Key point: DATA.PSAR contains the raw ISO 9660 + CDDA tracks, compressed. When POPS (PSP emulator) loads a PBP, it decompresses that block on-the-fly.

Multi-disc games: Modern tools (PSX2PSP v1.4.2 or pop-fe) can embed disc 1, disc 2, etc. as separate “discs” inside one PBP – the emulator asks you to swap at runtime. | Feature | BIN/CUE | CHD (lossless) | PBP (lossy possible) | |---------------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------------| | Compression ratio | None | ~30-50% | ~40-60% (zlib) | | Multi-disc single file | No (multiple files) | Yes (M3U + CHD) | Yes (native) | | Metadata embedding | No | No | Yes (icons, title) | | Streaming from storage | Slow (random) | Fast | Moderate | | Emulator support | Universal | Growing (RetroArch, DuckStation) | PSP, Vita, RetroArch, some Android | | Lossy audio possible | No | No | Yes (convert CDDA to ATRAC3) |

pop-fe --compress --level 9 --output game.pbp game.cue : Keep CDDA audio – uncheck “Convert CDDA to ATRAC3” unless you need extreme compression (lossy). 5. Compatibility matrix | Emulator / Device | PBP Support | Notes | |------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------| | PSP (official POPS) | ✅ Native | Requires EBOOT.PBP in folder| | PS Vita (Adrenaline) | ✅ Full | Same as PSP | | RetroArch (PCSX-ReARMed) | ✅ Full | Load PBP directly | | DuckStation (PC) | ✅ Partial | Works but not recommended | | ePSXe (Android) | ✅ Full | Recognizes PBP | | Xebra / PSXjin | ❌ No | | | MiSTer FPGA PSX core | ❌ No | Needs CHD or BIN/CUE | | PlayStation Classic (stock) | ⚠️ Via RetroArch only | | | RG35XX / Anbernic devices | ✅ Yes (RetroArch) | |