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A GitHub project translates PSP game code into C++ and WebAssembly, then runs it in a browser with a lightweight reimplementation of the console’s operating system and graphics hardware. Its author reports that God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta run in Chrome and Firefox, but users must supply their own game data and some features, including movie playback, are not yet supported.
A developer has published a WebAssembly project that runs PSP games in a browser, demonstrating it with God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Instead of running the games in a conventional emulator, the project translates their machine code ahead of time and recreates selected PSP systems in software, with graphics rendered through WebGL2.
The project’s GitHub report says Chains of Olympus runs from startup through menus, cutscenes and combat, with music, dialogue and sound effects. The developer reports 60 frames per second in measured scenes in Chrome and Firefox on a laptop, at resolutions up to four times the PSP’s native 480-by-272 resolution. The report also describes phone support with touch controls. Movie playback is skipped at this stage.
Ghost of Sparta was brought up through the same scripts, according to the report. It required support for a DRM-protected file, several system calls and a lighting correction. The developer says it runs at 55 to 60 frames per second at three times native resolution, without additional performance work. These figures are project-reported results, not independent compatibility or performance testing.
Players must provide their own game data: the repository does not include game files. Its scripts turn a user-provided disc image into a web page on the user’s machine. The project streams disc data through HTTP range requests, so it downloads only the executable up front, according to its technical description.
A Different Route to Browser Play
The project shows how ahead-of-time recompilation can bring software written for older hardware to modern browsers without asking users to run a full console emulator. It does not simply convert the game into a web-native program: translated game code still relies on a software model of the PSP’s operating system, including memory, file access, controller input, audio and other services.
Its performance report also points to the work behind making such a port usable. The author says the first playable build ran at 6 frames per second, and that profiling and changes to frame timing, graphics buffers and thread scheduling produced much of the improvement. The demonstration is a technical project, not an official Sony release, and it does not establish that every PSP game will work through the same approach.
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How the PSP Code Reaches WebGL
The project uses PSPRecomp to analyze a game’s decrypted executable, identify functions and translate them into C++ files. That code is compiled to WebAssembly and runs against a model of the PSP’s registers and memory. A small compatibility layer answers requests that games make to the PSP operating system.
Graphics take a separate path: the software decodes the PSP graphics chip’s display lists and sends geometry and render state to WebGL2. A worker thread handles graphics using OffscreenCanvas, while the game prepares subsequent work. Audio is handled by a reimplementation of the PSP’s sound effects system and an FFmpeg decoder for music and speech, with the mix sent to a browser audio worklet, according to the project documentation.
The report describes browser-specific issues that shaped the implementation. For example, the developer says a shared graphics index buffer performed poorly in Firefox, while a different buffer strategy caused stalls on phones. Those findings explain why results can depend on the browser and device, even when the underlying game code is the same.
“The first playable build ran at 6 frames per second.”
— Project author, in the GitHub report
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Compatibility and Testing Still Open
The reported frame rates come from the project author; the supplied material does not include independent tests, a list of tested devices or details about performance across different browser versions. It is also unclear how well the approach will generalize beyond the two demonstrated games, or which other PSP titles may require game-specific fixes.
Movies are currently skipped, and the report does not provide a full compatibility checklist. The project requires users to supply game data, and the provided account does not spell out the legal rules that may apply to making or using disc images in different places. Users should consult applicable law and the project’s own instructions rather than assume that the demonstration includes or licenses game content.
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Further Games and Browser Tests
The project’s next practical test is whether other PSP games can be brought up with the same recompilation scripts and system layer, or whether they require additional compatibility work. Ghost of Sparta’s port followed the same general route as Chains of Olympus but needed targeted fixes, indicating that reuse is possible while game-specific issues remain.
The developer has not announced a release schedule for expanded compatibility or movie playback in the supplied report. Readers can check the GitHub repository for code changes, instructions and any later performance or game-support updates. Independent testing on more devices and browsers would help clarify how closely other users’ results match the reported demonstrations.
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Key Questions
Is this a conventional PSP emulator?
Not in the usual sense described by the project. It translates game machine code ahead of time into C++, compiles that code to WebAssembly, and supplies a software implementation of selected PSP systems.
Which God of War PSP games are demonstrated?
The report names God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. The author reports different performance figures for each game.
Does the project include the games?
No. The GitHub report says no game data is included. Users provide their own disc image, and the project’s scripts prepare it for browser execution.
Can the games run on phones?
The developer’s report says the project supports phones with on-screen touch controls. It does not provide a broad device-by-device performance survey, so results may vary.
What does not work yet?
The report says movie playback is skipped. It does not give a complete list of unsupported features or establish compatibility with PSP games beyond the two named titles.
Source: hn
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