed from the PS Plus Premium, as the manufacturer suggested at the start of Portal (and which would justify the price of 219 euros a little better).
Read the PlayStation Portal review: Way too expensive for a simple accessory
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