PS5SX2

What is PS5SX2?

PS5SX2 is a port of PCSX2 to the PS5. It runs as a native app on a jailbroken console:

PCSX2's recompilers run straight on the PS5's CPU. Its Vulkan renderer draws through a native Vulkan driver for the PS5's GPU. You pick a game from a cover-flow shelf and play it upscaled on a 4K TV. You change its settings from your phone while you play.

A passion project

PS5SX2 is a passion project. It started as a "can this even work?" experiment, done in spare time out of love for the PS2's library and the fun of seeing those games on new hardware. There's no company or schedule behind it, and nothing is for sale.

Expect rough edges. Bug reports with logs are very welcome, and so is patience. Highlights

Native, not streamed. The emulator, its recompilers and its renderer all run on the console itself. Up to 6x native resolution. PCSX2's hardware renderer runs on Vulkan with 4K output, and FSR is one of the display filters. A shelf for your games. A 3D cover flow of your library. Covers download automatically the first time you start it. Settings from your phone. The shelf shows a QR code: scan it and a settings page opens on your phone. Change the resolution, aspect ratio, filters, patches and more, for all games or one game. Most changes apply while you play. Widescreen and 60 FPS patches. Put PCSX2 patch files (.pnach) in /data/PCSX2/patches/ and switch them on per game from the settings page. Online play. PCSX2's emulated network adapter goes out through the PS5's own connection. SOCOM II has played online matches on PS Rewired's revival servers. Recommended settings for the games played during development, one tap away on the settings page. Logs that survive. The last sessions' boot, emulator and settings logs stay on the console, so a problem can be tracked down afterwards.

What you need

A jailbroken PS5. Development happens on a PS5 Pro on firmware 11.40. Testers have also run it on other PS5 models, including a Slim, on firmware 6.02 to 12.70. Tested consoles has the list. The PS5SX2 Helper payload, from the releases, loaded together with kstuff. It's based on OnionHEN. It jailbreaks PS5SX2 when it starts, which the emulator's recompilers need, and gives the app access to /data. ShadowMountPlus, loaded at every boot like kstuff. It mounts PS5SX2 from /data/homebrew/PPSA99203/ and puts it on the home screen. Your own PS2 BIOS, dumped from your own console. Your own games, as .iso files.

No BIOS, games or keys come with PS5SX2.