Google Engineers Just Hacked The PlayStation Portal To Run Minecreaft And Other Old PSP Games

A group of Google engineers recently made headlines by successfully doing something that was awaited by a lot of PlayStation gamers. Led by Andy Nguyen, the group has managed to hack Sony’s PlayStation Portal handheld device to run a PlayStation Portable (PSP) emulator. This triumph opens up a whole lot of possibilities specially with the added ability to play a variety of PSP games on the Portal, including popular titles like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.

What makes this special achievement even more special is that it was done purely out of his self-interest by Nguyen, who is a Google Senior Information Security Engineer. The project was not affiliated with his work at Google but was instead born out of his nostalgia for the PlayStation Portable and his desire to see the Portal fulfill its potential as a handheld gaming device.

Nguyen’s journey to hack the PlayStation Portal began with his disappointment in Sony’s failure to produce a true handheld gaming console to compete with the likes of Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch.

Motivated by this, Nguyen and his team delved into the Portal’s software, successfully integrating the popular PSP emulator PPSSPP into the device’s operating system. This breakthrough not only allows for the playing of PSP games but also enables the Portal to run Android Package Kit (APK) files, expanding its potential library even further.

The team’s accomplishment was shared on social media, where Nguyen credited his fellow engineer Calle Svenson and an individual known only as “xyz” for their contributions to cracking the Portal’s code. Despite their success, Nguyen made it clear that there are no immediate plans for a public release of the hacked Portal, as there is still work to be done to refine the system.

This project is part of a broader trend of enthusiasts pushing the boundaries of gaming technology by “jailbreaking” various gaming devices, including PlayStation consoles. While hacking devices like the PlayStation Portal can unlock exciting possibilities for gamers it also does raise quite some questions about security and intellectual property rights. Nevertheless, Nguyen and his team’s achievement serves as a testament to the ingenuity and technical skill of hobbyists and engineers in the gaming community.