Earlier this week, TheFlow created yet another PSP resolution hack and this one allows Tomb Raider: Anniversary to run at native resolution (960×544) on the PlayStation Vita. However, he is working on something more sophisticated than game-specific resolution patches with a brand new plugin he mentioned on Twitter!
The current state of PSP native resolution patches on the PSVita
Native resolution PSP games on the PSVita has been something that many have dreamed for but now, TheFlow may be working on a solution!
While resolution hack plugins for PSP games running on the PlayStation Vita have been created for a few popular titles such as GTA LCS/VCS and now, Tomb Raider, the vast majority of PSP games can only render at the usual 480×272 resolution on the Vita. As a result, they don’t look as nice on the PSVita’s larger 5″ screen with a 960×544 resolution as the options available are to either make the game look blurrier (using Advanced AA) or pixelated which could make one look at other options such as PPSSPP on their smartphone or Switch as it allows games to be rendered at higher resolutions.
While there has been a bounty on BountySource since August of last year to get PSP games running at native resolution on the PSVita perhaps by using the PPSSPP renderer, this hasn’t resulted in much despite $1500 being up for grabs although a developer called Michal (‘robots’) was working on it with the last update being in April of this year. While $1500 may sound like a decent sum, it is important to state that getting PSP games running at native resolution on the PSVita requires a huge amount of work and $1500 would be little compensation for the hours that would be spent in order to create such a solution.
TheFlow potentially working on a native resolution hack plugin that many games could benefit from!
TheFlow’s working on a plugin that seems like a more generic native resolution patch that could support many games but hacks like reducing colour depth may be needed for playable performance at 960×544! (Tweet)
Moving over to the latest developments, TheFlow tweeted out that he is working on a rendering-related PSP plugin that many games could benefit from. From the tweet, the aim of this plugin is to patch display lists (graphics commands that define the output generated on screen) and vertices coming from the PSP’s graphics engine which sounds like a generic native resolution hack plugin is in the making!
It is important to state that resolution patches reduce the performance of the games they’re applied to as they’re still being rendered on the PSP’s hardware found inside the PlayStation Vita & PlayStation TV. As a result, some games may be able to be rendered at higher resolutions with the plugin that TheFlow is working on but they may not all be playable. Furthermore, little information has been given on this plugin so there is no saying which state it’s in or whether it’ll ever be finished.
Conclusion
As usual, the best way to keep up with what TheFlow is up to is to simply follow his Twitter account and not ask for ETAs as that could get you banned from seeing his tweets. You may also support TheFlow on Patreon by following the link below but remember, patience is key and only the future will tell us if anything comes out of TheFlow’s work on the aforementioned resolution hack plugin that could work on many games!
TheFlow’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/theflow0
TheFlow’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheOfficialFloW
The post PSVita News: TheFlow working on plugin to potentially get PSP resolution hacks working on more games! – More 960×544 PSP games on the Vita may be possible appeared first on Wololo.net.