It’s rather humorous, if not ironic, that as much as Sony complained about PSP users running emulators on unlocked handhelds, a PSP emulator was found within one of their own PS4 re-releases. The latest culprit is PaRappa the Rapper Remastered, which was pretty much a direct port to the PS4 instead of a true remastered version. GBATemp user KiiWii discovered that this PS4 re-release uses a PSP emulator to run the 2007 PSP version of the game instead of using brand new code specifically written for the PS4.
This isn’t to say that the PS4 remaster doesn’t have any new code. It does include a 4K texture pack with completely redrawn art to enhance its appearance for HD and 4K TVs. However, it isn’t difficult for emulator gamers to access the PSP emulator and thus share it.
Even more interestingly, hackers are taking this PSP emulator and using it to emulate other PSP games on their PS4. In KiiWii’s original GBATemp thread with this discovery, many commenters have pointed out that several PSP games won’t work on this PSP emulator. KiiWii theorized that the PaRappa emulator has a built-in file size limit of 880 MB, which would bar many PSP games.
This discovery has prompted many PS4 hackers to find the Japan-only Loco Roco 2 Remastered to see if they can learn anything else about the PSP emulator. Another hacker posted the configuration file code on Pastebin and promised on Twitter that a PSP package for unlocked PS4s is coming soon.
Perhaps Sony is indeed its own worst enemy, or perhaps they are okay with users finding new ways to continue to enjoy their PSP games on current consoles. I somehow think it’s the former, not the latter.
[Sources: Ars Technica, GBATemp, Pastebin, Twitter]
