A solo developer known as Tschicki has created a portable PlayStation 2 handheld called the PS2 Portable. The device uses a custom reverse-engineered motherboard that is not made by Sony. It reuses only six integrated circuits salvaged from original PS2 boards.
Custom motherboard reuses only six original ICs
The handheld is powered by a Trion T20 FPGA for video processing, which handles digital video output with a motion-adaptive deinterlacer, line doubler, and bilinear scaler. An RP2040 microcontroller manages power, charging, and DualShock 2 controller emulation including rumble. The device runs on two 21700 batteries, providing about 4.5 hours of playtime, and charges via USB-C with an undervolting configuration. It features PS Vita-inspired face buttons and Hall-effect analog sticks.
Tschicki has released all design files, including PCBs, FPGA code, 3D files, and firmware, as open-source on GitHub. However, the builder warns that the project is extremely difficult and recommends against attempting to build one, even for experienced hobbyists. The creator stated, "I would highly recommend not building one, even if you know what you are getting yourself into."
The PS2 Portable is notable for being a hardware reverse-engineering project rather than a software emulator. It is not a commercial product and has no announced pricing or availability. Tschicki has not indicated any plans for production beyond the DIY community.
Source: NotebookCheck
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