Enjoy PlayStation Portable Games on iPhone with the Latest PPSSPP Mobile Emulator

The age of emulation on iPhones has officially kicked off, thanks to Apple’s relaxed rules on the App Store. Delta is the most known one, allowing for emulating several Nintendo consoles, but we also got Gamma, which can emulate the original PlayStation. Now, we’re getting an official iPhone port of PPSSPP, but this is probably as powerful as we’ll get in terms of emulation.

The popular PlayStation Portable (PSP) emulator, PPSSPP, is now officially available on the iOS App Store . Developed by Henrik Rydgård, the emulator allows people to play their favorite PSP games on their iPhones and iPads. PPSSPP is a name you might be familiar with, as it’s one of the most used multi-platform PSP emulators. This is just an official port of the emulator that will allow iOS users to relive titles such as God of War: Chains of Olympus, Lumines: Puzzle Fusion, Gran Turismo, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

The App Store version comes with a few limitations compared to how things work on other platforms. Notably, Apple’s restrictions on Just-in-Time recompilers mean the emulator might not run as smoothly as it does on comparable hardware on every other platform, since JIT improves game performance. For this specific emulator, Rydgård says most PSP games should run fine on modern iPhones and iPads. Still, taking this into account, it’s probably safe to say that it’ll be hard to see emulators for more powerful consoles, as this seems to be already bordering on what can and can’t be done. It’s the reason why Dolphin, the popular Wii and GameCube emulator, won’t come to iPhones anytime soon .

Some features, like iPad Magic Keyboard support and RetroAchievements, are currently missing but will be re-added in future updates. Vulkan graphics API support is also planned for a later release, possibly with a native Metal backend. Despite the limitations, the release of PPSSPP on the App Store is a significant milestone for both the emulator and iOS gaming. It opens up a vast library of PSP games to iPhone and iPad users, offering a nostalgic trip back to the handheld console’s heyday.

It’s now available on the App Store , so make sure to go check it out. You can also download PPSSPP for other platforms from the project’s official website.

Source: PPSSPP via The Verge

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