PlayStation Portal has been hacked to run PSP games offline

A group of Google engineers has figured out how to hack the Sony PlayStation Portal to make it run games locally.

The Portal is a streaming-only device which is designed to let players stream their PS5 console to the handheld via Remote Play so they can be played away from the TV.

As such, the stock version of the hardware offers no options to save physical games, offering streaming functionality and nothing else.

However, Google cloud vulnerability researcher Andy Nguyen has now revealed that he and a small team of other Google engineers have managed to hack the device to play games locally.

Specifically, the team has been able to get the Portal to install the PPSSPP emulator, which runs PSP games, and run it natively without connecting online and streaming anything.

According to Nguyen, the hack was done on a software level, meaning the hardware wasn’t tampered with in any way, and there are no plans to release the hack.

He also notes that the Portal, which reportedly runs via Android, has around 6GB of internal storage – given that it’s designed as a streaming device, this is likely used primarily for the operating system and any future system updates.

VGC’sPlayStation Portal review says the device is “a slick solution for portable players”, but notes that its streaming-only requirements – including the fact that it’s Remote Play only, meaning it doesn’t have access to PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming – mean its usefulness depends on a niche set of circumstances.

“Your mileage will vary,” we wrote, “but if you find yourself with your gaming time interrupted because of a monopolised TV, then the PlayStation Portal could be the reason you burn through your backlog faster than you thought.”