PPSSPP (an acronym for "PlayStation Portable Simulator Suitable for Playing Portably") is a free and open-source PSP emulator for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch, BlackBerry 10, MeeGo, Pandora, Xbox Series X/S[3] and Symbian with a focus on speed and portability.[4] It was released to the public on November 1, 2012, licensed under the GNU GPLv2 or later. The PPSSPP project was created by Henrik Rydgård, one of the co-founders of the Dolphin emulator.[5]
 PPSSPP logo | |
 PPSSPP v1.0.1-2635 running on Fedora 22 | |
| Original author(s) | Henrik Rydgård (a.k.a. hrydgard) |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | PPSSPP Team |
| Initial release | November 1, 2012 |
| Stable release | V1.17.1
/ February 4, 2024[1] |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++, C[2] |
| Operating system | Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10, Symbian, Pandora, Wii U, IOS |
| Platform | IA-32, x86-64, ARM, ARM64 |
| Size | 16.1 MB: Windows 32-bit 17.8 MB: Windows 64-bit 19.7 MB: macOS 64-bit 28.2 MB: Android 10.0 MB: BlackBerry 10 9.2 MB: Symbian 44.7 MB: Source code 41.2 MB: IOS |
| Available in | 38 languages
|
| Type | Video game console emulator |
| License | GNU GPLv2+ |
| Website | www |
Features and development
editPPSSPP supports save states, dynamic recompilation (JIT) and has rudimentary support of ad hoc wireless networking. To decode PSP multimedia data PPSSPP uses the FFmpeg software library, which was enhanced to enable it to handle Sony's proprietary ATRAC3plus audio format as used by the PSP. PPSSPP offers graphical features that are enhancements over the PSP's capabilities, such as higher screen resolutions, antialiasing, image scaling, support for shaders, and linear and anisotropic filtering.
The ports of PPSSPP for mobile devices offer additional features specific to each platform, such as 'immersive mode' for Android devices, support of the multimedia buttons within Symbian devices and screen stretching on BlackBerry 10 devices to support square screens. All ports of PPSSPP for mobile devices support the use of accelerometers, keyboards and gamepads as input devices.
PPSSPP also supports the Vulkan API, which was added in v1.5.4 release and is intended to provide a substantial performance boost on supported devices.[6]
Portability
editSince its inception, PPSSPP has had a focus on portability with support for multiple architectures and operating systems. While initially only supporting Microsoft Windows and Android, this quickly grew to include Blackberry 10, Symbian, macOS, Linux and later iOS.[7][8] The source code also unofficially supports a wide variety of operating systems and platforms, including Raspberry Pi, Loongson, Maemo, Universal Windows Platform (Windows 10 Mobile, Xbox One, Windows 10 (X86_32, X86_64, ARM and ARM64)), Meego Harmattan and Pandora.[9] There was at one stage a port for Xbox 360.[10] Although the port was abandoned, the support code remains, offering support for big-endian CPUs and DirectX compatible GPUs.
To aid with the portability, two cross-platform development libraries—SDL and Qt—are able to be used in addition to the non-portable Blackberry, Android, and Win32 interfaces. The Qt frontend was instrumental in adding support for platforms such as Symbian.[11] The Qt frontend is able to support all officially supported platforms and is the suggested alternative if no native interface exists.[12]
As of March 2017, 984 games are playable in PPSSPP, while 67 games load to some frame of in-game state. 4 games can only reach the main menu or introduction sequence.[13] As of July 2020, almost all games are playable in PPSSPP emulator.[14]
In 2024 the iOS version was released on the Apple App Store, following a change in Apple's developer guidelines which now allows the publishing of emulators for legacy video game systems. The App Store release lacks the ability to use just-in-time compilation due to restrictions by Apple, though the developers also noted that contemporary Apple devices should be able to run most games at full speed even on an interpreter.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Releases - hrydgard/ppsspp". Retrieved 2022-07-28 – via GitHub.
- ^ "PPSSPP on Github.com". GitHub. 25 October 2021.
- ^ "How to turn your Xbox Series X/S into an emulation powerhouse". 24 November 2020.
- ^ PPSSPP Downloads - PSP emulator for Android, Windows, and many more, hrydgard, archived from the original on 2013-08-06, retrieved 2013-09-14
- ^ PPSSPP: PSP emulator for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, MacOSX, Blackberry, Symbian, hrydgard, archived from the original on 2013-08-06, retrieved 2013-09-14
- ^ PPSSPP picks up Vulkan graphics support and more in latest update, Android Police, 6 December 2017, retrieved 2018-09-02
- ^ "Best PlayStation emulators for desktop PCS". 5 February 2020.
- ^ PPSSPP: PSP emulator for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, MacOSX, Blackberry, Symbian, hrydgard, archived from the original on 2014-04-07, retrieved 2014-06-26
- ^ PPSSPP PSP Emulator Development Guide, hrydgard, retrieved 2014-06-26
- ^ Ced2911/ppsspp, ced2911, retrieved 2014-06-26
- ^ Qt for PSP emulator, xsacha, archived from the original on 2015-12-08, retrieved 2014-06-26
- ^ Build instructions · hrydgard/ppsspp Wiki, retrieved 2014-06-26
- ^ Compatibility List, livisor, 2013-03-10, retrieved 2017-03-20
- ^ Games List, PPSSPP, 2020-07-11, retrieved 2020-07-11
- ^ Davis, Wes (2024-05-15). "PPSSPP brings PSP emulation to the iPhone". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-05-16.