Custom PS2 handheld runs games on original Sony chips, not emulation
A modder has released a custom PlayStation 2 portable project on GitHub, and this is not another emulator box. The handheld uses real PS2 hardware, but almost everything around it was redesigned.
The project uses six original Sony chips taken from SCPH-7900x or SCPH-9000x PS2 Slim boards. These chips are installed on a custom reverse-engineered mainboard, which replaces the original Sony PCB. The creator says the project started in 2022.
Source: PS2 Portable Project
Games run from SD card
There is no optical drive here. The system boots directly into PS2 homebrew through a custom boot ROM, then loads games through OPL or NHDDL. PS1 games are also supported through DKWDRV. Games are stored on an SD card, mainly through a custom “uSD2PSX” card. This is a mini SD2PSX-style device in an SD-card form factor. The creator says it is the best way to play games on the portable and calls it “pretty much mandatory.”
Source: PS2 Portable Project
The rest of the handheld is also custom. It has a 5-inch 480×800 LCD , FPGA-based digital video processing, USB-C PD charging, two 21700 batteries, custom controls, rumble, speakers and a 3D-printed shell. The system also includes two mini memory card slots, which support mini PS2 memory cards, MX4SIO and uSD2PSX.
This is clearly not a simple build. The creator warns that it requires strong electronics, soldering, troubleshooting and programming skills. Still, the public files make this one of the more complete PS2 portable projects shared so far.
Source: PS2 Portable Project (Github)
