Evidence at a glance #
source evidence…
What was done #
A static recompiler that translates PS2 game code into native Windows or Linux executables. It uses a runtime for hardware reimplementation and supports several titles including God of War II and Shadow of the Colossus.
The ps2-native-recomp project translates PlayStation 2 game disc images into native programs for Windows and Linux. The recompiler converts the main-CPU code into C++ once, avoiding traditional emulation for the primary processor. A runtime environment handles the remaining console hardware, including graphics, sound, and vector units, using WebGPU via wgpu-native for rendering. The author reports using Claude Code as an AI coding assistant to write much of the codebase, which is then verified against the ps2autotests suite and manual playtesting. While titles such as God of War II, Gran Turismo 4, and Shadow of the Colossus are documented as functional, the project remains in an early stage. Many games currently fail to boot, crash, or exhibit graphical and audio defects. The author maintains a list of known issues and requests reports from users to guide further development. The project is licensed under MIT and incorporates elements from the ps2-web-recomp project by Samir Nuri. Further details are available at https://raw.githubusercontent.com/exoteric33/ps2-native-recomp/HEAD/README.md.
Reproduce it #
Download the project ZIP, unpack to a folder, and run Start.cmd. Use the app interface to select a disc image, then select Build and Play. For command-line usage, install llvm-mingw, CMake, Ninja, Python 3, and Git, then execute the provided setup and port scripts.
Community #
Ask a question, share what worked, or follow the next milestone.