Create
Make brand-new PS1 games using modern software engineering practices, reusable tools and tests on the console.
Explore the games →
Modern tools for original hardware
What if we never stopped developing for the original PlayStation?
PSoXide brings together games, a Rust SDK, engine, editor and emulator to keep exploring the same console. Build, inspect and test each change, then carry what you learn into the next project.
Actual PS1 homebrew, running in your browser. Try the SDK examples →
Create. Port. Optimize.
Three ways to keep developing for the PlayStation, on hardware that doesn't change. Ports and source rewrites remain subject to the original code and content rights. Licences and permissions.
Port
Bring games to the PlayStation that were never released on it, adapting their code and data to the hardware.
Explore the ports →Optimize
Reimplement existing PS1 games by rewriting their original source for greater efficiency on the same console.
About this direction →Quick answers
All questions →Can I play it in my browser?
Yes. The PSoXide player runs the public demo disc on its itch.io page. It requires no installation or BIOS file.
Do I need a BIOS?
No. PSoXide uses its own kernel to boot discs, written from public documentation and black-box observation. It can't load a BIOS at all.
Which commercial games work?
20 of the 20 games on the compatibility list reach the in-game tier in headless runs, with no BIOS. None has been played through and rated "playable" by a person yet.
How fast is it compared to DuckStation?
The speed and memory comparison against DuckStation, Beetle PSX and PCSX-Redux is being measured again on a current build. The results will be published on the comparison page with how they were measured, whichever emulator comes out ahead.
What licences and permissions apply?
PSoXide’s SDK, engine, editor and emulator are released under GPL-2.0-or-later, with third-party notices where applicable. Games, music, artwork and other assets may have different terms. The emulator does not require or load a Sony BIOS. Check each project’s licence and distribution notes before reusing or sharing it.
Where do I download the games?
On itch.io. The PSoXide Demo Disc puts most of them on one image, and several also have their own download.
What do I need to run it on a real PS1?
A standard, unmodified retail PlayStation cannot directly boot a burned PSoXide disc. You need a modchipped console or another compatible homebrew boot method. PSoXide does not endorse modchipping or provide installation help. Modifying a console can permanently damage or brick it; any modification is at your own risk.
Is it open source?
The SDK, emulator, editor and engine are GPL-2.0-or-later, as are most of the games; the Quake port is GPL-2.0-only. Half-Life is source-only for non-commercial use.
Can I play Half-Life or Quake on it?
Half-Life’s source is public. It requires your own game data and offers no disc-image download. Hollow Knight has no public build. The Quake port is available with the shareware episode's data.
Where are the videos?
Watch Bonnie Studios on YouTube for Half-Life, Hollow Knight, Quake, NitroXide and VoXide running on original hardware, plus the browser emulator introduction.
The toolkit
Built for fast, testable iteration
Write Rust programs with the SDK or build scenes in the editor. Create a disc image, inspect it in the emulator and test it on the console. Command-line workflows and debugging tools make each step repeatable.
Build, run, inspect and test →
SDK
Rust crates for graphics, the GTE geometry coprocessor, sound, FMV, controllers, CDs and memory cards, plus tools that build discs and convert audio.
EBonura/PSoXide
Editor and engine
Build and test scenes with geometry, materials, animation, audio and UI, then export them as a PS1 disc image.
EBonura/PSoXide-editor
Emulator
For playing, debugging and profiling, on desktop and in the browser. Its own kernel boots discs.
EBonura/PSoXide-emulator
Demo disc
A collection of games and examples with a launch menu, available for the console and browser player. Burned discs require a modchipped console or another homebrew boot method.
EBonura/PSoXide-demo-discPSoXide does not endorse modchipping or provide installation help. Console modifications can permanently damage or brick hardware and are at your own risk. Read the hardware warning.
Made with PSoXide
All projects →
Cortex Ignition
A souls-like tech demo for the PS1. Aletha, a light-sword fighter, takes on the custodians of a fog-bound industrial city, with two stances, poise and lock-on.
NitroXide
Car soccer with rocket boosts and two-player split-screen.
VoXide
A Minecraft-style survival sandbox with procedurally generated terrain, loaded in chunks as you explore.
PSXcel
A spreadsheet that boots on a real PlayStation, with formulas, charts, themes and memory-card saves, all on a gamepad.
Coming soon: WipEout, Rebuilt with PSoXide
The 1995 PlayStation original, rebuilt for the same console and enhanced. I'm aiming for 60 frames a second and adding a two-player split screen.
Demade with PSoXide
Games from other platforms, adapted for the PlayStation.
- Quake (shareware episode). Start and E1M1 to E1M8 with the shareware weapons and monsters, BSP collision, moving brushes, layered sky and turbulent water, tested on original hardware.
- Half-Life. Maps, models, sounds, dialogue and music converted from your own copy of Half-Life and packed into a PS1 disc image.
- Hollow Knight. An experimental native port that converts rooms, sprites, text, audio and gameplay data from a local installation.