Guide: Minecraft on the RG351P

Last updated: 04AUG2022 (see Changelog for details)

I’ve had a couple people ask me about playing Minecraft on the RG351P, and honestly, until the other day, I didn’t think it was possible. But then a reader pointed out the fact that there is a homebrew version of Minecraft created specifically for the PSP (a 10-year undertaking, nonetheless!), and since PSP games work on the RG351P, I set out to get the game working on this device. As luck would have it, I was successful.

Bear in mind that this is a pared-down version of Minecraft, and it plays like the classic version of this game. I find this fitting for a console focused on retro games, and I bring it up only to temper your expectations. This game does support ad-hoc wireless multiplayer gameplay, but I haven’t been able to test it. Let’s check it out.

Table of Contents:
First things first
Standalone PPSSPP versus PPSSPP-libretro core
Installation instructions
Controls

Changelog

First things first

To get Minecraft running on the RG351P, we’re going to use Minecraft PSP Edition. This unofficial game started as a homebrew version of Minecraft called LAMECRAFT back in 2011, but was later forked into Minecraft PSP, and has changed hands several times over the past ten years.

In terms of its legal use, I had a hard time pinpointing anything concrete. It appears that this game was created from scratch as homebrew, but has been modified over the years to look similar to the actual Minecraft. Its source code is available and distributed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 on GitHub, which leads me to think that this software is open source and there is no copyright infringement. Looked at from another angle, a more robust version of Minecraft Classic is freely available directly from its creator, so I don’t think this pared down version of Minecraft is creating any market harm.

You won’t need any specialized equipment to run this install, just an SD card reader, and an OTG adapter and WiFi dongle if you’re on the stock firmware. You can grab all of this in my Buyer’s Guide.

Standalone PPSSPP versus PPSSPP-libretro core

In general, the best PSP emulator for the RG351P is the standalone PPSSPP emulator. It typically runs faster than the PPSSPP-libretro (RetroArch) core for most games, and has better settings and tweaks. Unfortunately, the standalone PPSSPP freezes up when you try and launch the in-game world for Minecraft PSP Edition, so we’ll be using the PPSSPP-libretro core instead.

Installation instructions

Since there are three major operating systems for the RG351P, I’ll provide instructions to each OS below. Please note that in reality, Minecraft PSP Edition can run on any device that uses the PPSSPP-libretro core in RetroArch. You could actually play this on your PC (not sure why, but you *could*). What this means is that you could also play this game on other RK3326 chipset devices that runs EmuELEC, like the OGA, RK2020, RGB10, RGB20, and so on.

Stock firmware (modified EmuELEC):

Insert your microSD card into your PC or Mac. Open the GAMES partition, and navigate to the ports folder. Inside, create a folder named “minecraft”. Inside that folder, place the contents of the Minecraft 2.0.01 file (unzipped, with folders named Assets, Config, Converter, and so on). You’ve now installed the game!

To boot the game from RetroArch, you will need to open RetroArch (press START to get to the main settings, then select Quit > Start RetroArch). Next, go to “Load Content”, then /media > GAMES > ports > minecraft > EBOOT.PBP, then select the PPSSPP core. The game should boot right up.

To make things easier, you can add this game to your list of games in the Ports section of EmuELEC, but it will require you to be WiFi capable (i.e. you will need an OTG adapter and WiFi dongle). If you want to launch the game from your main EmuELEC menu, you will create an .sh file that will boot the game. First, you will need to connect to your device via WiFi FTP (read my guide here). Once connected, navigate to storage/.config/emuelec/ports. Create a file named Minecraft.sh, then open it with a text editor. Inside this file, paste the following code, then save your file:

!/bin/bash

/emuelec/scripts/emuelecRunEmu.sh "/storage/roms/ports/minecraft/EBOOT.PBP" -Pports "${2}" -Cppsspp "-SC${0}"

Refresh your game list and you should now see it in the PORTS section within EmuELEC.

351ELEC:

Insert your microSD card into your PC or Mac. Open the GAMES partition, and navigate to the ports folder. Inside, create a folder named “minecraft”. Inside that folder, place the contents of the Minecraft 2.0.01 file (unzipped, with folders named Assets, Config, Converter, and so on). You’ve now installed the game!

Now let’s add the game to your “PORTS” section within the 351ELEC main menu, for easy navigation. Still on your SD card, create a file named “Minecraft.sh” in the GAMES/ports/ folder (hint, the easiest thing to do is just duplicate any other .sh file that is already in that folder). Open that file with a text editor, and paste in the following code, then save your file:

#!/bin/bash

# Source predefined functions and variables
. /etc/profile

/usr/bin/runemu.sh "/storage/roms/ports/minecraft/EBOOT.PBP" -Pports "${2}" -Cppsspp "-SC${0}" &>>/tmp/logs/exec.log

ret_error=$?

exit $ret_error

Refresh your game list and you should now see it in the PORTS section within 351ELEC. Make sure that PORTS are displayed by going to Main Menu > Game Collection Settings > Systems Displayed.

ArkOS:

Insert your microSD card into your PC or Mac. Open the GAMES partition, and navigate to the ports folder. Inside, create a folder named “minecraft”. Inside that folder, place the contents of the Minecraft 2.0.01 file (unzipped, with folders named Assets, Config, Converter, and so on). You’ve now installed the game!

Now let’s add the game to your “PORTS” section within the ArkOS main menu, for easy navigation. Still on your SD card, create a file named “Minecraft.sh” in the GAMES/ports/ folder (hint, the easiest thing to do is just duplicate any other .sh file that is already in that folder). Open that file with a text editor, and paste in the following code, then save your file:

/usr/local/bin/retroarch -L /home/ark/.config/retroarch/cores/ppsspp_libretro.so /roms/ports/minecraft/EBOOT.PBP

Refresh your game list and you should now see it in the PORTS section within ArkOS. If you don’t see the PORTS section, make sure that PORTS are displayed by going to Main Menu > Game Collection Settings > Systems Displayed.

Controls

By default, the controls are configured for the original PSP (see the image above). Because the device doesn’t have a second analog stick, the look up/down/left/right functions are mapped to the face buttons. Luckily, you can change the button configuration through RetroArch, so they are more fitting for the RG351P controls. To do so, boot up the game and then open the Quick Menu (either L3 + R3 or START + SELECT, depending on your OS), then navigate to Controls > Port 1 Controls. Here is the button mapping I prefer:

Device type: RetroPad
Analog to digital type: None
B button: Cross
Y button: Square
Select button: Select
Start button: Start
D-Pad Up: D-Pad Up
D-Pad Down: D-Pad Down
D-Pad Left: D-Pad Left
D-Pad Right: D-Pad Right
A button: Circle
X button: Triangle
L button (shoulder): L
R button (shoulder): R
L2 button (trigger): Select
R2 button (trigger): Select
L3 button: Circle
R3 button: Cross
Left Analog X+: Left Analog X+
Left Analog X-: Left Analog X-
Left Analog Y+: Left Analog Y+
Left Analog Y+: Left Analog Y+
Right Analog X+: Circle
Right Analog X-: Square
Right Analog Y+: Cross
Right Analog Y-: Triangle

This will give you dual thumbstick gameplay, and the jump button will be assigned to both L2 and R2 (you can press either one, whatever is most comfortable to you). Additionally, if you want to invert the Y-axis, you can swith the Right Analog Y+ and Y- (Cross and Triangle buttons).

Once you have the control settings to your liking, back out to the Controls menu and choose “Save Game Remap File”. Now, every time you boot the game the controls will be saved.

In-game controls:
D-pad left/right = switch block
D-pad up/down = switch set
L1 = place block
R1 = remove block
L2 or R2 = jump
L1 + R1 = inventory menu
START = main menu

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Changelog

04AUG2022
– updated the download links

02MAY2021
– updated .sh file code for 351ELEC 2.0 and beyond

04JAN2021
– fixed error in remap code (R3 button: Cross)

09DEC2020
– published guide