TempGBA-PS2 has received a new implementation that allows running Game Boy Advance games directly on a modified PlayStation 2. The fork, maintained by andymcca, received a series of improvements in September 2026 for audio, loading, storage, and compatibility. Furthermore, between September 25 and 27, the project added support for MMCE and MX4SIO and a paging solution for ROMs up to 32 MiB.
The project is derived from TempGBA, an emulator based on gpSP. However, this version focuses development specifically on PlayStation 2 hardware. The result drew attention outside the repository on September 28, when Retro Dodo published a demonstration of Pokémon Unbound running on the console.
Pokémon Unbound running on a PlayStation 2 with TempGBA-PS2. Image: Retro Dodo.
TempGBA-PS2 expands GBA emulation on PlayStation 2
TempGBA already has a long history in the PS2 homebrew ecosystem. However, the new fork resumes this work and modifies different parts of the code to better take advantage of Sony's console.
Among the recent changes, the developer worked on the audio playback pace. On September 22, for example, a commit started using the audio routine's return value to control upcoming sends. When the IOP buffer becomes full, the program avoids new sends for a few cycles instead of continuing to accumulate data.
The project also fixed loading from the HDD. Before that, an IOP reset could invalidate PFS paths provided by LaunchELF. The current implementation looks up partitions again and restores the required directory, preventing the path error in this scenario.
Additionally, the code reduced very small read operations. Configuration files, cheats, and other information now use larger buffers, decreasing the number of RPC calls between the PS2 processors.
TempGBA-PS2 now supports MMCE and MX4SIO
On September 25, the project added MMCE and MX4SIO to the ROM browser. This way, the user gained more options to store their own game dumps besides USB and HDD.
MMCE allows accessing storage on compatible devices installed in the memory card slot, such as solutions based on the protocol used by SD2PSX and MemCard PRO2. Meanwhile, MX4SIO uses another method to access SD cards through the memory card interface.
TempGBA-PS2 only loads the drivers for these devices when the user opens the respective directory. Thus, initialization continues using the already functional USB path until another storage becomes necessary.
A later commit also updated the SIO2MAN module to PS2SDK version 2.7. The change resolved a situation where an MMCE directory read could prevent the controller from responding normally again.
32 MiB ROMs received a paging system
Another relevant change arrived on September 26. The PlayStation 2 has memory limitations that make it more complicated to fully keep some of the largest available GBA ROMs.
To work around this limitation, TempGBA-PS2 now keeps as much of the ROM in memory as possible and fetches the rest as needed. The system works with 32 KiB pages and keeps the first 2 MiB fixed in memory.
At the same time, the developer removed an unused rewind buffer. This frees up enough memory to keep 16 MiB images resident. Meanwhile, 32 MiB cartridges use the new paging mechanism to access the parts that do not fit simultaneously in the available heap.
Therefore, the change does not physically increase the console's memory. Instead, the emulator manages the data differently to make larger ROMs viable within the PS2's constraints.
PCSX2 also gained a specific path
Recent development separated part of the IOP module initialization to support both original hardware and PCSX2. According to the September 25 commit, the new order allows the PS2 emulator to initialize the program while the real console continues to recognize the device mc0:.
This compatibility facilitates testing during development. However, the main goal of TempGBA-PS2 remains running Game Boy Advance software on the PlayStation 2 itself.
Another adjustment maintains a video width of 704 pixels on real hardware, while the path used in PCSX2 remains at 640. The developer noted that using 704 on PCSX2 cropped part of the image.
Project continues to receive changes
Development remained active until at least September 27. The most recent commit in this sequence cleared compiler warnings and directly called a MIPS implementation used in the old alpha blending path.
This means that TempGBA-PS2 still represents an evolving project. Therefore, compatibility and performance may vary depending on the game, the storage device, and the build used.
The report itself published by Retro Dodo recommends the HDD installed in the PS2 for larger files, since this path can offer more appropriate loading than USB. The publication showed Pokémon Unbound running on the console, but this isolated example does not represent a compatibility guarantee for the entire Game Boy Advance library.
It is also worth distinguishing the project from solutions that simply run a PS2 emulator on a computer. In this case, TempGBA-PS2 is a Game Boy Advance emulator compiled for the PlayStation 2. Thus, Sony's own console acts as the host machine for the GBA software.
Sources: official TempGBA-PS2 repository on GitHub; MMCE/MX4SIO support commit; large ROM pagination commit; Retro Dodo.
