Programmers got PSP games running on the PlayStation Portal, then “responsibly reported” the exploit so it could be patched

The latest PlayStation Portal update has supposedly addressed an exploit that allowed PlayStation Portable (PSP) games to be emulated natively on the streaming handheld.

This is according to a recent X / Twitter post by Andy Nguyen that was first spotted by VGC. An employee at Google, Nguyen previously claimed that they were part of a small team that was able to get PSP games running offline on the PlayStation 5 peripheral via some hacking and the open-source emulator PPSSPP.

Now, however, Nguyen says that the exploit they used to get the software installed and running has been patched after they “responsibly reported the issues to PlayStation.” This alleged change comes as part of the latest PS Portal software update, version 2.0.6. 

While the official patch notes for version 2.0.6 are extremely vague, simply stating that Sony has “improved system software performance and stability," it does seem plausible that the company would move quickly to remedy any such software faults if it was alerted to their existence.

In case you’re not familiar with the device, the PS Portal is a gaming handheld that is entirely dedicated to game streaming. It features a very limited operating system that cannot run games natively and is pretty much only capable of connecting to a PS5 console remotely out of the box. 

While some were disappointed by these constraints, our PlayStation Portal review praised the device’s excellent ergonomic design which effectively sandwiches an 8-inch LCD display between the two sides of a DualSense Wireless Controller. We also highlighted its excellent performance when combined with a high-speed internet connection, which allows you to seamlessly pick up and play many of the best PS5 games while away from your console. 

Given how well the PS Portal performs at this specific function, we’re not too disappointed that it looks like unofficial emulation won’t be on the cards any time soon. After all, there are plenty of the best handheld games consoles to choose from if you want to play offline games and you can still pick up an original PSP pretty cheaply these days on the second hand market.

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