PlayStation 2 PC porting is in development… and it will be glorious. Software developer ran-j (Ranieri) announced on their GitHub that PlayStation 2 Recompilation is in development. Dubbed “PS2Recomp“, this project seeks to take PlayStation 2 code and recompile it to function in a C++ environment, making way for PS2 titles to be ported to Windows, Linux, and maybe even Android. While PS2Recomp is in very early stages of development, with no playable games, the project is open source, and you can make a build of it to experiment with from the official GitHub.
This comes in the advent of multiple ongoing Recompilation and Decompilation projects, but is largely inspired by the N64Recomp project that uses a similar means to effectively port N64 titles like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Then we have also seen a plethora of decompilation projects via Harbour Masters such as Mario 64, Starfox 64, Ship of Harkinian, and many more.
Decompilation projects essentially convert a ROM’s code into something that is readable in an easier-to-work-with code base (Like C++) than can in turn be read by a piece of software and played. A static Recompilation uses a tool to convert and read code from a ROM file on the fly, providing a closer to console-like treatment of the ROM file. Both methods get the job done, but Recomps open the door for entire libraries while Decomps are mostly game per game basis. Recomps also seem to generally take longer to develop, hence why we see more Decomps, but that’s just speculation on my part.
PS2 emulation is fairly well developed and accessible on just about every platform, but it comes with caveats such as relatively high power demands, graphical bugs, and input lag, amongst other disadvantages. Native PC ports pave the way for full control over the titles, mods, arbitrary framerates, and more!
While this project is currently developing for PC only, and we are probably a long way off in terms of anything being playable, this is a very significant step for our retro gaming community. Please follow our site for updates as we monitor this project closely.
What did you think of this article? Let us know in the comments below, and chat with us in our Discord!
This page may contain affiliate links, by purchasing something through a link, Retro Handhelds may earn a small commission on the sale at no additional cost to you.