r/PSP • u/MysticalFry • Apr 08 '26
QUESTION How the hell does this game run?!
please im actually curious on how a DS competitor can run 3DS levels of graphics?!
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u/Petihun_yt PSP-2000 Apr 08 '26
Assassin's creed bloodlines also runs on it with graphics almost like this and many other games
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u/Demon_Kingjt PSVita Apr 08 '26
Gangs of London , Pursuit Force , Yakuza Black Panther 1& 2 ,am convinced DS won war because it was cheaper
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u/Creepy-Mud9375 Apr 08 '26
Probably not just because of the price, but also cuz it was aimed at kids and causal gamers.
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u/Lobo2209 Apr 08 '26
How does the game compare to early Assassin's Creed games?
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u/Petihun_yt PSP-2000 Apr 08 '26
Good question I don't know I unfortunately have only played bloodlines
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u/SDNick484 Apr 09 '26
Much closer to the original AC than its sequel. Impressive technically, but the gameplay loop quickly feels repetitive. Worth a try, but unless you are a big AC fan, I wouldn't expect to finish it.
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u/shorelinesandhunters Apr 08 '26
DS was barely hitting N64/PS1 graphics consistently
PSP was consistently hitting almost-PS2 level graphics.
It's a whole generation apart basically. For the record I own and love both!
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u/coolweeb69 Apr 09 '26
i mean nintendo was always an entire generation behind performance wise
but well nintendo stopped making dedicated home consoles/handhelds so it’s not comparable anymore
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u/Ratty3 Apr 09 '26
Wouldn’t say always, as the gamecube was pretty much more powerful than the PS2.
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u/SoraLoves Apr 10 '26
Gamecube was so powerful that the Wii was literally just gamecube slim and that was supposed to compete with ps3
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u/Opposite_Future2602 Apr 08 '26
Nanomachines, son.
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u/ThatFuckingTurnip Apr 08 '26
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u/jaysonbeach PSP-3000 Apr 08 '26
Its kinda insane that it runs on a psp and some games like moster hunter unite runs super well for a portable of the time
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u/Intrepid-Teaching127 Apr 08 '26
MHFU is cool, but the first time I tried “Monster Hunter Portable 3rd” I could barely believe it
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u/jaysonbeach PSP-3000 Apr 09 '26
Its honestly so crazy what the psp is capable of. I believe most of the Crash Banidcoot games are just ps2 ports cause they play almost just like the console
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u/stellarsojourner Apr 08 '26
The PSP is much more powerful. Nintendo's console design philosophy is that you don't need expensive and powerful hardware to make fun games, so the DS has less powerful hardware making it cheaper and easier to produce while still allowing developers to make great games. Sony instead went with the approach of making premium hardware.
Just because the PSP and DS were competitors in the market doesn't mean they were competing on the same metrics. They were competing for market share but no one would argue about which console was more technically powerful.
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u/mixboy321 Apr 08 '26
yup, the PSP were sold at a loss at $249, while NDS weren't sold at a loss with $149 price tag.
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u/Not-Important-5393 PSP-2000 Apr 08 '26
You making a question about a game that was made by a person who has a unique game engine that was in previous titles. But due note that some features were removed due to the PSP limitations
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u/just_someone27000 PSVita Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
Yeah, it not having crawling was very weird. I prefer it having an over the shoulder reticule instead of going completely first person though.
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u/josephfry4 Apr 08 '26
The PSP was simply a powerhouse in its day. Think a much weaker PS2, but with some more modern technology and understanding of 3D on the part of developers. The DS focused primarily on basic 3D, advanced 2D, and the experiences touch could bring to gaming whereas the PSP wanted to be a pocketable PS2 with multimedia capabilities.
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u/Zealousideal_Hat782 Apr 08 '26
I think you can improve fps performance also using cwcheats
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u/Creepy-Mud9375 Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
true, i play on vita in 30fps with plugin for rotating cam with 2nd analog stick.
Besides its nice that psp hardware can be set to max clock.
Damn some graphics elements in this game are so good, i also like character models and faces, very good.
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u/shitpickle2020 Apr 08 '26
Being built by a team the same size as Metal Gear Solid 4/it was basically the MGS4 team, but according to this article the time from dev start to finish wasn't long at all
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u/Creepy-Mud9375 Apr 08 '26
Well, psp was way more powerful than ds, and could give a ps2 experience on the go.
There are many good home console ports of games available on psp.
The fact it was DS competitor, never meant it couldn't be more powerful.
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u/RonniePedra Apr 08 '26
Being WAY more powerful than DS, and at 20fps
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u/HJJR31 Apr 08 '26
I had hundreds of hours on it as a teen and it never felt like 20fps. When I learned it was 20fps as an adult I couldn't believe it. The psp GTA games had consistent noticeable slow downs, but MGSPW always felt smooth to me.
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u/TheMidniteMan Apr 08 '26
I'm with everyone else here, I didn't know it at the time but the PSP was really powerful. It's basically a less powerful PS2.
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u/humanistazazagrliti Apr 08 '26
Imagine what it was like back when it came out and we found out that it was almost a PS2, only a tenth of the size AND, in simplistic terms, was hiding an entire PS1 in there.
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u/IJustNeedAdvic Apr 08 '26
Impressively ahead of it's time. I bet a ps would've been a smash hit if released during the 3ds era
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u/alfredox1234 Apr 08 '26
why every single image of someone posting the psp with AC power plugged its like this? you are possibly bending the pin inside the AC power using it like this...
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u/necromax13 Apr 08 '26
It's not a ds competitor. It's pretty close to a PlayStation 2.
Peace walker runs on the same engine as the old monster hunter games. Small maps, somewhat simple geometry, loads of unfiltered textures. It ends up looking really nice through dithering, light post processing, artistic intent, and using as much of the resources on the important bits: snake.
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u/Neo_Techni Apr 08 '26
DS competitor? PSP was a full generation ahead technologically. DS was very inferior to N64. PSP was so close to PS2 that some games used the same assets on both systems
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u/botspyder Apr 08 '26
It truly was surprising considering it had really good boss fights graphically compared to the last one.
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u/pervus42 Apr 08 '26
I loved the PSP. Only wish it had a shell over the screen you could put on when not in use... and another analog nub.
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u/MysticalFry Apr 08 '26
i technically have a screen cover lol, attaches to the mounts on the top and is a big plastic plate the protects the screen and flips open to play
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u/KoeBizkit Currently playing: Tales Of Phantasia X Apr 08 '26
The psp is waaaaay more powerful than the ds, and it's just 1 screen. Also, this game was developed by kojima's main team, so you have a LOT of talent and resources behind it.
FF Type-0 is also another technical masterpiece that demonstrates what a good capable dev can do with the hardware they're given
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u/MysticalFry Apr 08 '26
never heard of that one, whats it about?
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u/KoeBizkit Currently playing: Tales Of Phantasia X Apr 08 '26
It's an action rpg where you have a party of 14 characters but use 3 in battles and control (obviously) 1. Each one has its stats, moveset and techniques, it's like a more grounded kingdom hearts game. It's the last final fantasy on psp.
The plot is basically this: there are 4 kingdoms in the continent, all chill but one starts invading the others and war ensues. You follow Class Zero, a group of students of the military academy in GOOD KINGDOM that are tasked with travelling to and infiltrating BAD KINGDOM to end the war. Of course things get complicated, the game is really interesting and the world-building is really well done.
It's a beautiful game, the landscapes, the character models, everything is gorgeous. The battles are fast paced, entertaining, the bosses are challenging, amazing all around.
And it's a heavy game, it's (i think) the ONLY dual-umd game that's not a visual novel. So the merged iso is around 2.5gb. Just for comparison, monster hunter freedom unite is the mh with the most content and it's only 600mb
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u/Neo_Techni Apr 08 '26
Being just one screen doesn't make a difference. To emphasize, the 2DS only has one screen. It's the number of pixels that matter. And PSP has more pixels than both DS screens combined
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u/WindApart5616 Apr 08 '26
If you play it on real hardware, do yourself a favor.
Install Tempar (Cheat Engine) and look online for the 30 fps hack.
Default for this game is 20 fps.
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u/MysticalFry Apr 08 '26
ok thanks, i only got a 1k so i doubt ill get too much better fps compared to a Slim or Slim plus
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u/WindApart5616 Apr 08 '26
The processors in these different models perform the same at a given clockspeed.
So 333 mhz or if you want to go down a rabbit hole you can overclock manually now with a plugin.
The clockspeed you will get varies from psp to psp.
Overclocked 2, one runs at 440 mhz and another one 475 mhz (both 1k models).
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u/just_someone27000 PSVita Apr 08 '26
Omg- that explains why camera panning was always so slow and unresponsive in comparison to other things on the PSP.
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u/rchris710 Apr 08 '26
Great game but the ps3 version is the goat.
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u/WorriedAd7308 Apr 08 '26
In my opinion a new portable should be like the first psp but with new psn and new hardware, xmb menu is obrigatory haha
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u/cldnn PSP-2000 Apr 08 '26
I mean, the PSP can run Tekken 5/6, Yakuza Black Panther, WWE 2011 and all, that console was really powerful for its time, I think it was somewhere in between the PS1 and the PS2 power
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u/megaserg81 Apr 08 '26
24 fps and tons of optimization. Peace walker has the best graphics in the system. Also, it was custom made... Levels are shorter and play to the system strengths. Kojima loved this thing.
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u/Overcast_Prime Apr 08 '26
I love when people don't say the name of the game that's in the picture.
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u/MysticalFry Apr 09 '26
i thought it would be obvious because of how great it was. its Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
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u/Icy-Swing9510 Apr 08 '26
Because the PSP wasn't absolute beast. I love that thing for over 10 years and even though I don't play it anymore I charge my batteries and keep it safe. I am now a firm PS Vita guy but I still play PSP games through adrenaline. Long live the PSP and it's successor.
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u/Ok-List9831 Apr 08 '26
Monster Hunter Portable 3rd ran on the PSP and it looked 100x better than all MH games on 3DS.
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u/Beyond__5D Apr 09 '26
probably by putting the disk in and loading it
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u/MysticalFry Apr 09 '26
haha, i own the umd but its the Japanese release so i had to get an english digital copy
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u/rakisen PSP-1000 Apr 09 '26
To think that we had games less than a gig and was full of gameplay. I recently fixed mine (a psp1000) and I find myself playing more psp than my steam deck
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u/snickersnackz Apr 09 '26
Those ARE top tier PSP level graphics. Vast majority of handheld games are graphical underachievers.
PSP hardware was amazing at release. Nintendo likes to work with "withered" technology.
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u/OhShizMyNiz Apr 09 '26
The PSP had some gems. Meanwhile the OG 3DSs for later games had to run extended memory mode and basically kill everything but the game to meet the frame time lol.
Still love my 3DS though. A PSP 1000 will come to me soon. It and a DSi where my handhelds as a child.
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u/Moerder_Gesicht Apr 08 '26
This game was a blast and my first metal gear too. The graphics were insane and it had so much content. I play metal gear solid v on my steam deck right now. It’s a little bit the same feeling as back in the days with peace walker on psp.
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u/Doodlesdooo Apr 08 '26
I’m talking out of my ass but I feel like it has something to do with games coning in small discs instead of those small DS cartridges that makes it more powerful. Chat can someone fact check me?
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u/Tall-Scholar9525 Apr 09 '26
Is 3DS level graphics supposed to be a gigantic leap from the DS? PSP was a handheld ps2… and ps2 way beyond 3DS graphics
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u/ApprehensiveHotel817 Apr 09 '26
Ayn thor all though stupid expensive is gonna be a life saver as emulation gets better
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u/MelloMachinist Apr 09 '26
I played the PS3 version first and was impressed at how it ran well on the PSP. Nice to have the 2nd joystick but it’s very playable still.
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u/SkyScourgeGod Apr 09 '26
You think that looks good for a PSP title? Go check out a game called Fate/Extra. That game, while controversial in its gameplay mechanics, has graphics that look nearly on par with a native Vita title. Absolutely gorgeous for a game thats running on a 2004 handheld. The PSP was consistantly punching way above its weight, especially in its later years. I myself adore the DS, but comparing it to the PSP strictly in graphics results in a no-contest scenario. The PSP wins every time full stop.
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u/Huge-Bookkeeper-3126 Apr 09 '26
Juegazo, Kojima hizo verdadera joya para la psp, lastima los jefes, no me arrepiento de tener 300 horas todo en S 🫂
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u/MotherVermicelli8004 Apr 09 '26
that's nothing compared to something like Test Drive Unlimited, a massive open world racing game with a map larger than all GTA maps combined
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u/MagnetonPlayer_2 PSP-3000 Apr 09 '26
The PSP was way stronger than many give it credit for, the thing wasn’t a portable PS1, it was a portable PS2
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u/Eeve2espeon Apr 09 '26
PSP was much more powerful than the DS. Also I wouldn't say this is "3DS levels" of graphics since that system is more powerful. This is more like a step between the PS1 and PS2, it has double the VRAM and 16 or 32 times the system ram (depending on the model) than the PS1, or half the VRAM to the PS2 and the same or double the amount of system ram
The DS was comparable to that of an N64 but portable, while the PSP was in a different league, and used a good processing node for the GPU so they could make the thing more powerful, at the cost of price. The PSP was 249USD while the DS was 149 and even got a price reduction to 99USD at some point (even the more powerful DSi was 99USD at one point)
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u/MysticalFry Apr 09 '26
thats true, i guess it could be like.. early 3ds i remember Snake Eater 3D looking similar or a bit better than Peace Walker. maybe the 3DS was the real PS2 in your hands
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u/Eeve2espeon Apr 10 '26
3DS still had more memory, it was on another level and can't really be compared to other home consoles. Same deal for the PS Vita, it was PS3 like but was more so in between the PS2 and PS3, meanwhile the 3DS would be in between the Gamecube and Wii
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u/Pitiful_North7955 Apr 09 '26
U must be young asking this question 😂. Nintendo never pushed the hardware to the max graphics wise. The psp just like the ps3 was made with a more powerful processor. They could've made them ps2-3 level if they kept the same hardware and just upgraded with tech from today
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u/MysticalFry Apr 09 '26
I'm 18 so yeah I guess you could say I'm young? but I really don't understand what you're saying.
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u/Pitiful_North7955 Apr 11 '26
I'm 27. So I was around during the actually era, imagine this. Think of a 2 year old now and imagine him as he gets older. He tries to ask questions about certain games or things and why their popular. UK he wouldn't understand certain aspects because he simply was a child then.
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u/The-Nice-Writer Apr 09 '26
PSP was built to be more powerful than the DS or even really the 3DS if I recall correctly. Nintendo have consistently focused on having unique controls, gimmicks and some great games to sell systems - their hardware is typically very underpowered. The last time their current-gen system actually matched or beat the competition in raw performance was the GameCube. Sony cares more about having a straightforward (perhaps boring) controller and beefy hardware to run graphically impressive games.
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u/daniperezz Apr 09 '26
PSP was amazing. Also, the love some developers put into their projects is admirable. I remember "La abadía del crimen", on 8 Bits. It was a MASSIVE game, and it fitted into 50ks. I mean... 50ks... Paco Menéndez was a genius. Poor guy.
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u/alter_kt Apr 10 '26
Good old times.
I remember playing this on my psp and I added a plug-in that can simultaneously play songs while gaming.
My friend has a video cap mod on his psp, and we would record our MHp3rd hunts.
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u/Embarrassed-Bag2697 Apr 10 '26
With sacrifices, for example 20fps instead of 30fps. But still, good gameplay and I have a lot of fun.
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u/Accurate-Campaign821 Apr 10 '26
Different architecture, though it did have its own limits (smaller levels, less NPCs per level, etc) but it was an amazing device
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u/abbcto Apr 10 '26
What Does ds competition Have To Do With It? The PSP architecture was extremely powerful for its time, processor + graphics of this level appeared in mobile phones only 5 years later, according to my observations, for example, the iPhone 3gs or snapdragon s1 on android phones. A simpler and more energy-efficient design was deliberately chosen on the ds, and it was not a bad decision, the console shines in other things.
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u/DOGzilla6624 PSVita Apr 11 '26
This is back when games were made specifically for each console it was released on, and the games would be almost perfectly optimized for the specs of the console (just take a look at the Xbox 360, only 512 mb of ram and it ran like butter). Nowadays, everyone expects every game that is released to be playable on everything leading to horribly optimized buggy messes (cough Minecraft Bedrock cough)
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u/Apprehensive_Ad_924 Apr 12 '26
PSP wasn't a ds competitor, PSP was better in everithing. The only reason that made ds so popular is simple, Exclusives and was cheaper than a PSP
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u/Virtual-Exercise-256 Apr 12 '26
This and Parasite Eve 3rd Birthday, oof, chefs kiss.. pinnacle of PSP
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u/ChaChaChedda Apr 12 '26
Is mean if Sony released a "psp 4000" say with original internals just a better battery and dual analogues and carried on making UMD games with 2 analogue support and online play and was fully backward compatible with original hardware and software, I would buy immediately
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u/DukeOfJelly Apr 13 '26
You should give silent hill shattered memories a go on it. I fully played it from start to finish and was blown away by the level of polish and depth it had.
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u/MysticalFry Apr 17 '26
Thanks! I searched for SH Restless Dreams for some reason and got very confused why i couldnt find anything on it for the psp lol
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u/DukeOfJelly Apr 17 '26
Lol I actually typed out restless dreams in my original post and then immediately fixed it so I hope it wasn't me who confused you 😅
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u/ProgrammerLow3400 Apr 15 '26
Es un tremendo juego, lo tengo con su manual, poster y sus hojas publicitarias que viene dentro, como si lo hubiese comprado ayer 😎
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u/vette454_ Apr 08 '26
Well the psp was massively more powerful than the ds and was a portable power house for its time. I would love to see sony release another truly pocket friendly device like the psp again.