best sega emulator for PSP

Best Sega Emulator for PSP – Sony Playstation Portable 2021 (still great for 2022)

Although emulation has been a surge in popularity lately, it doesn’t mean you can find all kinds of emulators with the same level of ease. More popular platforms are likely…

Although emulation has been a surge in popularity lately, it doesn’t mean you can find all kinds of emulators with the same level of ease.

More popular platforms are likely to have more options available because they are sought after by more people.

Another thing to take into account is the type of device you use. An emulator is basically a piece of software that allows you to run games from another console. Each one has different system support.

For example, a Sega emulator might run on PC, but not on a handheld console. For this reason, compatibility is something to ponder anytime you want to install an emulator.

If one is not made for your device aka the PSP, then you won’t be able to run it whatsoever.

Additionally, opening the restrictions put in place on your device is also important. You can’t randomly add an emulator to your PSP and expect it to work without a problem.

For this system specifically, custom firmware is needed to ease those limitations, so that you can install third-party programs.

What’s the best Sega emulator for PSP?

We’re trying our best to collect all available emulators for the device. Some are names you’ve probably heard of before, but unfortunately, they’re mostly designed primarily for pc, not portable devices.

To find one that works with the PSP can be quite challenging. Here are some that we could find across the internet.

What is The Best Sega Emulators for your Sony PSP?


1. PicoDrive

image credit: emulator.games

PicoDrive is one of the emulators available for the portable console. You can download it to play Sega Genesis games on your PSP.

It has received some updates; the newest one is version 1.51 (update: follow this link to get a more recent version of this emulator.)

There are some improvements in this version, like enhanced performance and other bug fixes.

Anytime a new version is released, it’s better to upgrade right away because newer ones typically offers a number of new additions compared to the previous rollouts.

By the way, in case you want to add this to your gaming system, we have just published an article on how to install a sega emulator for PSP.

That’s it. You should be able to play Sega games on the handheld if the steps are done correctly.

Follow the instructions in a chronological order to ensure that you don’t miss thing as it could be the reason why it didn’t work in the first place.

2. PSPGenesis

image credit: segaretro.org

PSPGenesis is another Sega emulator you can try. This was developed by Sougen, has been around since 2005.

Upon release, it was acknowledged as one of the best available for the PSP. Though you may see PicoDrive as the predominant one today, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.

After all, Sega emulators for this retro system are quite rare. You’re lucky to stumble upon more than one.

PSPGenesis is quite packed with features.

Apart from 6-button emulation, it also provides the user with customizable controls, zip-compressed ROM images, and a user interface that’s skinnable.

As far as performance goes, it does decently. You can take advantage of the frame skipping feature, vertical adjustment, and save slots.

All of these are paramount in giving you an unprecedented gaming experience. The more features an emulator has, the more things you can do it with.

And PSPGenesis proves to be a reliable emulator for the platform it’s intended to be. There are several versions you can find online.

But if you need a recent one, it should be titled 0.18c.

Is this program free to use? Since it’s categorized as freeware, the answer is yes. You can use it at no cost.

3. DGEN for PSP

image credit: exophase.com

It’s exciting to try a new emulator because you want to know if compatibility issues get in the way of installation.

Even for a console as popular as the PlayStation Portable, it can be daunting to find one that actually works. Bear in mind that retro games are released on different systems.

NES games have their own emulators, so does Sega Genesis. You can’t mix them up as it will lead to errors.

This is another you can try for the PSP. And yes, it’s a Sega genesis emulator, which means games from this old system should be loadable on it.

DGEN v1.7 is the newest version, but if you want to dive deeper into earlier releases, then go ahead.

If you have no idea how to get started with the program, the tutorial that comes with it should help.

4. RetroArch

image credit: youtube.com

Though highly regarded as one of the best emulators, it kind of takes the backseat as far as Sega emulation for the PSP is concerned.

That said, there’s an article suggesting its installation on the system, so you might as well try it.

As usual, it should be preceded with custom firmware (PRO-C) installation. Without it, expect to see an error message on the screen.

Also, use the stable version of 1.9.0. The installation of RetroArch is quite hassle-free.

As long as the custom firmware is ready, the subsequent process should be easy.

Get the emulator from a site that hosts it, unzip, and then create RetroArch folder right below the PSP/Game directory.

Copy the archive files to this location ‘PSP/Game/RetroArch.

Find the new program on the memory stick of your PSP. Its name should show up there on the list.

FAQs – Emulator for Playing Sega Games on PSP


1. How do I put emulators on my PSP?

The core of installing a third-party app on a PSP is custom firmware.

If you skip this, it won’t work. Hence, this should be a step that initiates the whole setup process.

Update your handheld to the latest version, and then pair it with a computer using a USB cable.

After that, get the firmware on the ‘PSP/Games’ folder on the memory stick.

Unplug the device and restart, the firmware should be accessible through the PSP menu after booting.

The next critical step is adding an emulator. Choose one that’s compatible with the system.

Since you’re using the PSP, it should have support for the console. And be specific with the system you want to bring to the PSP ecosystem.

If it’s the Sega genesis, pick one from the list above. If it’s another, you can look it up on a third-party site.

The last essential part is adding ROMs or games, which could be subject to copyright protection.

Therefore, it’s at your discretion to acquire them or not. We don’t encourage that practice, just saying.

2. How do I put PicoDrive on my PSP?

We’ve explained it in detail in the PicoDrive section of our installation tutorial. Just click the link to read it.

PicoDrive turns out to be one of the recommended emulators for the PSP. It should be the first that you test out because the success rate is high.

Add it to the fact that Sega emulators for the PSP are hard to come by; it should be on your priority list for sure.

3. Does PSP support RetroArch?

Yes, the broad platform support is one of the reasons why RetroArch is loved by many.

In addition to Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, it can also be added to portable devices with the PSP being one in the lineup.

If you want to know about the installation, we’ve also included it in this review. Go check it out.

4. What consoles can you emulate on PSP?

Well, the question should be, ‘Can you emulate your favorite console on the PSP?’.

It would be a long list if we gotta mention all the systems available for emulation on PSP.

They come from different generations. NES, SNES, GBA, GBC, Sega Genesis, Saturn, Atari, are just some of so many systems supported.

5. What is the best Sega Genesis emulator for PSP?

We think it’s PicoDrive.

It comes out on top on many sites that suggest Sega emulators for the PSP.

It could be a sign that PicoDrive is indeed the most reliable to exist as of now.

What is the best Sega Megadrive emulator for PSP?

The Genesis and Megadrive are actually the same.

Due to trademark issues associated with the name ‘Mega Drive’, Genesis was then selected for the console.

Hence, there’s no need to be confused if an emulator is made for the Sega or Genesis because the terms can be used interchangeably.

Final Thoughts on Playing Retro Games on Modern Devices


That’s our recommendations for the best Sega emulators for PSP. If one doesn’t work, you can move onto another.

There aren’t too many made for the system, so you could try all of them just to find out the differences and features on offer.

One of the major hurdles in choosing an emulator is system support.

Each emulator is supposed to run on specific consoles. Like if it’s for the PSP, it would fail if you try to bring it to a Nintendo console unless the support extends to the platform as well.

Physical emulators can be a solution if you’re stuck with no solution. They look like regular consoles, and are designed to run games from various systems.

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