Hacking Worth buying a PSP as an emulation device?

[SynnFrost]

I was thinking about getting a GBA and a flashcart, but considering the fact that the flashcarts are rare/expensive, I decided I'd be better off getting a PSP and emulating them on there. The scene has changed a lot since I last had a PSP (2009). The fact that all of the models can be hacked now means I don't have to opt for a 1000.

So yeah, with the ability to play a ton of games from different consoles, including the PSX, I'd say it is indeed one of the best handhelds for emulation.

 

[jimmoleum]

Firstly, don't get a MicroSD adapter...get a Sandisk Ultra II Pro Duo. Trust me on that.

As for explaining what i meant.....the Playstation emulator is called pops. It has slightly different compatibilities for each firmware version (so a 3.72 firmware has a different set of pops compatibilities compared to a 5.00 firmware). However, there is a plugin called popsloader that does what the name implies - it loads different versions of pops to allow access to those varying compatibility settings. In basic terms, this plugin performs differently dependent on how vulnerable your PSP is to hacking (which is effectively related to the PSP's motherboard). Older PSP's which can run custom IPL's (this means run permanent CFW's through flashing a set of loading instructions to it's internal memory, and not a workaround exploit that attacks the power routines which is found on the 6.20 exploits) can access every version of pops allowing a full range of compatibility options. Newer PSP's such as the 3000 and Go just won't work properly with the full range of popsloader options.

Therefore if you want to run CUSTOM PSX conversions (Not PSN downloads - they work across the board) you want access to a PSP that'll run every pops version available.

Note 1 - Game ID's used in the conversion of PSX games to PSP format are also important for compatibility.
Note 2 - The extra RAM in the slimmer consoles is nice but not really that noticeable. It has very little impact on the broad range of PSP usage.
Note 3 - Don't get a Go....16GB of internal memory does not make up for lousy controls and a non swappable battery, plus the sense of fragility.

I love my 2000's, but the 1000 has a reassuring heft to it.

Hi, why the sandisk over the microSD?

 

[Bonny]

I was thinking about getting a GBA and a flashcart, but considering the fact that the flashcarts are rare/expensive, I decided I'd be better off getting a PSP and emulating them on there.

I got a Slim PSP and a PSP Go... but emulating GBA games? They sure are nearly unplayable, right?

 

[Satangel]

I got a Slim PSP and a PSP Go... but emulating GBA games? They sure are nearly unplayable, right?

Not really, I completed a ton of GBA games already on my PSP. I'm sure there are some good posts about emulation on PSP on here, don't have the time to find them atm. Look/search first, before you post your next message

 

[cdoty]

Hi,

I know I'm a bit late to the party (just a little lol ) but I'm only just starting to love the benefits of handhelds! previously I was a home console guy I had lots of (mostly) older consoles many with RGB video output mods or 60Hz mods etc. but a lack of space (main reason ), TV inputs, power sockets and older games on big LCD not looking so hot has seen me box most of it up and store it in the loft

The PSP is nice but a bit underpowered, and PSP homebrew development is nearly dead. I would recommend one of the JXD Android devices:

http://www.willgoo.com/jxd-handhelds-c-67-page1.html?zenid=nmfl8gsrap615f1m7cq44ohrm6

The 602/602B or S5110/S5300 are pretty decent options, if you're worried about price.

The Wii with the Homebrew Channel and Classic Controller is another option, assuming you're not ready to give up on the TV. It will get you a better looking picture as it will scale from 240 pixels to 480 pixels, give you a non-interlaced image, and a better quality signal. This is assuming you use the component cables instead of composite.

 

[Rydian]

I got a Slim PSP and a PSP Go... but emulating GBA games? They sure are nearly unplayable, right?

Nope, most of them play fullspeed.

Srsly, the DS was that underpowered even on release.

 

[Alcarajo]

If you find one cheap then by all means buy it. A co worker sold me his PSP for just $30. I guess i got lucky. GBA emulations is pretty good. Most of the games i tried run at fullspeed.

 

[ng7apoc]

Surprised to see this thread still active after so long but want to thank everyone again Had my PSP for a while now and its been used exclusively for emulation (who needs PSP games anyway lol ) with mostly positive experiences from speed, accuracy and stability it truly is worth it as an emulation device

 

[Boy12]

If you want emulation, then go for the PSP!
I still have this baby on 5.00M33-4 and it works great!
I mostly use SNES, GBA and NES, so if you also play those systems then go for it!
N64 is pretty unstable though.

 

[LumInvader]

All of the Android devices I've seen so far are hot garbage. Have yet to see one without crappy\cheap controls or sound lag. Oth, the PSP's controls are fantastic.

Unfortunately, even though the PSP is nearly 9 years old (i.e. slow by today's standards), it's still the best. However, the official Extended Life Battery Kits are rare now, so I can't fully recommend it unless you're fine with using the original smaller battery. I fully recommend getting a second battery no matter what size you choose to use.

Over 80% of the SNES library plays at full speed with a little tweaking and just a few % points shy of 100% with frameskip 1 enabled. Some of the multi-system problem games run fine via GBA\Genesis emulators. The main downside of SNES emulation is that the original programmer implemented conditional v-sync, which seems to disengage in games that hover just above the 60fps mark, which leads to some occasional tearing. Setting frameskipping to 1 solves this, but at the expense of ghosting.

Overall though, SNES emulation is much better than this thread seems to indicate.

If you prefer pixel perfect displays, setting PSP emulators to play with black bars isn't much of a hindrance since most of the emulated systems still manage to use up most of the screen. For systems that don't (GB, GBA, etc.), the output is blurry due to the upscale filtering. Even so, both systems have a high compatibility rate.