PlayStation Portable didn't receive as much love (at least when compared to the Nintendo DS), but with nearly two thousand titles in its catalog waiting for us with open arms, there are some very high-profile franchises to be found. Getting a used console in good condition isn't easy, and that detail pushes us into the territory of emulation. Over the last ten years, the PPSSPP project has delivered an excellent emulator to the public, with a solid compatibility list and extensive documentation. If you've thought about trying PSP games, this is the best time to do it.
Two Silent Hill games, two God of War games, three Grand Theft Auto games, one Assassin's Creed, two Ridge Racer games, six Final Fantasy games, five Metal Gear games, two Metal Slug games… and the list goes on. The PlayStation Portable is a much more impressive console than we thought. While it has had notable absences (e.g., Resident Evil), there are plenty of reasons to dip your toes into the waters of this platform... but if local PSP prices are extreme, or you can't get one that works properly, the answer lies in emulation… and in PPSSPP.
How to Play the Best PSP Titles with PPSSPP
With more than ten years under its belt, PPSSPP is in a very good position when it comes to support and efficiency. Any relatively modern computer should be able to run PSP games at 60 FPS, but PPSSPP also includes builds compatible with Android for playing on mobile devices. All we did here was download the latest 64-bit portable dev build, and except for a small inconvenience with the system configuration (details below), the games launched perfectly.
Obviously, the story doesn't end there. PPSSPP can use four different graphics backends (D3D9, D3D11, OpenGL, and Vulkan), and render up to ten times the original resolution of the PlayStation Portable. Platform gurus suggest that it makes no sense to go beyond 4x, but nothing stops us from experimenting. Of course, no PlayStation Portable emulator would be complete without support for gamepads, multiplayer, and homebrew. PPSSPP meets all three conditions, though I recommend visiting the dedicated wiki for multiplayer configuration.
As always happens in the world of emulation, PPSSPP is not perfect. In fact, it would be correct to declare it a "work in progress", with new builds focusing on fixing bugs and further optimizing performance. However, there will always be a game with some additional resistance, or an exotic configuration that generates unexpected conflicts. Personally, I can say that I was forced to remove monitor overclocking (?) to fix an audio lag. Once I did that, all its issues disappeared.
In summary, PPSSPP is without a doubt the best PSP emulator available on the market, and a recommended download. The standard version is completely free and has no restrictions, but if you like what you see and want to support its development, for just USD 2.5 you can get the Gold edition. Link below!
Official site and downloads: Click here
