BizHawk's new update just added a PSP core

The multi-system emulator BizHawk has released version 2.11.1, introducing an experimental PlayStation Portable core based on PPSSPP. The update is available now for Windows and Linux users and requires a 64-bit operating system. Older 32-bit systems and macOS are not officially supported by the current EmuHawk frontend.

BizHawk is maintained by TASEmulators and is a unified frontend for over 45 different system cores. It is built specifically for Tool-Assisted Speedruns (TAS). Players use it to create highly optimized playthroughs with frame-by-frame input advance, memory monitoring, and save states. EmuHawk, the graphical user interface, provides a piano roll menu called TAStudio. This lets users compose speedrun movies by adjusting inputs on a granular level.

PPSSPP joins the roster

The biggest addition in this release is the experimental PPSSPP core. Henrik Rydgård (a co-founder of the Dolphin emulator) originally released the standalone PPSSPP emulator in November 2012. It quickly became the standard for playing PSP games on modern hardware because of its speed and high compatibility.

Sony launched the PlayStation Portable in Japan in December 2004 as its first handheld console. It competed directly with the Nintendo DS and used proprietary Universal Media Discs for game storage. The system hosted massive titles like Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, God of War: Chains of Olympus, and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. It was a powerhouse for its time, but emulating it accurately enough for frame-perfect speedruns is a completely different challenge than just getting the games to boot.

Speedrunners can now apply BizHawk's precise input recording tools to the PSP library. Previously, routing a TAS for a PSP game required juggling different tools or relying on less accurate emulation methods.

Ares64 and DOSBox-X get patched

The version 2.11.1 update includes several other core improvements. The Ares64 core now has basic support for the SC64 SD card interface and adds analog keybinds. The developers also fixed a bug where viewing a specific System Bus address in the Hex Editor would cause the entire emulator to hang.

For PC gaming enthusiasts, the DOSBox-X core received sync settings to calibrate absolute mouse positions. It also includes fixes for data and audio CDs. This resolves an annoying issue where CD music would fail to play during DOS gameplay. The DSDA-Doom core was updated with walking camera controls and a new Lua script that combines Automap functionality with advanced logging. This makes routing complex Doom wads much easier for TAS creators.

Some reports claim the interface now has a multitrack recording and editing feature. That is not supported by the official sources, so I am treating it as unverified.

The Genesis Plus GX confusion

There is also some confusion regarding Sega emulation in this release. While the Genesis Plus GX core was updated, the claims about it becoming the default core for Master System, Game Gear, and SG-1000 games are unverified. The same applies to rumors about new paddle controller support fixing loading issues for Master System paddle games. Neither of these changes appear in the official release notes.

BizHawk has been around since its 1.0.0 release in March 2012. By integrating mature cores like PPSSPP, the development team gives competitive speedrunners and casual players a reliable way to interact with classic hardware.